Dual-booting Win98SE With Linux

[hank@$#38]

Can anyone tell me how to do a NEW
install of Windows 98SE on a Linux Box?
The Windows install stalls during setup
and all I get is a blue screen that I can't
get out of except to use Ctrl Alt Delete.
It offers to reformat, etc., but stops at the
blue screen.
Can I use GRUB in Mandrake or RedHat
to fix the problem? (I am currently running
SuSe Personal 7.3., which shows a Windows
partition, but it's empty! And on bootup, it
says 'Bogus FAT partition')
I'm new to Linux, and don't know much about
partitioning.

By the way, has anyone heard of GNU
Parted? Is it as good as Partition Magic?
Would very much appreciate any help on these and related topics.
Thanks!:confused:

[Xander Solis]

INstall Windows first before Linux.

[robbwk]

Install Windows first...

Then install Linux (go SuSE 8, Yast2 is terrific if you want a point and click install).

You can either dual boot, using Linux boot loader, or install the LILO to a floppy and have Windows as the default OS.

Don't foget to create a Rescue Disk.

[michaelk]

Windows 98 has to be installed on the first hard drive hda1 i.e. c: drive.

So what is your present partition info?

[Luigi]

win always needs to be installed at the beginning of the first partition on the first drive. $illy micro$oft.

if you want to keep your present info in linux, try this:

1) repartition your hard drive using GNU Parted or whatever Partition-magic-ish tool you like. move your Linux partition to the latter half of your drive.
ie
first sector |---EMPTY---|---ln swap--|-----linux----| last sector

if you have multiple linux partitions, just cluster them at the end like in the example. generally you will want higher-use partitions to be closer to sector 1. less movement of the head, so less chance of disk damage.

2) MAKE A LINUX BOOT DISK.


3) boot from the win98 disk, and fdisk and format that empty partition. install to it.

4) you'll notice that win98 now boots as default. you can still get to your linbox by using the boot disk, but that's hardly ideal. boot to your linux install cd.

5) i'm not 100% on this on all distros, but for RH... when you're installing GRUB you get the choice of putting it in MBR or on the hard drive... choose the latter. it will automatically detect that you have windows installed, and will make the entry in the bootloader for you.

again, depending on your distro you may be able to go through the automated GRUB setup without reinstalling your OS... but you may well have to reinstall. just make sure you don't reformat the drive first, and you should be okay.

6) remove the install cd, reboot your machine, and BLAMMO - you're in dual boot. you're gold, Jerry - GOLD!

Good luck! i hate setting up dual boots, but they're worthwhile once they're done!

[hank@$#38]

Thanks very much for the info!

How do I (download) GNU Parted? Or, is
there another method of partitioning that I
can use which is not too complicated?

Thanks:)

[JohnT]

What brand of HD do you have? Some HD require a setup disk to set them up correctly before installing an OS.

[Luigi]

HD setup disks are supplementary. they're for older BIOS'es that can't handle Logical Block Addressing (LBA) or large hard drives in general. any new system can get by just fine without them.