Linux trouble :(

Tabula Rasa

Stranger Than Kindness
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Well I have a load of dumb questions, but please bare with me:

Well i tryed to install Lycoris, I wanted to do a dual boot, C: partition to leave XP on , and use the D: partition for Lycoris.
When i ran the installation (booted from the CD), i had 2 options, use an existing partition and create a new one.
since create a new one was for advanced users only, i have chosen use existing partition.

than i got a menu of partitions , but it was nothing like normal Dos partition drawings. I had a number of partitions over there and i selected the one that looked logical to me ( Even if beat the crap out of me, i wont remember which ).

It took over all my partitions formated them, and i lost allot of data. Later on Lycoris turned out to be a total piece of **** so i had to Fdisk the drive and reinstall windows.

I really want to try Linux (n00b linux at the beginning) but I really don't want to recover my data again, any help???
 
in linux you need 3 partitions to run properly. on your non winblows drive, there whould be:

1) / (forward slash is known as "root" this is your root or storage drive kinda like C:\ -- it should be the largest of the 3)

2) boot (this is where the linux boot/ kernel is located... should be very small)

3) swap (this should be bigger than the amount of memory you have but smaller than your root partition -- this is used like windows virtual memory)

you should always use the create a new partition, cause linux crawls on a ntfs or vfat(ms fat32) and it'll run a lot better w/ a native linux partition(s)

**make sure you know how large your drives are and which is which. your windows drive is almost always going to be /dev/hda1 so if in windows the drive you want to install on is D: or something else like that, choose /dev/hdb1 as your root partition /dev/hdb0 as your boot partition and /dev/hdb2 as swap**

hope that helps

sorry bout having to reinstall xp that sucks, & is why i only use linux now :(

try redhat 7.3, i think its the best so far (even against redhat 8.0)
 
Stick with mandrake for your first linux experience, its simple as anything. probably as easy as windows installation, just make sure you have free space at the end of a drive if your going to use partitions, dont format it to any file system, just leave it as 'empty space'.
 
Step 2:

Thanks for the advice SpeedY_B , but i have downloaded Red hat before i saw it.

When i run the graphic installation , i get to a point in which i go into "Disk Druid" , it gives me this scheme:

|
|
---/dev/hda
........|
........|---/dev/hda1
........|
........|__/dev/hda2 (Extended)
................|
................|__/dev/hda5

(Whitout the ..... , i needed them to make it look right)

In Dos the partitions are C: and D: (The Extended 100% logical).

Any Ideas on what i should do???
 
Kill D: :p

As you can't install Linux onto a FAT/NT based filesystem, its going to be easier for you to wipe d:\ (or the area of space your trying to install onto) so its literally space and not formatted in any way.
You can do this from within windows with Partition Magic.
 
usually you'll use /dev/hda5 to install linux on (thats what i've seen anyway when using a single disk w/ multiple partitions)
 
Thanks SpeedY_B , I can kill D: thru Fdisk.

Now the next dumb question: So after I killed D: , I run the RH install, and than... (Create a new partition (or 2) using Disk Druid, and install RH on them???)
 
Posted by MadHaXX()|2
usually you'll use /dev/hda5 to install linux on (thats what i've seen anyway when using a single disk w/ multiple partitions)

Thanks MadHaXX()|2 , so you saying I dont have to kill D: ?
 
yup, just partition the empty space with Disk Druid.

is there an auto-partition option?
if not you'll need to partition it 3 way at the least

/boot - around 16mb
/swap - 1.5x your physical memory
/ - whatevers left
 
Thanks MadHaXX()|2 , so you saying I dont have to kill D: ?
you dont HAVE to, but seeing as it wont be D:\ once RH is installed then it makes it easier in the installation if its just free space.
it'll be easier to pick out therefore less complicated.
 
tnx MadHaXX()|2
tnx SpeedY_B , I'l try it your way...

I just hope it wont take over C: like the last time.

I saw you said I need to create a boot partition, Is this the partition Xp will boot from as well , and if yes how do i make sure it is there / add it?
 
if you use redhats installer (i've never done mandrake so dont know bout that one) it'll automagically do everything for you as far as partitioning the 3 and fortmatting, just select the option to automatically partition for you, and select hda5, rh will do the rest.

I saw you said I need to create a boot partition, Is this the partition Xp will boot from as well , and if yes how do i make sure it is there / add it?

NO NO NO NO NO........... Dont mess wit the windows boot partition........ linux's bootloader will need that if you want to boot into windows, linux boot partition will be a completely seperate partition (usually after you have it all setup /dev/hda5 = boot, /dev/hda6=/, /dev/hda7=swap)
 
Benny, the /boot is where redhat will boot from, during the install you will get the option to instal lilo or grub, these are bootloaders, they will take care of booting either windows or linux
 
BIG Thanks SpeedY_B :)

Well in took care of D: so now i'm off to install the damn thing.
Wish me luck :D
 
Well Dumb-de-Dumb, I have downloaded the SGI Installer, and didn't download the installation itself...
so now i have to download 5 more CDs (or 3 not really sure).
 
You only need the first cd to install it, packages can be added later on from the other cd's as needed.
 
Really, What packages are on the first one??? (In the installation process it asks me for KDE Games and other stuff).
Thanks for the info :)
 
the essential packages are on the first cd, should be what you need to get up and running, X/KDE/Gnome will be on there.

Basically its like windows without paint/notepad/solitaire, all the crap you really dont need, but just comes with it :)
think of cd 1 as the o/s and nothing more (there is more to CD1, but its basically the essentials.)
 

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