installing mandrake on a partition

[Guest_imported]

Hello,

I want to install Linux-Mandrake 8.0 on a seperate partition (other than windows 98SE)
I made a partition with PowerQuest PartitionMagic 7.0

[ for more info on the partition I made, click to

http://www.newbox.f2s.com/partition.txt

. please check that .txt file, maybe there is something wrong with the partitions or something?.. ]

ok here goes:

First of all, how do I start installing Mandrake? how will it recognize the partition? (will it?)

and after installing mandrake on the partition, I'm gonna be booted to windows 98, then I can use BootMagic to boot to Linux-Mandrake, but.. then I won't be able to boot with BootMagic back to Windows 98!!, well actually people told me about a program called LILO (LInux LOader), will that program read and recognize all the partitions and ask me which one i want to boot to? and is it as easy as using bootmagic (for someone who hase'nt used linux before?) Because if I don't figure it out I would be stuck on linux and I probably can't boot back again!! (and they told me it comes with mandrake 8.0, is that true?)

and another thing, is 'LILO' like the 'BootMagic', but for linux?

I have the Linux Mandrake CDs (2 cds actually). (incase you are wondering how I am going to install it)


Please, people, if you are going to reply be a little specific, and tips like:: 'Hey, I think you should get redhat instead!', 'Uninstall windows and install linux, that would be easier', etc would'nt really help me much

I would really appreciate ANY help, maybe some day when I get to know more about linux and paritioning I would be helping others who were like me ((asking for help)) :-D


Best Regards
Samantha Freeman

 

[MrTom]

if you go to

http://www.orbdesigns.com/bpages/2001/orbimages/19.r2.mdk72.png

you'll see a screenshot of "diskdrake" - this is the partition manager you will see during the mandrake install.
it will be fairly obvious which partitions are the windoze ones (blue) and which is the partition you set aside for mandrake. you can click on the colored rectangles representing the partitions to get more information.
you will really need two partitions set aside. one to hold linux on and another smaller one for the swap space (make it roughly double your ram). you can make a swap partition in partition magic if you feel safer but you can do it with diskdrake.
then in the screenshot you'll also see one of the partitions marked "/". this is the "root" partition, when you click your prepared linux partition you can then click the "mount point" button and you'll see the default of "/". if you formatted the partitions with PMagic as "ext2" and "linux swap" you won't need to format the partitions when you select them in diskdrake (doing so won't hurt).
once you're past this it gets easier.

the lilo installation happens a lot later, near the end (there is also another boot loader called "grub" but stick with lilo for now). if you accept the defaults you'll see a screen like

http://www.orbdesigns.com/bpages/2001/orbimages/68.r2.mdk72.png

you'll see some linux stuff like in the screenshot and also some other stuff, which will be your windows partition. if you look you'll see a "*" next to the top option. you will most likely want to move this * to your windows entry as it represents the default boot. do this by clicking on the windows entry and selecting "default boot" or something that says similar.

the screenshots come from

http://www.orbdesigns.com/bpages/2001/odtl-mdk72-install2.html

which shows a complete installation of mandrake7.2 - it is very similar to an 8.0 installation. if you read thru you can get a good feel about what is likely to happen. i would have just given you the link but the description of the partitioning maybe confusing - the guy uses lots of partitions, but you won't need this, you just want the "/".

 

[ifincham]

Hi,









THis should be fairly easy. Looking at the partinfo you would have the following :









/dev/hda1 fat32 C:\ drive for win




/dev/hda5 ext2 linux ext2 partition




/dev/hda6 swap linux swap partition









For the install, you can pretty much walk though the whole thing in advance via the user manual -->

http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/doc/80/en/user.html/drakx.html#AEN821It

It would be good idea to choose the 'expert' install class to make sure you get asked all questions because you don't want it formatting the /dev/hda1 partition or blindly installing lilo without asking or suchlike.









Anyway, just boot the CD and follow the screens until you get to the partitioning/set mount points part -->

http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/doc/80/en/user.html/install-mnt.html

Choose 'use existing partitions' and then set the mount point to be '/' for /dev/hda5. When you get the 'format partitions' stuff it should be referring only to /dev/hda5 and /dev/hda6.









Unless you did 'recommended' you should eventually get a screen like this -->

http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/doc/80/en/user.html/lilo-install.html

If you already have bootmagic active and you are happy with it then you should select lilo to be installed in /dev/hda5 (linux partition) not /dev/hda . What would then happen is when you boot the PC you will get the bootmagic menu with Win98 & Linux. Selecting linux will then chain-load lilo and thereafter start linux. If you put lilo in /dev/hda (Master Boot Record) you will zap bootmagic - although you can still load win98 so its not a major problem either way. Safest is always to make a boot floppy so that you can fix any problems without a re-install.









Hope this helps



Regards