Dual-Boot questions with Slackware 9.1 / Windows XP Pro
 

Argh I accidently set my browser to "block all" instead of "allow all" cookies when I first came here so I have to retype my post :cry:

Hiya,

I'm a university student who's familiar with Windows and (relatively) familiar with UNIX(C). I've decided to set up my computer to dualboot (I just couldn't leave my precious video games and windows based pocket PC behind :) ), and after looking over a bunch of the major distros decided I would like to use Slackware 9.1.

Anyhoo, I (predictably) have a few questions. I have an Intel P4 with 512 megs of ram, an ASUS/NVidia GeForce video card, and a SB Audigy sound card.

(1) Should I install Windows or Slackware first? I've heard different things from different people. I've installed windows more times than I can count on all available hands / feet, so formatting / partitioning my drive should be like clockwork from DOS / Windows, but I would like the experience of doing it from Linux. Any thoughts?

(2) Does Slackware 9.1 support the NTFS file system that Windows likes to use?

(3) How exactly do I specify a partition to be for Windows and keep Slack from setting up a file system on it? Will this be easily facilitated by the install?

(4) Exactly what kind of partition set-up do you guys recommend? Should I have one partition each for Windows / Slack? Four partitions total, one for each install and then one for each swap? Some other wacky combo? At a minimum should I have a /root partition, a Swap partition, and a /home partition for Linux (this is what I've heard in some places), or can I easily and efficiently get away with just one? Do extra partitions on dualboot systems just overcomplicate things?

(5) I have a second, 120 gig IDE hard-drive on one partition (Ya, that's right one partition hehe. I work with giant video files sometimes that can get up to 80 gigs large, so I couldn't think of any efficient way to split up the drive for it to still be totally usable. Defragging's a major pain though :D ) Is there any way to access the windows written, NTFS file system on that drive from inside Linux, or for that matter to access my Linux partition from inside windows, or do the two remain independent of one another?

(6) Can I use my SB Audigy sound card in Slack? Or will I have to use my motherboard's on board one?

Thanks in advance guys

well first .. it depends on how much u wanna read or make it easy for urself
ok ...
1-if u wanna a double boot and a boot loader on ur mbr ,then u have to install windows first and then slack second cause windows likes to take control on ur pc
2-ya it supports ntfs (it could be desructive for ur data )so it s preffered to stay read-only
3-when u start installation it s written besides slack won't set up itself on ntfs or fat ..
4-it depends on what u want ,i have 40 gb i did 12,5 for ntfs 12,5 fat and 1gb swap and the rest for slack /
5-ya u could access windows from slack but i guess u have some reading to do
http://slackbook.yoshiwara.org.uk/ have this as ur bible
listen slackware is very easy if u give it time just to read ...
but if u think it going to work from it s own it won't

Thanks Nadim :) I had seen that book before but must have glazed over the helpful dual-boot and install sections, because I remember seeing the list of UNIX(C) commands and how to use vi and thinking, "wow this is all really familiar, don't need this book" :o

hehe i'll pay better attention next time, thanks again for the help :)

well it a unix-like operating system ...
some unix knowledge will help u much ...
goodluck in driving slackware
and about partitioning ur hard drive , u can use something like partition magic .. if don;t want mess up things in using fdisk
goodluck in driving slackware