New Dual-boot Install Questions

[Suncoast]

I just downloaded the 3 ISO files for Mandrake 8.2. I want to install the distro to dual boot on a pc now running Windows2000.

The PC has an 80 gig hard drive with several partitions. I want to install Linux on an almost empty 20gig partition.

My Questions:
1. Does this partition have to be empty before I can install Linux on it?

2. I want it to give me the boot options when I power up the PC.... ie: A. Windows 2000 B. Linux .... can someone explain exactly how this is done or provide a link to instructions (assuming it can be done).

Thanks in advance... I'm sure I'll have more questions later..

[freezinbutt]

Hi there Suncoast,

No problems here. The partition you install to does not have to be empty but during the install, Mandrake (Mandy) will format that partition for you. So if there is anything there, obviously it will be lost.

I'm assuming that you want to use the Windows bootloader to boot to Windows or Mandy. You can also use LILO or GRUB which are Linux bootloaders. If you want to use Windows to boot Linux, go here:

http://www.littlewhitedog.com/reviews_other_00011.asp

This is a great article that explains everything step by step. Read the entire article before you start. It sounds a little overwhelming at first but it is really easy. Just take you time.

Hope that helps. Post back if you need anything else.
freezinbutt

[Suncoast]

Thanx Butt... but my first problem is I have no "boot.ini" on my root drive/folder/partition, or anywhere for that matter. I have Win2k installed on the C drive/partition as the ONLY OS, and boot.ini is not there (yes, I'm able to see hidden files).

What next???

[freezinbutt]

Well....I'm confused. If you are sure you can view system and hidden files, you should be able to see the boot.ini file. Try going to start>run -- Then type "edit boot.ini" You should be able to see it then.

You didn't mention it in the original post, but are you running another flavor of Windows on this machine somewhere? Maybe another bootloader program? Are you running NTFS with 2000 or FAT32? We could use LILO to boot Windows but I have to check to make sure LILO can see NTFS if that is what you are running.

If you think you are going to want to manage these partitions once you start to dual boot, you might want to consider getting something like System Commander. It will allow you to move, resize, copy, delete, all of your partitions as well as giving you a really nice bootloader program that will make this whole process easier. I use SC and it works great. I have also set up a machine exactly the way you want to and that works well. SC just gives you more options.

freezinbutt

[MaXimum SMOKE]

SC, I don't do 2000, but here's my guess. Your whole install is 1 primary partition. The 20 gig partition exists as something maybe empty maybe not. The popular distros, will have no trouble building linux partitions on 20 gigs after erasing all data on the 20 gig area. The linux partitioning program will create the parts you need. Don't do auto partitioning, make a 50 meg /boot partition. It should build it as non primary, type linux ext3. Build a linux swap partition about 250 meg. The rest can be set as / (the root file sys for the linux install) Type linux ext3 (also built as non primary). An extended primary partition gets made by the program, which holds the linux parts. On a 9x install The Master boot record originally points to the sys files on the 1st primary partition, and the bootloader runs it. The Linux bootloader can usually 'grab' the M.B.R. It points to the linux install in the /boot partition. To set it up to say load an os like '98, Me, 95, you would tell it to point to that os's partition. IDE drives are labeled as hda, hdb, hdc, hdd. So like if this was a '95 install and 95 was the only originally installed os, you would tell it to point the "other os entry" to hda1 That would be the 1st primary partition of a win '95 install, so it would boot it. (If you are using a hardware compatability driver, that has created a non standard mbr, this wouldn't work) If you can apply this to your 2000 hd, maybe I answered some of your questions. The usuall "Backup all your data before proceeding" applies as usual

[Suncoast]

Butt: I can now see the file.. I had "show hidden files checked" but not "system files" down below. I think I have a bad ISO download. It installs disk #1, but gives me nothing but errors after asking for #2. Finally my DVD drive gave up and wouldn't even eject the disk. I did a hard shutdown and now probably will try to download disk 2 all over again.

Smoke: I've got the info from Butt's link printed out and read. I do want to use the windows boot loader and win2k's NTFS I guess makes it "special".

Thanks for the help so far.... I'll probably call it a night and try to download the ISO files again tomorrow.

[freezinbutt]

You might not need to re-download them. Just might be a bad burn. Can you see a file structure on those disks. If you just see one file, you did not burn them right.

The reason you could not open up the drive is because Linux had that drive mounted during the install. You will learn more about this once you get Linux up and running.

Sounds like you are on your way though.

freezinbutt

[Suncoast]

I could see the files, but the burn didn't even take up the whole disk and when I started the burn, using Nero, it gave me a size error, or something like that. After re-downloading and re-burning, all is well. I don't know what happened the first time... I used a download mgr and did all 3 at once. This second time I downloaded each iso file separately.

ANYWAY - I'm up and running with Linux and typing this on Konqueror right now. Now I can start learning. For the time being I'm using a floppy to boot into Linux. I've got to study those custom bootloading instructions to get the correct menu up. Lilo doesn't like NTFS. I had to fdisk /mbr to again enable booting of Win2K.

Thanks everyone for the help. I'll be back.

Vicky (Suncoast)

[freezinbutt]

Great. Sounds like you are on your way now. Have fun.

If you want to use the Windows bootloader, you don't want LILO installed in the MBR. Put LILO in the / or if you created a /boot them put it there. Then you copy the lilo.bin file to the root directory of the c: drive and edit the boot.ini file. If you do it right, when you select Linux from the Windows bootmenu it will bring up LILO and you can boot into Linux.

Good luck,
freezinbutt