trying to install both windows ME and mandrake 7.2 on same hardisk

[estesflyer]

im trying to install both windows ME and mandrake 7.2 on the same hardisk. I tried it once already, and it deleted my windows partition, along w/ about 3 gigs of mp3's i have collected over a time period of 2 years. that, as you may know, really pissed me off royally.

i am working hard to get 98 SE back, and get rid of crap ME. I would really like to totally switch to linux, using KDE2 or something.

if you have any preferences, plz lemme know.

I am wanting to eventually get DSL or cable, and set up a small server... just for me. I already have the linux cd's, so if you can help me out, i would REALLY appreciate it. thx


- Rusty

 

[gunthnp]

you fips or some other program like partion magic to make apart of the hard drive open and install in to the open space.

 

[fenris]

The golden rule, remember to make backups of everything that is important before a major upgrade.....

Troy Williams B.Eng.
fenris@hotmail.com

 

[estesflyer]

so, i have heard that you can setup linux BEFORE you setup windows, so wou;d that work? if i were to just do that, would it work fine??

 

[TheRAt]

Easiest way is to install WinME, but not partition the complete drive space to it, ie, install by giving WinME only 50% of drive space... install Mandrake in the remaining 50% of disk space, and use lilo, or grub to boot-manage...

Should get you up and running in no time...



AV
tnedor@yahoo.com

 

[estesflyer]

k, cool. i already got mah internet connection in linux. so im very happy w/ that. but i think the cd's i bought came w/ some operating system chooser. It will ask me if i want to boot linux, the floppy drive, or some other program. and i think that if i can get windows on there, it will ask me if i watn to boot up windows also.

bvtw, doesnt windows have to have 100% of the disk partition? coz i tried to install windows 95 on 50% of the partition, but it wouldnt work. i havent tried windows ME, 98, or 2k yet though.... anywho, thx for your advice. one more thing though, im wanting to set up a web server, nothing big, only for me to see. it should be ok right?
i mean, im running mandrake-linux, w/ KDE2 as the desktop manager. I have heard that running a web server in windows 98, 95, and ME is like having football practice in the kitchen.

plz get back to me asap.

TIA!

- Rusty


p.s. If you have any fav choices of fire walls, i would appreciate that also. im trying to learn the most about linux i can in the smallest amount of time.


ciao!

 

[mbaranski]

You're going to have a bit of a problem here.

You should have loaded Windows first, then Linux. This is because Linux would have put the OS Chooser (or boot loader) on aftter windows had been loaded. You're kind of screwed now b/c Windows , when you install it, will overwrite the boot sector of your hard drive and you will not be a ble to boot your linux partition!

A solution to this is:

Create a floppy disk to boot your linux system
Install Windows as your system is now
Boot off of hte floppy disk into linux
su -
run the command lilo
this should restore your boot partition, and then you will have to edit /etc/lilo.conf to tell it where your windows partition is. Then, run the lilo command again, and you should have a system that will boot linux or windows.

The alternative to this is to start over, load windows first. Then, load linux and the boot manager will take care ofsetting itself and the other operationg system up for you.

MWB>
As always, I hope that helped!

Disclaimer:
Beware: Studies have shown that research causes cancer in lab rats.

 

[estesflyer]

ok, when i loaded linux in over windows, it gave me two options, delete windows partition, and expert mode. i hit delete windows partition. that is about as far as i can go. i reallwy have no idea. i didnt quite know what wyoui were talking about w/ all the edit this, and junk. i understood the boot disk part though.


i currently have windows as the only OS running. i had to go into fdisk and delete two partitions, both were non-DOS or whatever. does linux create two partitions?
anywho, after i deleted them both, i made a new one, and then i just put my windows hard disk back in, and it loaded fine.

 

[TheRAt]

When you use fdisk to create a partition for Windoze, only use (say) 50% of the disk... However, fdisk will not make this partition "active"... you will have to ask it to be made active (there is an option in the DOS fdisk menu)... Unless a partition is active, it will not be able to boot windoze... Once you install Win9X into this partition, install Linux into the free space, and hey presto... everything should be perfect...

AV
tnedor@yahoo.com

 

[estesflyer]

hiya. after i installed linux, i noticed that there were two partitions. both of which i had no idea about. i figured that one or both was for linux or osmething. here is what i plan to do based on info i have recieved from this here forum.

take out mah windows drive. (backup all important files)
put in a blank drive,
install linux
delete one of the partions (there were two, tell me which one is safe to delete)
create a dos partition,
install windows.



tell me if im missing anything


TIA

- Rusty

 

[TheRAt]

My guess from your description is that the 2 partitions that are on your drive would be the linux swap partition, and the linux native partition... you DO NOT want to delete either of these to use up as Windows Space... the swap partition is used to linux to swap out items in RAM to disk, (ie. virtual memory)... the native partition is where everything is stored.

when you choose to install linux, did you ask the installer to partition the disk for you, or did you partition the disk manually?

AV
tnedor@yahoo.com