OK, here's what I want to do. I have a 900mhz 128 MB RAM computer with a 20 gig hard drive. I am running stoopid Windows XP and want to turn it into a dual-boot Windows XP and Linux system. I have the Storm Linux distro, but it does not come with any information and the site is down. Can someone help me with this and give me directions on how to dual-boot XP with Storm Linux? SL has a bootable CD if that makes any difference. Thanks!!

Well, if their documentation is poor (I personally never tried or even heard of Storm Linux), then your best shot is to get a popular distribution such as Mandrake or Redhat...

I use lilo. Therefore you should have some entries in /etc/lilo.conf like:

root=/dev/hdax (x is the number of the partition where linux is)

image=/<image name>
label=linux
<assorted options>

other=/dev/hday (where y is the number of the partition where windows lives)
label='windows'


Or something to that effect. Then run "lilo" (as root) from the command line and it should be all good.

If you don't know what the numbers are (x and y) then run "fdisk /dev/hda" (assuming both windows and linux are on the same disk) and then press "p" to print the parition table. You should then be able to read it off.

where tha hell did it came from? hmmmm
never heard of this distro

# Modified by YaST2. Last modification on Wed Oct 23 16:45:54 2002


boot = /dev/hda
change-rules
reset
read-only
menu-scheme = Wg:kw:Wg:Wg
lba32
prompt
timeout = 80
message = /boot/message
default = windows

other = /dev/hda1
label = windows
optional

image = /boot/vmlinuz
label = linux
append = " hdd=ide-scsi hdd=ide-scsi"
initrd = /boot/initrd
root = /dev/hdb3
vga = 788

image = /boot/vmlinuz.shipped
label = failsafe
append = "ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off hdd=ide-scsi"
initrd = /boot/initrd.shipped
optional
root = /dev/hdb3
vga = 788

image = /boot/memtest.bin
label = memtest86

I have a dual boot with windows ME & SuSE Linux personal 8.1, that is how my lilo looks.

Is there any spesific reason for using that distro? I think newbies should use big distros first, then try using others while advancing...

btw, you use this config: (the easiest solution)

First you have to split your hd space to make space for Linux partitions. Use utilities like Partition Magic.

Install WinXP on primary partition first,
then you can Install Linux either in primary partition or logical partition. If you have more than 1 primary partition, make sure that WinXP partition have the bootable signature.

After installing Linux, you will likely to have your system to boot to Linux only. If you're using distro like Red Hat or Mandrake, you will not need to do further config, since they will config it automatically. oh, and you should choose MBR as the location of boot loader installation... since this is the easiest one...

In case you can only boot to Linux,
if you're using lilo (most commonly loader, for some reason I prefer GRUB) and edit /etc/lilo.conf add something like:

other = /dev/hda1
label = WinXP

save your lilo.conf, type lilo at shell prompt to activate the changes, then reboot your system and have them dual boot...

thanks for your help, i was going to but suse, mandrake or redhat because i heard such good things of them for newer users, but a freind already had this distro and i figured i could just try that instead of buying a distro of my own right away. what do you people recommend as a good first-time distro?

i cant even get storm to install BTW, it gives me almost 15 lines of errors after it 'mounts the cdrom' and quits...

Thanks

You don't need to buy one You can download and burn them. They are free, so it's legal to do .
Try Mandrake or RedHat, most users start with that . If you don't have a fast connection or cdburner, a friend can do it for you. Some places sell distros for very few $, basicaly the media cost (CD-r).

i have aol dialup (nuff' said... lol). I actually dont know anybody with a cable connection and my birthday is in a few days, I may just buy a distro with that money. SuSE, Redhat and Mandrake are all $40. Plus, I don't have the patience to download something that large. =P

Well, it's always cool to buy a boxed version of a Linux distro. You get full support, access to some forums, plus you know it's for a good reason. Unfortunately, I still could not buy one myself and it really makes me feel bad using such a great product as Linux is freely, even though, legaly.
Some bookstores may sell a book with a Linux CD, you could look after them, because you get an original CD plus a nice book to learn a lot from (that's the one I wanna get). You can also buy really, really cheap CD's here:

http://cart.cheapbytes.com/cgi-bin/cart

If we don't talk till your birthday, happy birthday superlevel and welcome to LinuxQuestions

OK lilo is not a distro. It's a boot loader (LILO = LInux LOader) and it works well for me. I was just suggesting settings for that but it seems you're not up to that stage yet.

I've heard of storm linux but don't know anything about it. I'd actually recommend debian for you. It's probably the best all-round distro in my opinion. It's a little harder to install (but not much) than RH, Mandy and Suse. But If you're willing to put in the time, then debian's worth it. You'll also eventually learn about apt-get which is by far the best package management tool out there. It's been ported to other distros, however none but debian (and it's derivatives) come with it standard.

http://rootprompt.org/article.php3?article=797
try that link-sounds like it's not bad.

Thanks guys. Wow, $6.99 for Mandrake. I think I may just pass on the bigger box. =P