Mandrake 9.1 and hardware Compatibility? 2

[pechenegs]

hi all, I have Xp-Pro installed and I want to duel boot with mandrake on the same HD but on seperate partitions, is this possible. I also want to know if my hardware is compatible ? I have a MSI 6340 km133 socket A mobo, AMD duron 850mhz, sdram pc133 256 RAM, seagate 40gb drive, samsung cdrom-dvd SD608 and lite-on CDRW 48x12x48.

thx in advance

 

[manarth]

your hardware looks fine and linux will dual boot quite happily (can't remember how mandrake installs - suse does the dual boot thing automatically, mandrake *may* need some configuration).

<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]

 

[pechenegs]

ok, cheers for replying

 

[pechenegs]

Another question, what should I format C\: with for mandrake 9.1 when I get it, fat32 or NTFS or does it use another file system? I have Xp pro as NTFS on D: and presently I have Win ME on C:

thx Pech

 

[MorpheusNL]

Mandrake (and generally Linux work best on native ext2/xfs/ext filesystems)

Normally if you use the wizard Mandrake shows you it will automatically select ext3 as default

On the internet there are several how-to's on dual-booting XP and Linux

Also on how to partition your harddisk

Keep in mind that if you want to access your XP partition from linux that it's 'read-only' for NTFS.

If you need more info ... just drop a note here


--

Maurits

~ There is no place like 127.0.0.1 ~

 

[pechenegs]

For the differing file systems and operating systems of linux and Widows Xp, it doesn't matter which OS is on C:\ and which is on D:, for instance,
I don't have to have Xp on C: and Mandrake on D: for them both to work?


cheers

 

[MorpheusNL]

It doesn't matter to Linux
It uses a Bootloader

--

Maurits

~ There is no place like 127.0.0.1 ~

 

[manarth]

Linux has a (fairly) stable NTFS readonly module, but the RW module for NTFS partitions is still beta.

My approach is to have a linux partition (ext3), a windows XP system partition (NTFS) and a shared data partition (fat32).

This keeps the systems seperate but provides a storage area which can be accessed by both o/s.

<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]

 

[pechenegs]

Ok , thx to both of you for repliny to my queries, it is much appreciated. I'll get back to you later when I have any other questions-queries!

 

[pechenegs]

hi all, I'm about to purchase linux mandrake 9.1 now, but the options are for i386 and powerpc. Which one do I get and what is the difference if any? This is the site I'm buying from

http://www.linux-emporium.co.uk/index.php?PAGE=2#5492

 

[smah]

If you're using a Intel compatible, x86 compatible (the original IBM PC processors were 8086) you would want the i386 version. This would apply to virtually any PC that you would buy (or build) through normal retail outlets. FWIW, Mandrake calls this version i586

http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/ftp.php3.

 

[pechenegs]

smah, I have a AMD 850 mhz duron , so I should use the i386 then? Please confirm?

cheers pech

 

[smah]

Yes, an AMD Duron is ix86 compatible as are all Athlons, Pentiums, and Celerons. For Mandrake's full compatability list see

http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/hardware.php3

 

[pechenegs]

ok, cheers smah!!!!

 

[pechenegs]

ok guys, I have ordered the discs for Mandrake 9.1 so what I want to know is should I use Lilo or grub, and I want recent experiences with both and why is your choice the best? The reason why I ask this question is because I have had so many conflicting answers: not on here:, about which is the best?

So many posts say lilo, then do the transfer stuff: save in root etc and edit the boot.ini file , others now say use Grub and no need to use any editing? Wolluf and others even suggested another way of editing the boot.ini file in windows to use windows as a boot option?

I'm not trying to get a dig at anyone or any system, I just want to know from people who have experience of dual booting Mandrake and Xp, what is the best way to dual boot xp with mandrake 9.1: considering D:\ will be Xp, and Mandrake will be c:\!?

cheers pech

 

[smah]

Unfortunately, as you've already seen the answers you'll get will have differening opinions. At the end of the installation, you can install lilo or grub - with Mandrake the default is lilo (I believe RedHat defaults to grub). I've used lilo on several systems and a couple different Mandrake versions to dual booting with XP and haven't had any trouble. But like I said, I'm sure someone will disagree.

 

[pechenegs]

smah, did you have to edit with lilo, this is what I want to Know. Sorry, perhaps my post wasn't clear on this.

I read a post in google who said he dual booted and let lilo do it all, without any editing on his part, while most posts say one needs to edit and save to lilo root, then edit and edit the boot.ini file in windows? what I was asking was people's recent experiences with lilo and grub, not those of 1-2 years ago?

Anyway, thx for your help!

 

[smah]

With XP installed first and letting the Mandrake installer do it's thing - no editing of lilo should be needed.

 

[pechenegs]

ah, I see, cos i'm doing it in reverse I will need to do the editing to make Xp boot up. ok, I got you now. Smah, can you please look at my post in the xp forum, it's called Partition question, thread779-643315 Wolluf and others are advising me as you are and your help is greatly appreciated. could you have a look at this post for me and advise? I want to get it right without any complications first time, I realise that having d; as Xp and keeping it there is causing the need to edit the boot sector of either Xp or Mandrake in lilo/grub etc!

cheers pech

 

[manarth]

Pecheng, the main problem with your current system is that although WinXP is handling the boot process, your main boot partition is Win ME.
XP requires 3 files to boot: ntldr, ntdetect.com, and boot.ini
If these files are not present, XP cannot boot!

These files are currently in your main windows drive: C.
If you were to wipe your C drive, you wouldn't be able to boot AT ALL.

All grub or lilo do is pass control of the booting process to these files. Neither lilo nor grub can boot windows without these files being present.

What you may find is that the Mandrake installer will simplify the install process by handling the boot setup automatically - but as you're already dual booting, it may get confused: I wouldn't rely on it getting the boot configuration correct!

To simplify your installation, you may find it simpler to remove WinME completely before installing linux.
- copy the 3 files mentioned.
- mark the XP partition bootable (partition magic can do this)
- format your c drive
- restart your system (to test it has indeed worked!)

If you run into any problems at this stage, booting from the XP CD will allow you to run the &quot;recovery console&quot;. The commands &quot;fixboot D:&quot; and &quot;fixmbr&quot; will restore your boot sectors to allow you to boot XP again.

With a blank c drive, I'm sure the Mandrake installer will be quite happy to install without breaking anything!

Remember, XP cannot see a linux partition, so your former D drive will now be C drive. Hopefully this won't cause too many problems with existing installed programs.

<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]