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SonicDragon

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SonicDragon

Well, i don't want to take over teacher's linux thred (a few questions before i jump) so, i guess i'm starting my own for my own first time. The hard disk is on it's way and i'm absolutly dying! I can't wait! It's on two day delivery (unfortunately, everything takes a lot longer to get here than they say... but, what can i do.)I've got Red Hat 9, Mandrake 9.1, and Slackware 8.0 all burned :D Red Hat because that is what we use at work, Mandrake to learn on and take advice from Bruno :lol: and Slackware because it just looks like a really nice distro.Is having three linux's and XP biting off more that i can chew? I've installed Red Hat and Mandrake before, and i read this forum every day, so i guess i'm not a complete newbi, but i haven't ever really had any experience with linux. I'm also wondering about partitioning and order of installs.This is what i understand of the linux file system (i may very well be wrong):/ = where the operating system files are./usr = where the user's programs are found./home = is where the users personal files are found.I also need a swap partition to right? and i only need one of those even though i have multiple distros right?So that brings me to the question. Does every distro have to have it's own /home directory? Could i do this:RH//usrMandrake//usrSlack//usrand then have only one /home, where i can keep all my files from all of the distros? Or is that just to complecated for a newbi like me?Also, does it matter which distro i install first?Do i partition the drive we the first disto i install or should i do it before hand with fdisk? I don't have partition magic, and i'm not all that crazy about going out any buying it.Thanks soo much guys! I can't wait! I'm off to go read Bruno's tips on partitioning!

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SonicDragon
It's great to see such excitement Sonic. Just let us know when the install party will be held and watch for the crowd to gather. Technically, if you install three distros and XP I imagine it is a little more than a dual-boot. Probably a mutli-boot. I don't know the correct terminology for a mutli-system boot. I would just pick one install and your windows and start there. Then as you feel like you have that distro under control, add another one.Don't add each one to your Lilo or Grub until you have decided whether or not it is a keeper. No need to mess up the system until you know for sure if you like the distro. After a little over two months I have Mandrake, Win, and Slack installed. Of course, in a similar time Quint has installed how many distros? Of course not all are keepers. I don't know of anyone that keeps every distro that comes along.If I wanted to, I could add a half dozen distros. I have Vector, D***Small, Blueflops, Freevix, Morphix, Mandrake and Red Hat laying around here. However, I only have Mandrake and Slack installed. No need to muck up the system until I know if it works. Vector was not a keeper for me due to the connection issues. Only you can decide which ones to keep and which to toss.Take your time with each one and make your decision whether to keep or toss based upon how well it works for you. Only you can really decide which are worth the time and effort. Don't forget: Let us know when the install party will be held!
Taken from Teacher in A Few Questions before i jump, in relation to an earlier post :)
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Sonic,Your goals are quite attainable; nothing like jumping in with both feet or multi-distros. To save you some boot hassles, consider a third-party bootloader (hint: XOSL). This allows you to place each distro's default boot loader in each / or /boot partition and leave the MBR alone. XOSL does the multibooting for you. You could share the /home partition but I wouldn't unless you plan on giving each distro a unique normal user account name; if you use the same account name for all distros and share the /home partition then each one will overwrite the others' customisation settings. Partitioning in Linux is flexible, which is good and bad. The simplest is to give each distro a single / partition and share the swap partition. When you seperate out directories like /, /usr, /home, /var, /opt what you are doing is mounting a directory in its own partition. Linux has no problems with this as each distro will know which one it owns (the beauty of the /etc/fstab file) and you don't get confused. Linux partitions can be either primary or logical, but I'd reserve the primaries for Microsoft OSes and stick all you Linux distros in the extended partition.Just by way of example, my daughter's machine uses XOSL to multiboot XP, 98SE, Red Hat 9, Mandrake 9.1 and SuSE 8.2. I'd put more, but I've run out of disk space. :)

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Sonic,Please keep it simple . . . as your knowledge will grow you can complicate the setup as much as you like ;)Just start one at a time, dont let ¨your eyes be bigger then your stomach¨ as we say in Dutch :) ( don´t over-eat yourself )If you start with Mandrake it will, if you follow the default set up a /, a /swap and a /home partition by default . . . .then you can with the Mandrake GUI ( a Drakxtool ) resize and cut the /home partition ( wich will be the biggest, of a 40G it will be 37G ) into little pieces and format them as Ext3 for later install of other distro´s.For the bootloader . . I really like the GUI of the Mandrake Lilo and have added at times 7 distro´s to them without any problem, Mandrake has even a GUI-based tool ( also a Drakxtool ) to do those additions, works like a wizzard and is real easy. ;)As I understand it will be the second HD in that box, the first will have Windows on it, also that is no problem because Mandrake ( the first to install ) will pick up that Windows partition/disk without any problem and add it by default to the Lilo. ( see, now you have a choice . :) )Have fun Sonic and let us know when the HD is in the mail.:) Bruno

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SonicDragon
Please keep it simple . . . as your knowledge will grow you can complicate the setup as much as you like
Ok, Mandrake it is! :D
Have fun Sonic and let us know when the HD is in the mail.
It's in the mail. I ordered it last night B)
You could share the /home partition but I wouldn't unless you plan on giving each distro a unique normal user account name; if you use the same account name for all distros and share the /home partition then each one will overwrite the others' customisation settings.
Ok, good to know. I'll also think about XOSL when the time comes :lol:
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Well to avoid the potential mess that could be created.....why not make make seperate partition and either use XOSL or boot partgenerate each respective boot files and put them under ntloader...also under boot.inii use that method.....each os is happpy running under their own........worldsand third solution ,might be using vmware in linux.........i dont trust windows that much for stability. :blink:

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SonicDragon

IT'S HERE!!! YAY ;)I assume i want the Winodows drive to be the master and Linux to be a slave? I'm going to create a boot disk for XP now!"My COmputer>A:>RightClick>Format>create MSDOS startup disk" is the right way to go right?

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You can set up your windows as master and Linux as slave. You can even mix and match! You might want windows and one distro on the first drive, then the two other distros on the other drive.My choice of installs would be this:1. Install Windows. (have to do it this way).2. Install Mandrake. You can then use the Lillo from Mandrake to do a dual boot. I put these first two on opposite drives (that's just me). I started my first drive with some version of Windows (I think it was 2000, but memory is fuzzy of windows :D ) After you have the Mandrake installed and let it do the default on your lilo, get your updates done and then go into your partitioning program from Mandrake and take part of your drives to use for the Slack and the Red Hat. Keep a copy of the partitioning thread handy as you do your Mandrake install. That way you can go and adjust sizes as needed. One swap works. I would keep separate home partitions in each flavor so you don't accidentally overlap and wipe out something for another distro! Also, as you adjust the sizes while you install Mandrake, start with the first partition, size it the way you want, then go on to the next. It is easiest to clear them all and start with the first, otherwise it will leave gaps or try to overlap. It took me a while to figure that part out.Just get started on it Sonic. We will gather around and see how you are doing. Keep a spare computer handy to let us know how it is doing! I will go put the champagne on ice for the success at the end!

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Hey Sonic,So happy for you . . now the big adventure can really start !!!What I understood from previous posts is that you want your Win-drive untouched . . . put it as master :hda Then do just a default install of Mandrake on hdb, the easiest way . . . later as you get good in this we can complicate things . . you will get a huge /home partition, never mind we can split that up later with no problems. Just go for all the defaults that Mandrake installer presents you . . it will make / and /home and /swap by default . . . the only thing you have to watch is that you put it on hdb and not hda where you´ve got Windows . . . ;)Like Julia said just let it install Lilo ( also this is default ) and you will have a dual booting system in 20 minutes . . :)Impatiently waiting for good news from you . . . . . . :D Bruno

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Don't forget when you install your windows, you can make an emergency disk or a boot disk. Afterwards, I think that is under the control panel in add and remove programs there is a tab you can click on to create an emergency disk. Forgive me, my knowledge in this area is quickly fading. I always have boot from CD as an option and tend to go that route in emergencies so I did not think of this one. That should keep the family happy. You can do that after you install or if I remember right you can do that during the install. Has the countdown begun yet?

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SonicDragon

ok. the hard drive is in, and when xp started, a little balloon message poped up from the system tray saying that new hardware was found and then listen my new Maxtor harddrive. But when i click on my computer, it donsn't show the drive.I diid the add new hardware wizard that xp has and it saw the device and said that every thing was working properly...I'm lost. But i still have a few ideas. I assume i need to change something in the bios? so that it will know the drive is there? i figured i didn't have to do that because xp detected it fine.The drive needs to be formatted before xp sees it?Ans u guys keep talking about installing windows... it's already installed. I hope i don't have to reinstall, because i don't have the disk.... this is where the whole harddrive problem came from!Thanks guys.

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No don´t format the drive in windows !! Windows will not even be able to see it once Linux is on it !Linux will see the Win drive though, and that´s what counts.:) Bruno

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Only change the boot order in the bios . . first CD-ROM then floppy then IDE0 . . . .Then flip your Mandrake CD 1 in the drive and boot . . . good luck Sonic !!:) Bruno

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Just select the right HD to install Mandrake on . . . . . don´t overwrite your XP . . . that´s the only part you have to be VERY carefull of ! :) The rest is a piece of cake !:) Bruno

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HDBThat's all you need to remember. Install your Mandrake in hdb. That leaves your windows in hda and you are fine!

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He´s installing now . . has but one computer . . had to log-off the forum . . . . . . when he logs back in again we will know . . All keeping our fingers crossed Sonic, come on boy we know you can do this. . . . Sonic . . Sonic . . Sonic !! :) :) :) B) :D B) Bruno

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Of course he can do it. He has been around hanging out with the likes of us. Doesn't that automatically make you able to do an install? :) Everyone send positive thoughts his way!

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I'll have to check back later. I have a class to teach this afternoon.............Internet Basics - :) Maybe I will take the students on a tour of Scot's Newsletter Forum so I can check and see how SonicDragon is doing. :) Have a good one everybody!

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SonicDragon

LOL, thanks all. I wouls love to be part of our class. now they can all laugh at me because I CAN'T GET INTO MY BOIS!i've tried everything. Tab shows me what the computer is doing. and if i hit F5 or F8 i get like... Boot in safe node, regular mode, enable boot loggin, and a few other optinos, none that say bios :). What am i not doing!

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Won´t it just boot from the CD by default ???What kind of computer is it ??Does ¨Del¨ help ??In that order Sonic.:) Bruno

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SonicDragon

i haven't tired the cd yet. i was just reading your tips and they say put Pnp aware os on no and then boot order CD-rom and floppy and hd. can i just skip that and put the disk in?

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If you want to get into the BIOS hit the DEL key when you boot the machine and get the POST screen with the memory count. Woohoo another live Linux install at SFNL Forums! :)

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If it will already boot from CD you can. What type of computer do you have? Does it have one of those splashes that hides the start up routine?

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SonicDragon

When i try to start installing Mandrake, the screen flashes. Is like black and then it will show what it is supposed to for a fraction of a second. It is doing what it's supposed to be doing, you can tell by the little time it does show you, but i'll never be able to install like this.I'm on a flat panel. Does it have something to do with the refresh rate on that? I do have another moniter, but i would like to use this if at all possible :)

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