I want to Quadruple boot the following OSs.

I want to share a common /home.

The four OSs are....

1.Windows XP (Already Installed)
2.Ubuntu (Already Installed)
3.Simply Mepis 3.3
4.Slackware 10.1

I wonder if I can share the common /Home. Can I?

Don't worry about the partitions.

My HDD is partitioned with the following Scheme.

/dev/hda1 Fat32 (Primary Partition).........10GB.....................windows XP

/dev/hda2 Extended............................... 27.54GB

/dev/hda5 Linux Swap..............................500MB..................Swap

/dev/hda6 EXT3.................................... 7GB........................Ubuntu

/dev/hda7 EXT3 ............................................7GB.......................Mepis

/dev/hda8 EXT3 7GB........................Slackware

/dev/hda9 EXT3..................................7GB........................../home (common)






How can I install Mepis and Slackware? ( i mean the order, so that each one of them would be detected)

Is there anything special I need to follow?

You can but I wouldn't suggest it.

First of all, you may have problems with permissions. In slackware the default group for a user is "users" but in some other distros, this may be different. Many distros use "<username>" as the default group for a user. Also all the configuration files like .kde/ may be uncompatible if the distros have different versions of the same program. You may manage to work things out but It will be a burden. If I were you, I wouldn't do that. Even a skin for a program may be present in a distro and may not in some other and since those kind of info are stored in the users home directory this will lead to problems.

This means that I will have to reformat my HD to include each home in the same partition.
Well, I will do that.
I also did notice some problems with detection of Distros.
Is there any specific order that I need to install Distros.
I always install Windows First. What after that?

Will GRUB or LILO have problems with detection?

I would to do that. In fact I am doing it right now. It is true that you will have to make sure you have the same versions of some programs and that you configure all the systems so use the same files in the home dir but after you have done that it is great to have a shared home. You end up feeling at home in every distro you have installed, which I did not when I did not have a shared home dir, then I felt too big difference between the distros so I eventually ended up using only one.

If you are not afraid of tweaking with some stuff you should do it.

Thanks.

But, for me to experience the vast difference between the distros etc. I will have to try them and screw up myself. After all, Man learns from experience.

Now my latest update with the situation is ......

I reformatted my Hard Disk.

This time.

I have Windows on a FAT 32.

Linux installation order as follows. (Linux is installed on Extended partitions)

1.Simply Mepis 3.3 EXT3 hda6

2.Slackware 10.1 EXT3 hda7

3.Ubuntu EXT3 hda8


Each and everything worked fine. Now Every Distro has it's own /home directory.

Now my problem is as already told..........

GRUB has refused to detect MEPIS.
What should i add to Grub menu.lst in order to boot to mepis as well?