I've had a copy of Mandrake 9.0 laying around for sometime now. Ready to install it and see what the world of Linux is like.

I have a machine running a RAID-0 config (2 ATA100 7200RPM 40GB drives) that I'd like to install it on. The motherboard is a Abit TH7-Raid using the HighPoint HPT370 Raid Controller.

I have the drives partitioned up and have WinXP Pro on C:, MS Server 2003 on E:, a partition for applications (F:,) and another partition for data (G:,)

I made a Linux Ext2 partition with Partition Magic for the Mandrake install to live on. But it shows no drive letter in Partition Magic or Windows.

Tried to install Mandrake but it finds the partition table messed up and looks like it is seeing the drives as two separate drives and not 1 like it should be cause of the RAID-0 config.

Guess my first question is it possible to install Mandrake on the setup I described and keep the existing OSs?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Mandrake 9.0 comes with a very easy to use partitioning tool that you can use during the installation, so as far as I know you can install mandrake9.0 on that setup.

I would use the partition tool with the install. It will do the mount points for Linux automatically. It is a graphical partition tool.

Here's a how to link. http://www.justlinux.com/forum/showt...hreadid=108583

It should recognize your windoze automatically too.

Hope this helps.

I would never use Partition Magic, I've heard it causes problems as it isn't up to date enough.

Wait -- so resizing the nfts partition of XP is best done in the mandrake installer? Not partition magic 8.0?

Heres what I was thinking of doing:

Resizing the nfts partition in partition magic 8.0 (I'm using XP BTW.) Afterwards, installing mandrake and using it's utility to select and create a partition space from the unnallocated portion of the drive. Is this a bad idea?

Could you verify the proper and most safes procedure for resizing NFTS XP with an install of mandrake 9.1?
Here is a picture of the defrag drive. It contains 80GB 33 used:
http://members2.photofun.com/aaronel...y/untitled.JPG

-Thanks

Using partition magic to make empty space should work. Just use the partition tool in the installer to make the Linux partitions. You should have the option to 'use empty space' when it asks about what you want for partitions. I always use custom myself and set up my own sizes.

Good luck.

Thanks, but is it safer and more convenient to use Diskdrake? I'd prefer to use diskdrake but I'm afraid that it can't handle things as well as partition magic.

BTW, I enjoyed reading your article.

Guess my main problem at this point is Linux not seeing my RAID-0 Array.

I'm in custom disk formatting now, but it is seeing 2 drives, hde and hdg. It's not seeing the RAID-0 Array and should seeing the two 40GB drives as drives as one 80GB drive.

hde and hdg is the only drives showing in the custom formatting screen, no sda is showing.

Both of my windows installs see's the Array as 1 drive.

Suggestions?

One more question...what is the linux nonfb option for?

From what I was told it is for when you can't display the graphics. If you boot with it, it looks like dos stuff instead of the little graphics.
In my experiaence I have noticed that it detects new hardware better. Doesn't make sense but it worked.

You may have to do a search for raid support. If you can't find help here goto justlinux.com or mandrakeusers.org. They may have more ideas on raid. I know what it is but have never used it. You may also look around the Mandrake website. I'm sure it can, I just don't know how. Sorry.

Hope this helps.

Partition Magic is fine for resizing NTFS - but on average don't use it for creating Linux partitions in advance - the best scenario for installing Linux is to have some unpartitioned free space, then let the Linux installer partition and format that free space ready for the package installation.

I think he's having trouble getting it to see his drives as a raid setup instead of individual drives. Do you have any ideas or places he can look?

Thanks for the information, you two. I'm only a few hours from the install process. *crosses fingers*

I decided to just do away with the RAID setup until I understand Linux a bit better. Once I do I may try it again on the RAID-0 config.

I'm writing this reply through Linux browser Setup was pretty easy.

Only prob so far is lack of drivers for my Lexmark Z45 printer.

http://computing.net. This may help. Let me know if you can't find one. I'll do some more looking.

Since you are new to Linux, here's a good way to find Linux info, www.google.com/linux. In case you didn't already know.

Sorry the original link would not work. You'll have to search for Lexmark Z45. I bet there is one that will work though. Seems that printer has been around a while. Just have to find it.