Need Help Partitioning 60GB Slackware

uberNUT69 · 12-08-2005, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vicye6

You should create all your logical partitions first, then create your primary partitions.

I disagree. You would probably end up with a similar situation where your partitions are out of order.
I suggest creating the partitions in the order I specified previously.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivancauso

Disk /dev/hda: 60.0 GB, 60060155904 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7301 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 122 979933+ 5 Extended
/dev/hda2 123 1338 9767520 83 Linux
/dev/hda3 * 1339 4985 29294527+ c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/hda4 4986 7301 18603270 83 Linux
/dev/hda5 1 122 979902 82 Linux swap

The hda1 extended partition created itself after I installed Windows XP and kicked my previous hda1 (linux swap) to hda5. Not too sure what is that hda1 but I think it must be something to do with the windows boot??? Anyway, what I want to do is to delete hda4, which is my /home and use this free space to create an extended partition in order to have one more partition (1GB) that will be visible from Windows and Linux to allow transfer os files between the two OS.
Here is my attempt and the error message I get:

Deleted the hda4 no problems:

Command (m for help): d
Partition number (1-5): 4

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/hda: 60.0 GB, 60060155904 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7301 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 122 979933+ 5 Extended
/dev/hda2 123 1338 9767520 83 Linux
/dev/hda3 * 1339 4985 29294527+ c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/hda5 1 122 979902 82 Linux swap

Here, you have the extended partition as the first partition on the disk.
I strongly discourage you from doing it this way.
Make sure the disk is BLANK before you install Windows.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivancauso

Now when I try to create a new partition "extended" is not an option anymore and if I try to create a logical partition it says I have no space... But I do have space because I just deleted my hda4 which is a few GB... And if I create a new primary no problems...???? So what's going on?!

It is no longer an option as you already have an extended partition (hda1).

I suggest you start again, and follow my first 'recipe'.
(Yes, you will lose everything)
eg.

Code:

1. Boot linux (or a livecd), remove the bootloader and partition table
      # dd  if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda bs=512 count=1
2. Install WinXP on hda1 *** USING NTFS !!!! ****
      I STRONGLY suggest you use NTFS for WindowsXP.
3. Install linux using the partition layout mentioned previously
      While defining the partitions during initial install,
      create the FAT32 'shared' partition with a mountpoint of
      something like '/mnt/sharedFAT'

====================================================================================
-OR-
If you really don't want to reinstall WinXP,
Boot using a live-cd like knoppix
=run qtparted:
- delete all partitions except hda3 (Windows)
- move hda3 to the start of the disk
=run fdisk
- x (extra functionality)
- f (fix partition order) ... should rename hda3 to hda1 (??? see below)
- w (write table to disk and exit)

===============
??? If x/f doesn't rename hda3 to hda1 then:
=run fdisk
- write down the stats for hda3 (eg start, end, type, etc)
- delete hda3
- create new partition (hda1) with EXACTLY the same stats as before
- write table and exit
==================

Now convert your fat32 drive to ntfs.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pro...onvertfat.mspx
Then install linux using previously mentioned partition scheme.

Easier to start again IMHO

ivancauso · 12-09-2005, 04:15 AM

Ok, I was expecting that... So, no problems, I'll format and re-install everything. But during installation I was facing the same "out of space" problem after I created an extend partition.

I needed to transfer the file bootsect.lnx from linux to windows (I don't have floppy in my computer) in order to be able to get the boot working, and therefore I could see no other solution but to use FAT32 for windowsxp. I'll try again and post the results

! Thanks again for the help!
By the way, I heard about security issues when formatting windows partition as FAT32 but I don't really understand why! Does anyone know?

ivancauso · 12-09-2005, 07:26 AM

Cool! It worked! I formatted and started all over.
You were right uberNUT69, the Windows must be installed first! I partitioned exactly as you wrote in the scheme. Just one question:

What is hda6 (/Boot) for?

I installed LILO in the MBR and I don't know how am I suposed to use this partition. I made it bootable using fdisk, but that was just a guess... The system is booting normal and evrything seems to be working... I formatted as ext3 as you showed in the example...so how can I use that now?

Thanks a lot!

Ivan

uberNUT69 · 12-09-2005, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivancauso

I needed to transfer the file bootsect.lnx from linux to windows (I don't have floppy in my computer) in order to be able to get the boot working, and therefore I could see no other solution but to use FAT32 for windowsxp.

You won't need to do that if you allow grub
to control the booting of BOTH linux and windows.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivancauso

By the way, I heard about security issues when formatting windows partition as FAT32 but I don't really understand why! Does anyone know?

The most obvious issue is that FAT32 doesn't allow permissions
to be set on files and directories. Both ext2(&3) and NTFS do allow this,
which vastly improves security and stability in the majority of cases.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivancauso

What is hda6 (/Boot) for?

It isn't strictly necessary in most cases, but I find it useful
to have a separate /boot ... and most distros with
automatic partitioning schemes use it.
The most likely use for it is that you might (eventually)
decide to have EVMS or LVM partitions on your drive
where the modules (and programs to manipulate) to access
those partitions will bo loaded from what's called an
initial ramdisk (initrd) located in /boot.
The kernels and the grub menu are stored in /boot.
(If you use grub instead of LILO).
Lilo's config is /etc/lilo.conf and works differently.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivancauso

I installed LILO in the MBR and I don't know how am I suposed to use this partition. I made it bootable using fdisk, but that was just a guess... The system is booting normal and evrything seems to be working... I formatted as ext3 as you showed in the example...so how can I use that now?

Installed LILO in MBR = GOOD.
Made /boot partition (?) bootable = YES
Formatted as ext3 = GOOD (err. formatted WHAT is ext3?)
"How do I use that?" ... I'm not sure what you mean.
ext3 is a journalling version of ext2 ... which means that
every 5 secs (by default) a log is written that describes the
changes on the disc. If for some reason the system crashes
(eg. power outage) then at restart, the changes to the disk
are 'rewound' rather than checking the WHOLE disk ...
very nice feature.

Are you able to boot into both Windows and Linux?
Do you have a desktop in Linux?
Can you open a terminal or console?

When you've got to this stage, take a look at
/etc/fstab
You need to edit that (as root) and make the line that
mentions the FAT32 partition read something like this:

Code:

/dev/hda5    /mnt/sharedFAT    vfat    noauto,user,umask=002    0 0

Of course, the /mnt/sharedFAT directory must exist.
The noauto option is so that the partition isn't mounted at boot.
user = so that a normal (non-root) user can mount the partition
and the umask is so that a normal user can write to the mounted filesystem.

To mount it:

Code:

$ mount /mnt/sharedFAT

To unmount it:

Code:

$ umount /mnt/sharedFAT

(umount not unmount)

Depending on the desktop environment installed, you may even have
a nice icon on your desktop or a 'Computer' folder that will
allow you to mount/unmount the partition with the click of
the mouse.

Enjoy.

ivancauso · 12-10-2005, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uberNUT69

Installed LILO in MBR = GOOD.
Made /boot partition (?) bootable = YES
Formatted as ext3 = GOOD (err. formatted WHAT is ext3?)
"How do I use that?" ... I'm not sure what you mean.

I mean: How to use the /boot partition, now that I have LILO installed in the MBR, and don't need to install grub. But I think you explained that in the first lines.

Quote:

Originally Posted by uberNUT69

Are you able to boot into both Windows and Linux?
Do you have a desktop in Linux?
Can you open a terminal or console?

Yes, I am able to boot into both, Windows and Linux using LILO.
Yes I do have a desktop, I ussually use blackbox, but I'm still getting used with the commands. But I don't know if I have to mount... It seems to me is already working.... I can see it! I can go to cd /fat-d and there it is!
And yes, I can open a terminal console no problems. My system boots into a terminal console, not a GUI.