Hi there!
I've got mandriva 2007 running and I would like to try slackware... I've got 2 hdds: 1 80GB(hda), 2 20GB(hdc). I have mandriva installed on hda and want to install slackware on hdc... have no spetial question just asking if there is anything that I should be careful with it or any tips or tricks are welcome...

The only things that I can think of that are important are, when the installer wants to install LILO (which is what Slackware uses for a bootloader) you should make sure that you install LILO into the Slackware root partition and not to the MBR.
Then after installation finishes, go into your Mandriva installation and add a chainloader line to grub for the Slackware installation on /dev/hdc. With that added, you can use Mandriva's grub to select either Mandriva or Slackware when the computer boots.

I don't know if you're familiar with the Slackware installer, but it will never touch your Mandriva partitions unless you explicitly tell it to. So basically, you boot the Slackware CDROM/DVD, and then first run fdisk (or cfdisk bsaed on your preference for one or the other program) and create one or more Linux partitions on that /dev/hdc disk. Then, run "setup" and tell Slackware to use the /dev/hdcX partitions for it's installation once it asks for that information.

Eric

Thx for the input!
I tryed to install once the Slackware 10.2 but it faild because the cds where not burnd correctly (this time I make sure that I don't screw this step.. ) BTW I use LILO on Mandriva... so if I let the installer to owerwrite the MBR will he add the existing Mandriva lines?
And one more question: if for example KDE 4 comes out and I want to upgrade can I do it without to install the new Slackware witch contains KDE 4 like in Mandriva or I can just upgrade KDE without touching the OS?

One more thing: could I use the same /home partition for both OS-es or am I very stupid thinking to this...

I think every Linux installer allows you to mount any existing partition for /home, /boot etc but Slackware is not modern.

It would have been a lot eaiser if Slackware were installed first as Mandriva installer is a lot newer and therefore more flexible.

You can let the Slackware installer to set up the dual boot for you but I tend to do it manually as it is a lot simpler.

Steps to dual boot Mandriva with Slackware

(1) While inside Mandriva, assuming it is installed in hda1, you duplicate its boot loader inside it root partition by a terminal command (needs root privilege so preecd command with sudo if you don't have)
I assume you are using Mandriva standard boot loader Grub. If it uses Lilo the equivalent terminal command
The above makes Mandriva chainloadable by Lilo from Slackware.

(2) Install Slackware, let its Lilo into the MBR.

(3) Add these line to Slackware's /etc/lilo.conf
(4) Run Lilo again by just
so that Lilo compiles the new setting.

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Alternatively you can let Mandriva stays in the MBR to dual boot SLackware too. The steps are

(a) Install SLackware but instruct the installer to put Lilo inside the root partition of slackware. I assume you install Slackware in hdc1 and this will be know as (hd1,0) to Grub for being the 1st partition of the 2nd disk, as Grub counts from 0.

(b) Add these lines to Mandriva's /boot/grub/menu.lst
Piece of cake, isn't it?

In fact you can set it up to jump from Mandriva to Slackaware and then back to Mandriva if you want, to boot any of them in either Grub or Lilo.

Booting is child play in Linux. You can quote me on this. I just hate to see the word "dual boot" because it is only for the inferior systems like MS WIndows. In Linux every boot loader was born to multi boot.

Yeap as you said piece of cake... thx for the input... I guess I'm gonna chainload Slackware from the mandriva's LILo...

Hi,

Just a little feed back! What do mean by 'Slackware is not modern'?

What would be easier if 'Slackware were installed first as Mandriva installer is a lot newer and therefore more flexible.'? You are apparently comparing apples with oranges. And leaning or bias towards the orange.

You might dislike the term 'dual boot' vs 'multi-boot' but the term multi-boot is just semantics. Most people link the terms as meaning that a number of options are available as bootloader option(s).

SLackware uses a text installer, right? Mandriva and many newer distros do everything in GUI. Thus it is easier for a user to click different partitions in different disks for mounting the various partitions of /home, /usr, /boot etc. In GUI one has a pictorial view of his/her hard disk partitions for clicking and should have a lesser chance to make a mistake then typing everything in.

It is not easy to find a modern distro sticking with a text installer.

Don't get me wrong. I like Slackware and has every respect for its insistance of doing things. It is one of (if not the) oldest distros and we should learn to use it. I certain do as I have 3 versions installed myself. When distro maintainers trying the latest 2.6.19 kernel it is quite refreshing to see the 2.4.33 kernel being stretched by Slackware 11. Slackware is one of the most stable distros and for this it doesn't move forward unless everything is well proven and bomb proof. The word "not modern" implies stability. However users do have to pay the price on user-friendliness for it.

The way to compare the ease of installation is Slackware has quite a few questions for a user to answer during installation and each CD has to be fed in sequence. In Mandriva we can feed all the CDs in one go, answer a few questions, go out to play without attending the PC and come back to see a fully installed Linux.

Knoppix family also manages to put all the 5 to 6 question in one page and the system can be installed in less than 15 minutes later when the page is submitted(kanotix).

You've got some very good links in your singnatures ... Thanks for them

Is there any problem if the hdc (on that I plan to have Slackware) is already mounted in mandriva at /mnt/media? Should I unmount it? Or I can leave it the way it is....
I think there should be no problem in having 2 root partitions: 1 hda (mandriva) 2hdc (slackware)? Would I be able to copy files from one root partition to another or delete one file while I run Slackware from mandriva's partition?
THX.

I have over 100 root partitions from 100+ Linux.

If I survive so should you.

Newer Linux automatically mount everything partition for you. To a Linux everything in the /mnt is from the outside not affecting its root. You can do whatever you wish to the files inside this directory. However with the exception of /home, may be /root and /boot you should leave another Linux system files alone. /home and /root may have your personal data and /boot is required if you have a problem in booting another Linux.

Thx! with this cleard to I'm going to burn that dvd and jump in to the instalation... and I hope that next time when I come here I would have Slackwer under the hood...

You can do most of what you want to do from Mandriva’s MCC. Go ahead and partition the second harddrive how you want in diskdrake (the partitioning tool in MCC), don’t label or mount the new partitions, just format them to ext3. You can share Mandriva’s swap partition with Slackware. Install slack’s LILO to it’s / partition. At re-boot after the Slack install, go into Mandriva, go to MCC, then to the boot menu, and pick “add another operating system” (not add another Linux entry) or something similar, and the chainloader will be set up the same way it would be for a windows dual boot. You can name it whatever you want, just point it to Slack’s / partition. Doing this before the slackware install can result in an error message.

You should at least have a small /home partition for Slack, otherwise your KDE and Gnome setting will be shared by both systems, because they are located in the home partition. It will better (or at least safer and easier) to have them separate. You can mount your Mandriva home data (Documents, Music, etc) directories from Slack. Hope this helps. It helps if you use the same usernames and passwords in both OS’s. Look at the User and Groups settings, and make sure the user number is the same in both OS’s, otherwise you have file ownership and privileges problems.