Second drive!

[mikey_dude]

Hi guys,

Hope you can answer a query I have about a second hard drive.

I would like to place a second hard drive (20gb) in my system running Windows 2000 Professional on the first drive with just one partition.

However, I am looking to try out Linux and Lindows on this system and would like the second drive to contain two partitions (50% each) with the two operating systems installed on both partitions but how can I make it so when I boot up I get the option to choose the OS I would like to use? And how would I go about partitioning/installing the OS' on the new drive?

Cheers, hope you can help

[kilgoretrout]

All linux distros that I'm aware of come with a boot loader, either lilo or grub, that automatically detects your windows OS. When you first boot up, you get a screen that allows you to choose between windows or linux. this will all be set up automatically durnig the install. If you already have partition magic, just create two linux partitions on the second hard drive. If not, just use fdisk to create two equal FAT32 partitions. Just try one linux install first; I'd recommend either redhat or mandrake. Mandrake has superior partitioning tools and a little easier install; both are free to download which is only feasible if you have broadband. During the install, just direct the installation routine to install on the existing partition that you want and it will do the rest re formatting and setting up additional partitions. Word of caution, if you install a second linux, it will overwrite the first linux's boot loader and you won't be able to access it, however, it will set up a boot entry for windows. There are ways to configure the bootloader to boot a second linux install, but that's a lot to get into right now. Here's a link to linuxiso.org, a great site which links to numerous download sites for the many different flavors of linux. They also have a great noobie friendly forum:

http://www.linuxiso.org/

Another cool thing to try is knoppix, a linux distro that runs off of a single cd. Nothing is written to your hard drive. Follow the knoppix link from the above site, download the iso and burn it as an image. Set your bios to boot from the cd drive first and pop in your knoppix cd. You'll boot into a fully functional linux desktop. It's a great way to give linux a test drive.

[pam123]

kilgoretrout,
That is one great link and I'll really have to try knoppix.
Thanks !

[mikey_dude]

Thanks for your replies.

I am trying to get Redhat installed on the second drive so I can have a proper play around with it. Now that the second drive is formatted and set as slave on the primary IDE channel using usual 40wire IDE cables, how can I tell the Redhat installation that I want to install Linux on the slave drive?

This seems impossible to work out in fdisk and I have info on the master drive that I don't want to lose so haven't been playing around with it too much.

Thanks!

[pam123]

Whoa!!!!
If you haven't fdisked the drive how did you format it and why don't you know it's letter ( floppy is A and B, master drive is C and so on...) ?
40 wire cable for a hard drive ?
Tell us what you've done.

[revelation]

I think he means 40 pin. No problem there....

When installing Red Hat, it should show you the partitions that you already have. One will be the master drive with Windows on it, and then the other partitions after that.

[mikey_dude]

Yes 40 pin............

> If you haven't fdisked the drive how did you format it and why don't you know it's letter

I do....its E (C for master and D for CDROM).

I want to leave drive C alone. But my question is how do I prepare drive E (this was previously used and formatted since then). I'm not sure how to partition it properly, and I know Redhat has its own partition thing but I don't want to play around with them too much in case I damage the one and only partition on drive C.

Then I'm looking to create a dual boot system with the menu thingy upon bootup giving me a choice of Win 2k (drive C) and Redhat 8 (drive E).

Hope this is clearer.

[pam123]

Install on drive E and you should be good to go then.

[mikey_dude]

OK, but what about when Redhat asks if I want to create a boot menu and it doesn't offer the Win2k on drive C? I can't get this bit of the installation to recognise my other drive.

[mikeL]

Your C: drive will show up as /dev/hda

your slaved drive should show up as /dev/hdb

[mikey_dude]

Thanks... will take another look