Dual Boot Configuration

[catacon]

I just have a few questions about how I should configure my Windows XP/Fedora 4 dual boot (over two drives -- a 40GB and a 15GB). I want to use Windows for games and stuff that takes up more space and Linux for web development and general web browsing. I want to use my music on both operating systems, so I want to setup a shared partition. I just need to know how I should do that. I think I will do something like this:

40GB HD
25 GB -- Windows XP
15 GB -- Linux (Fedora Core 4)

15 GB HD
15 GB -- Shared for Music

Does that look OK? If so, How do I go about setting that up?

Thanks!

[moistmule]

yes, that looks fine. use Fdisk off a win98 bootdisk

EDIT -- you could use the winXP setup for partitioning, might be easier?!

[catacon]

I know Windows will detect the 15GB HD easily, but how do I get Linux to detect it as a shared drive and not as part of the filesystem?

[moistmule]

linux will see it. just set a mount point for it, ie /music. i advise you format it with the FAT filesystem, not ntfs

[catacon]

Should I format both drives with FAT32 or just the 15GB? I know I have to use a Windows FS on each drive not a Linux one (reiser, etc.) because Windows won't understand it, but can I use NTFS on the 40GB and FAT32 on the 15GB, or is it better to use the same on both?

[moistmule]

its up to you, Fedora 4 should support NTFS, if it doesn't you can get support for it anyway. i just think FAT32 is easier. it really makes no difference, just NTFS is more work IMO

[catacon]

Which one is better? Is one faster or more organized than the other?

[moistmule]

i think the only difference is that with NTFS you can have more security options in XP (and file compression). but other that that, there the same. FAT32 cannot support very large disks, but it'll support 40GB. hows about your 15GB disc has FAT32, and the other has NTFS?!

[catacon]

I'll just go with NTFS on both and see what happens. I will post back afterI get it all running.

Thanks!

[catacon]

Well, I ran into a problem. When I booted to the XP disc it didn't do anything, it just sat there blank. I put in my 98 disc and when I tried to format the HD it said it did not recognize the filetype or something like that. I have the drive formatted to extfs for Linux. How do I get Windows to format the drive? I am not worried about saving my files, I just want to get it formatted.

Thanks!

[faulkner132]

You can format the 15GB drive to the ext2 file system. It is the Linux default and there are numerous Windows drivers which support reading and writing to it. A simple Google search will reveal them.

[catacon]

I got the 40GB hard drive setup OK. 25GBs are formatted to Windows (NTFS) and 15GBs are formatted to Linux (etx3). I can boot to both and all is dandy. My question now is: How do I partition the 15GB hard drive to be shared? What program should I use and how do i do it?

Thanks!

[moistmule]

you can see the 15GB 'shared' drive in Windows, right?!

follow this: http://www.tuxfiles.org/linuxhelp/fstab.html on how to make your drive visable in Linux (if it isn't already)

[catacon]

OK. I just used the Windiws Partition Manager(?) thing and it worked OK.

Thanks for the help!

[mikeo]

I have used SuSe for dual /triple boot and these are the instructions thet I use. It always seems to work.
RE: SuSe 9.x and dual/triple boot.
1/ Win98se MUST be C:\ fat or fat32
2/Format the rest of the disk as extended partition. ( I use partition Magic, can be done with fdisk, but I don't know how!)
3/ Make NTFS logical partition in extended partition for XP
4/ Ideally make fat 32 partition on second HD for saved work.98se cant see NTFS! Windows can't see Linux. Linux can see and read/edit/write save as ALL dos to NTFS partitions.
Then Linux/98se and XP can write to the same partition.
5/ Make a Linux swap partition on second HD (500 to 1000 meg).
If you have two HDs ideally Linux swap and linux programs should be on different hds.
LEAVE a few gigs of HD unformatted (un-allocated).
6/ Alter bIOs to boot from CD.
7/ Boot from 1st SuSe CD.
Let it install itself in unallocated space in extended partition.
It will set up GRUB by itself, with double/triple boot (XP will set up dual boot if 98se is already on PC.)
GRUB will set Linux as default and boot time as 10 secs.
To alter:via Linux: System->Yast2->root password-> Boot options, edit time and default.
Should set it up in around 40 mins for all five CDs of goodies.

[eltoroh]

Originally Posted by mikeo To alter:via Linux: System->Yast2->root password-> Boot options, edit time and default. Should set it up in around 40 mins for all five CDs of goodies.

um..i didn't understand all of that, but i need help also.


my thing is this
I have an 80gig drive...

1st. patition 35gig
2nd. partition 32gig
3rd partition 6.84gig

i would like to install Fedora on the third partition, but i'm afraid to do it because last time i tried i reformated the whole HDD.

now this is what i get when i try to install fedora and i'm up to the page where i should set up how and what gets formated for Fedora


Hard Drives
/dev/hda
/dev/hda1 ntfs
/dev/hda2 extended
/dev/hda5 ntfs
/dev/hda6 / ext3 (check) 7021 8835 9729


that last line in color is what i need to partition and i have it marked...but i don't want to somehow partition the rest of the hdd(partitions)

someone please tell me if i;m on the right track....

thanks