Hi i'm playing with Linux since 1 week. Finally i lost all my data from the hard disk while trying to make good partiation and dual boot with windows 7. Not a great trouble because i've already backed up some important files in DVD. anyway...

Now i've just wiped full disk uking KillDisk utility. Now i wanto install fresh Windows 7 and openSuSe 11.2. I'm going to install in Dell Inspiron 6400 Laptop. Hard Disk size is 120GB. I've searched a lot in google but very confusing. I'm installing for only personal perpose i mean not as a server. I'm looking for the answer of the following questions.

I want 80GB for windows and 40GB for openSuse.
4 Partiation for Windows (System, Desktop, Backup, Web)
I don't have clear idea about partiation size in linux (swap, /(root), /usr, /home, /tmp, /var)

1. I'm planning to install Win 7 first. Is that ok? Please suggest me which OS to install first?
2. How to put free space for linux? My way is i shrink the volume in win 7 and don't format and that is used by linux.
3. I have 1 GB ram so i'll use 1GB as SWAP and please suggest me for other partiation for linux.

4. Does shrinking windows based volumn after installing both OS create big problem? This happened today for me. Actually i don't know the exact reason.

Thanks...

i'm looking for many suggestions as possible so i'll have change to get idea...

Install windows 7 first .
Shrink the windows partition to make room for opensuse .
Let opensuse use the free space .
It might be that you have to use the customize or expert or manual install in opensuse to do so.
And than opensuse will do the work for you.
There is no real magic number how big you're swap should be.

I've just tried to do the same as ITMountains but found a severe limit was the number of partitions allowed on a Windows HDD. I had 4 (Windows 7, Data, Hidden Re-install, Hidden Utilities) and when I ran the OpenSUSE partitioner it refused to resize the HDD and only offered to delete the Windows partitions.

I therefore tried to install on an External USB HDD but the Grub bootloader wasn't automatically placed in the Windows MBR and it lead to all sorts of problems. I eventually had to use the W7 utility (after booting from the W7 installation DVD) bootsect.exe in the problem USB HDD Drive - G: in my case to rewrite the MBR so I could boot into W7.

So I doubt you can install as recommended as the Windows (or is it Intel) system only allows 4 drives/partitions on a disk before it insists on converting all the partitions/disks to Virtual Disks.

Consider installing OpenSUSE on another drive, maybe USB. It might be possible to install early versions of this Distro on a Pen Drive, a simple Google will take you to some recommendations.

?

Are you going to make a fresh installation of both Windows 7 and openSUSE 11.2 using the installation DVDs, not a restoration of Win 7?

Why do you think that Windows 7 will want to create and use four partitions? I would think that Win 7 would want at most two, perhaps a recovery partition, and one for the installation. You can make a third partition for Win 7 files if you want, but you will need to leave one for linux.

If the above is the case, the Win 7 installer will give you the chance of choosing the size of 60GB you want to use for Win 7, that is if all of the HDD is seen as unallocated. You may have to choose Custom Install or play with the Win 7 partitioner.

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/w...7-install.html

After you have installed Win 7, you can proceed with openSUSE 11.2 on the rest of the HDD and GRUB should install to boot both without any further efforts.

In my scenario, you would use the partitioning tool presented during the 11.2 installation to make one extended partition of 40GB for linux and create logical partitions within that for the desired 11.2 linux partitions. There can be many logical partitions within an extended partition, but the extended partition should be the last partition of the four permitted.

The 11.2 partitioner will make a proposal based on what it sees, but you can open the choice boxes for custom partitioning. You are able to make several attempts at using the partitioning tool since nothing will take effect until you click on the install box on the last scree page and are given a final warning that installation is about to start.

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/o...e-install.html

It is always useful to have a CD of PartedMagic or GPartedLive to manipulate or examine partitions. The command "fdisk -l" is good to tell you what you have and where you are.

Have Fun

I am not familiar how Windows 7 is implemented but currently we are aware that there are only four (4) valid active partitions allowable on every disk. The requirements 'System', 'Desktop', 'Backup', 'Web' as to occupy separate active partitions is nothing but that the waste that ought to go into the septic tanks are coming up into the heads of proprietor software engineers in Microsoft: let no one suffer for their silly schemes, rather, the best solution for Windows 7 install disk is to put it in the CR for scraping or wiping the bottom as it is what it deserves, saving few cents from buying toilet papers: there are far better free multi-media oriented operating systems running Linux, why need the trouble? However, if you ITMountains are one of those credulous superstitious of the 'Ghost-spell (gospel) of Microsoft' preached in the churchers having no seats, no altars, no roofs, only tithes, Windows, and Gates, then let me recommend you try this solution:

Divide your disk into four active partitions as usual:

Partition 1 size: 20 Gigs Win 7 -active
Partition 2 size: 20 Gigs Win 7 -active
Partition 3 size: 20 Gigs Win 7 -active
Partition 4 size: 60 Gigs Win 7 -active

Then boot windows 7, shrink Partition 4 into size of 20 Gigs. Then shutdown.

Boot your Suse (I'd recommend Linux Mint 7 here for a newbie) LiveCD.

Note: The vacant space now (about 40G-) is located in Partition 4, this is capable of LOGICAL PARTITIONS not Active partitions. Do these when you are booted at Mint LiveCD:

1) Launch the Mint gParted application to divide the space.
2) Create four (4) additional Logical partitions:

Partition 6 size: 1 Gig -format: linux swap (take note the jump to 6)
Partition 7 size: 10 G -format: ext3 for your linux system
Partition 8 size: All remaining space -format: ntfs for data to be shared by Win 7 and Linux

Install Linux Mint at the ext3 partition. When you boot after installation Grub will automatically offer you the option to boot either Windows 7 or Linux.

If you can make this work, congratulations.

There is no need to use separate partitions, Linux is intelligent to understand a poor man's resources, you can house all those folders in one partition only.

Yes, the weakling OS first.

I have illustrated a solution to this above.

Under normal data usage 1G is good enough a swap maybe of any size or no swap still your linux can run.

The problem is imposed by Microsoft, NOT by the linux distro.

My final advice is still-- use your Windows 7 installer as a flying saucer that goes out from your window, or best, use it for some profitable chores inside the toilet.

I hope this helps.

Good luck.

Thanks for the valuable suggestions. I've successfully installed Both Windows 7 and openSuSe 11.2.

First i install Windows 7 with 20 GB partiation and left all remaining for free. After Installing Windows 7 i install OpenSuSe and make partiation as follows..
system - 20 gb (Primary)
/boot - 200MB (primary)
desktop - FAT32 - 20GB (extended)
backup - FAT32 - 20GB(extended)
web - FAT32 - 10GB(extended)
/ - Ext4 - 6GB(extended)
Swap - Swap - 1GB(extended)
/home -Ext4 - 15 GB(extended)
/usr -Ext4 - 8 GB(extended)
/var -Ext4 - 2 GB(extended)
/temp - Ext4 - 1GB(extended)

there is still free space i'll play with it later... In future i'll use this laptop as hosting for a testing site of mine. please suggest whether i've done right or wrong. i'm just like a baby in Linux.

Just for information my Windows 7 HDD (in a laptop) has 4 partitions by default. It has the Windows 7 partition (C:/) and a Data partition (D:/) plus two hidden partitions installed by the manufacturer for storing the re-install version of W7 and also Utility. So that's the maximum 4 allowed. This is fairly typical of a laptop and if you are looking to install a dual boot Linux distro it's a major problem. So the solutions are either a USB external HDD or a USB Pen Drive, except for Ubuntu/Mint where you can use Wubi to install them as a file within W7 (this works very well and shows almost no loss of speed).