In my PC I currently have a 20GB IDE drive with Slackware64 installed. I also have a 300GB IDE drive with Windows XP SP2 installed.

I'd like to format the windows drive and copy the Slackware64 installation from the 20gb to the 300GB drive. When I boot up I want it to be just as it's supposed to be, but with the Slack on the new drive.

Is there a utility to do this in Slack?

are you looking to get rid of the 20GB drive or just make the slack drive bigger? You could just partition off say 150GB for Slackware on the 300GB drive then mount the 150GB as the /home directory and copy contents from /home on 20GB to /home on 150GB drive.

Actually I'm looking to use all 300gb for slack and use the 20gb drive for Windows.

I can just format and reinstall Slackware if I want but everything seems to be working pretty well as it is...so if I can just copy it over that would be good.

I believe gparted can resize NTFS-5 partitions. You can grab a build script from slackbuilds.org.

Before starting, check the XP installation for actual drive space being used. You'll want actual usage to be less than 20 GB. You might also want to perform some defragging of the XP partition.

If all of that is in your favor, gparted can help you move things.

Basically:

1. Resize the 300GB partition to 20 GB or less.
2. Move the Slackware 20 GB partition to the 300 GB drive.
3. Move the resized 20 GB XP partition to the 20 GB drive.
4. Resize the 20 GB Slackware partition on the 300 GB drive to any size you want.

Be sure to create or copy any swap partition too.

If you have VirtualBox (or any virtual system tool) installed you could simulate the exercise there several times to ensure your plan will work the way you think.

You'll want to run gparted from a Live CD such as Parted Magic.

I plan to wipe the XP partition all together and reinstall on the 20gb drive. I don't want to move that, I just want to format and reinstall XP on the 20gb drive fresh.

I'll just use 2 and 4.

I wish I could get VirtualBox working, but I'm not adept enough to compile from source yet. If there is a package for Slack64, I would definately have it going.

Thanks!

Traditionally, people have advised installing XP first because the Microsoft people design their systems with the erroneous idea that only they exist. Thus, the Windows installer will install its own boot loader on the MBR of the primary boot drive. Linux based systems don't care where they are installed. One way or another, you'll end up installing lilo or grub and then in that boot loader chain load the XP boot loader. You do not have to install XP first. That is only the recommendation. As long as you understand the myopia of the Microsoft design, you can install either system in any order. Just keep a boot CD/DVD handy.

You don't need to build from source. Visit here to find a build script. Visit here to download pre-compiled packages.

I plan to install Windows on the 20GB and disconnect the 300GB drive. Then reconnect the 300GB drive. That's how I set it up now. If I want to boot to Slack, I let it go...if I want to boot to Windows at the boot screen I press ESC and choose the correct drive and it boots up.

Nice...if I can get it to work, I'll just not install Windows. I'll have two installs of Slack, a back up incase I destroy one...lol

Hey, that's not a bad idea for testing... copy the entire fs over to the other disk, remove the "good" disk, hack away without fear of breaking stuff, then if everything gets screwed up, reattach the good disk and wipe the experimental one! Might have to remember that one...

Those Slackbuilds of Virtualbox are 32bit only. :/

I don't want to go multilib.

Looks like I ran into some issues.

The copy went ok...but when I boot up and use the new partition with Slackware, it at some point, moves back to the original drive.

I assume that somewhere in the process of booting /dev/root is set to /dev/hda1 and now it should be /dev/hdb1. Where do I change that?

Grub: /boot/grub/menu.lst (edit and reboot)

Lilo: /etc/lilo.conf (before rebooting, must run the lilo command to update)

If you plan to keep the drives in their current order you'll also need to update /etc/fstab.

You can use the PUEL version:
http://download.virtualbox.org/virtu...inux_amd64.run

To install:
As root, of course.

You'll also have to add yourself to the vboxusers group

Ok, I edit the lilo.conf on /dev/hdb1...but when I run lilo it affects only /dev/hda...because when I boot that's where I end up no matter what I choose at the lilo boot menu.

How do I run lilo so it affect /dev/hdb1?

I've updated the fstab on /dev/hdb1, but it doesn't take affect because it switchs to /dev/hba.

/dev/hda is the original install.

/dev/hdb1 is the new copy that I want to use.

Maybe I'd be better off just with a new install.

ahh...

mkdir /newlinux
mount /dev/hdb1 /newlinux
chroot /newlinux
lilo

Learned this on a botched PC-BSD install that messed up a bunch of stuff.