I'm trying to install fedora 4 alongside windows xp. I have tried to install from the fedora dvd and let it partition the drive during the installation. The disk tested: pass and I entered the setup. From the auto partition screen I selected I want to have Automatic partitioning: Keep all partitions and use existing free space. I get the error Partitioning failed: Could not allocate partitions as primary partitions. and it says I have not defined a root partition, which is required for installation. This can happen is there is not enough space on your hard drive. So I go back and look at Manually partition with Disk Druid. My hard drive is listed at 28607 MB.
Hard Drives
/dev/hdc
/dev/hdc1 ntfs 28608 start:1 end:3647
Free Free Space 8 start:3648 end 3648

I haven't done any previous steps. I just started the dvd and am attempting to install. I'm following the Fedora Project installation guide I am currently stuck at chapter six Disk Partitioning. Can anyone help?

Before installation, you need to shrink your NTFS partition with some partitioning program to create free space to put your Linux partitions. Good ones include the commercial program Partition Magic, and free programs like GParted and QtParted. Both Knoppix and SystemRescueCD include QtParted.

Hi,
Let me throw in some of my layman's knowledge.

I had the similar issue. Let's say you have two drives in Windows- C and D. D was kind of empty for me and i wanted to use that one. It was already formatted in NTFS format. So when i tried setting up Linux ( Fedora C4), it would not let me select the automatic thing, as i probably did not have any disks unformatted or in Linux required formats.

So, i selected the manual format and chose D drive (/dev/hda3) for some of the / and /root configurations, to be formatted in ext3 format. I didn't really know how to configure the /boot stuff. So after formatting in ext3 format, I stopped the installation and i restarted it again. Now, this time since D (/dev/hda3) is already formatted in ext3 type, it let me choose automatic formatting and i proceeded from there.

This is a roooundabout sick solution, but this is what i did. Someone might be able to tell you, how to configure the whole disk thing manually itself.

-Raj

thanks spoon and raj. i'll go with partition magic. i called a friend and she suggested partition magic also, with a warning not to fcuk it up. if i can't get partition magic to do what i want then i'll try the roundabout way that you mentioned raz. thanks alot for the help. hopefully things wont be too bad.