Will be switching from Windows XP only to a dual boot of Windows XP and Mandrake 10.1 very soon and I just need to double check a few things before the switch. Keep in mind that Linux will be my main OS and I only intend to use Windows for software that can't yet be run on Linux (which is why I haven't been too generous with Windows and shared partitions). My partition plan will be something like this (though I might still change it around a little):

Total space: 37.253 GB (40 GB for those who use 1000 instead of 1024 for their calculations)

8 GB NTFS - Windows XP and completely Windows only software that will never be run in Linux

6 GB FAT32 - Shared applications and data (mainly Windows software that I can run with WINE or under Windows if I just so happen to be running Windows at the time)

Remaining space ReiserFS - Everything else


Okay, now I've read over several dual boot tutorials but am still a little hazy as far as how I'm going to get this all working. First things first, I'll be backing up everything and deleting my current Windows partition. In the end what I want is for the computer to ask me on start-up which OS I want to boot. What order would I go about installing OS's and creating partitions? Will I need a boot loader like LILO or GRUB? If so, where will it fit in to the whole process? Thanks in advance!

I am having a dual boot of Windows 2000 and RedHat Enterprise Gnu/Linux ..

I feel, its a good idea to go for Windows installation first .. So that you dnt have to manually do anything with the Windows Loader .. I am not entering into the details, neither I know much abt that ..

So, if u install Windows first and then go for Mandrake GNU/Linux, u will have to go for a Boot Loader .. This Loader will be responsible for the Option Menu .. This Option Menu will be a screen before ur system boots up .. In this option menu, u can select between Windows and GNU/Linux as it will show both of them as options .. I guess Mandrake will be giving u two boot loaders to choose from GRUB and LILO .. I have used both and they both seems to be fine ..

You can also configure ur Boot Loader to make any of the OS as default .. So that after an interval of few seconds, it will load the default if u won't select ur choice ..

For partitions, first go for windows partitions (14 GB in total for u ).. Either, don't format remaining space or even if u do, u can always reformat it when u install Linux ..

Feel free to come back for any clarifications on the same ..

ayrus ..................

You should probably create the partitions first of all, if you're going to start from scratch. You can use windows fdisk to create the NTFS and FAT32 partitions and leave the rest unallocated (Linux can handle that). Then the first OS you should install is windows. It'll cause less troubles later on. Then install Linux using the unallocated partition letting MDK decide how to partition it.

Either LILO or GRUB can be installed, but make sure you put it in the MBR of HDA (first hard drive). You can use the Windows boot menu, but it takes some mucking around with to get right.

HTH
Baldrick

grub should automatically be installed during mandrake setup, and should detect and add your windows partition as a boot item (although the default auto-boot timeout for grub is often 3 seconds, this can be modified in the /boot/grub/grub.conf or menu.lst file).

edit: darn, beat me to it...

So it sounds like GRUB is included in the Mandrake setup and it can pretty much handle most of the configuration on its own. That right? Thanks for the help!

Yepp Thats right !!!!