I have a 120GB Hard Drive and I plan to format it and install SUSE 9.1 on it along with Windows XP for non-Linux supported games. I will be putting all files (mp3s, vids, docs) on my Linux partition. But I was wondering how big I should make my XP partition. Should I just make it about 3 GB and install my games on the Linux Partition from Windows? Or should I make my XP Partition big enough to install my games on? I would prefer to have everything one one partition, and just have a small one for my XP install, but I don't know if that's possible.

Also, always install Windows first, right?

you can't read linux file systems from within windows. anything you want to do in windows has be be contained on eith entfs or fat32 file systems i'd round it up and say 20gb for windows, if you are still aware that putting mp3's on linux fs will leave them inaccessible from Windows. if that's not your intention, then say... 10gb win ntfs, 10gb linux, rest as fat32 common between the two.

Yes, install windows first; otherwise, the windows installer will over-write the master boot record and you won't be able to boot linux (although it's possible to restore if necessary...)

1) How about 4GB for each OS, and the rest as a FAT32 Space?

or

2) Are you saying all my XP games must be on the same partition as XP?

only if you use the Linux file system. If you use three main partitions ie 10/100/10 then you can play stuff off the 100 if you use FAT32 or NTFS, but evidenlty NTFS isnt really supported by Linux, but I havnt had a problem accessing my NTFS partition

I have a similar set up with a 120GB drive with 80 for Windows and the Mandrake installed automaticly paritioned the extra 40 into the 3 septerate partitions needed for linux. I hope to get wine configured so that I can just play what I already have installed on the old Windows through Linux.

It might work better to install the games on the windows partition, reserve enough space for your mp3's on a Fat32 partition and the rest for linux. You know better then us how much space you might use for mp3's. The streamtuner/streamripper in linux could use the fat32 partition also, so that you could play the recorded mp3s in Windows also.

Using only 4 GB of a 120 GB drive for an OS sounds a bit tight to me. Remember that as you add applications to linux or games to Windows, the size taken up will grow with time and the average size of games and applications may grow in size over time.

I have 3 HDs. My XP is on the only NTFS partition and I made that I think about 3.5GB (at the very least 3GB+). Now WITHOUT the "recovery" service whenever I log onto Windows it tells me I have no space and I am forced to find more stuff to delete to get it to shut up. Give it a good 5GB atleast. I ended up creating another 20GB Fat32 partition for my games. Everything else Ext3. Mind you I haven't used Windows for anything but a few Games I can't plat on Cedega/WineX for the past 2 years. So if your just starting to use Linux, make as much as you can Fat32, you never know.

I would make atleast 10 GB for Windows (its a hog) but use FAT32 instead of NTFS. You do not need NTFS unless you are sharing your computer with someone else. For your (lousy) MP3, put it on another drive instead your OS.

I suggest using the 120 GB for multimedia files and then get two 40 GB hard drives for both Windows and Linux. This way, Windows will not be able to screw up your Linux drive and partition table. For Linux partitions, I suggest ReiserFS or XFS. Though Windows 2000/XP can not format partitions larger than 32 GB with FAT32, but Linux and Win98 can.

Linux is able to read NTFS without any problems, but writting to it is a different story. I suggest specify read-only option when mounting NTFS partitions.

I would not worry about setting up WINE during the first few months of learning Linux. During that time practice doing the basics like installing from RPM files, compiling, editing files, navigating through directories, tweaking some settings. You can eventually conqueror setting up WINE.

How does this sound:

6GB for Windows NTFS
30GB Games (NTFS or FAT32?)
75 GB for Linux, Mp3s, Docs, Linux-only games, Vids, etc.

When I tried to test install Linux it wanted to partition and shrink and do all this stuff I didn't want. (Or do I?)

Another thing. Is the Linux file system faster? And If it is and I use it, can I copy backed up music/pictures to it that were previously on a NTFS drive?

Thanks alot you guys have been a big help!

Putting Windows games and applications on a seperate partition is not very smart. If Windows does not work, you have to re-install the games and applications because installers puts files all over the place. Make the Windows drive 20 GB or 25 GB. Then install games and applications on that partition. The rest you can use for Linux and multimedia files. I would use FAT32 instead of NTFS because writing to NTFS is still experimental.

EXT2/3, ReiserFS, XFS, JFS can be read by Windows though a program like explorer2fs can be used to access EXT2/3 partitions in Windows. If you are switching back and forth from Windows to Linux, use FAT32.

Use 10 GB for Linux partitions. I suggest using either ReiserFS or XFS for Linux. For /home in Linux, you can use EXT2/3. The rest you can make one big FAT32 partition.