Dual Boot Linux with PM8

[Heeter]

Hi Guys,

Before I install this PartitionMagic8 (free version off MaximumPC CD, available this month), Will PM8 assist me in installing and setting up a dual boot with my Corel Linux OS? Will I be able to see the existing drives, files with Linux? Please bear with me as I am extremely newbie with Linux. My eventual goal is to replace the WinXPhome with Linux on my fileserver/ftpserver tower. One 40gig HD holds the present OS, while 4x80giggers mirrored hold all my personal folders and files, as well as FTP server folders and files.

Thanks in advance

Heeter

 

[NetRyder]

PartitionMagic will help...in a way, especially since you'll want to do non-destructive partitioning.

I'm assuming you have only Windows installed right now, and that it's taking up all the space on your drive.
So basically what you'll need to do to set up a Windows/Linux dual-boot system is use PM8 to resize the existing Windows partition. You'll need to calculate the space you want to assign to the Linux partitions (the main one and the swap partition), and make your Windows partition smaller accordingly. This creates unpartitioned space on your hard disk. Don't use PM8 to create new partitions in that space.
Just boot from the Linux setup CD, and during setup you should be given the option to create your primary linux partition (formatted as ext3, reiserfs, xfs etc) and a swap partition. Create them in the unformatted free space that you created with PM8, and you should be all set. Linux installs a bootloader (LILO or GRUB) which replaces XP's NT bootloader. It should automatically detect and add the Windows partition to it, so you'll be given the option to boot either OS at startup.

While you're in Linux, you can mount your Windows FAT32/NTFS partitions to get access to your files. Remember that NTFS access is read-only (unless you use the new NTFS drivers that have just come out...but that might be risky at the moment). FAT32 access is read/write/modify. You can also network Linux with other Windows machines on your network using SAMBA. If you need help with that later, just ask away
Windows has no way of reading from or writing to Linux partitions out-of-the-box. Depending on what filesystem you select, there are third-party tools like LSTOOLS and RFSTOOL that will let you access your Linux partitions through Windows, in case you need to ever do that.

Hope I answered all your questions. I'll be gone for a month starting this evening, but I'm sure there are lots of others who will assist you if you have further questions/problems along the way.

 

[Heeter]

Have a Very Merry Christmas!! See you in the New Year, Nets.

I printed off this post to get me started. I do have lots or room in this particular drive. So PM8 will move some stuff around and generate empty space for me.

So if I go 4gigs for WinXPhome, 4gigs for Linux, 4gigs for Swap, that should be enough.

Can I use PM8 to resize Linux partitions from Windows, or can it be used from within Linux? Will Linux not enjoy getting this done from Windows. Will Linux progs run the Linux partition, or from this swap partition?

I know it will a long, learning process, but I can't wait to be able to run linux as my file/FTP server tower.

Heeter

 

[Xie]

Originally posted by Heeter

So if I go 4gigs for WinXPhome, 4gigs for Linux, 4gigs for Swap, that should be enough.

Can I use PM8 to resize Linux partitions from Windows, or can it be used from within Linux? Will Linux not enjoy getting this done from Windows. Will Linux progs run the Linux partition, or from this swap partition?

I know it will a long, learning process, but I can't wait to be able to run linux as my file/FTP server tower.

Ok 1st thing ... you don't need a 4gig swap space ... swap space is the same as a pagefile or virtual memory in the windows world. You shouldn't really need more then 1.2x your RAM.

I would figure out the largest size you would like to use for linux and once you have it installed I would just leave it alone untill your done w/ it.

And about where linux programs will run, they will run on the main linux partition as I stated above swap is only virutal memory for when you use up RAM.

Hope that helps a bit.