Reformatting and partitioning

[digiSal]

Hey!

this is my first post into the linux world!

anyway, this is where i am.

i installed a new 20 gb drive last night and i got my win2k going just fine and now i want get a linux boot on here also.

this is how my drive is partitioned.

c: fat32 6gigs
d: fat32 4gigs
e:fat32 10 gigs

c is for windows and E is for non system files.

i was thinking i would like to put linux on that D drive.

i have Partition Magic 7, and i have read that it will help me make the linux partitions.

do i just Reformat to ex2? and boot the red hat 8 disks? or how else should i prepare the partition?

i know my drive letters are going to be changed around a bit. so i have not added any other of my removeable drives yet.

thanks for any info!

--Sal-

[Bokkenka]

If you plan on using the 4GB FAT32 partition, you can use the RedHat installer to set it up for installation. Move anything off of it that you want to save, because anything on it will be deleted.

Boot the RH disc, and when you get to section on partitioning, delete the 4GB partition. Then, tell the install to auto allocate. It will set-up the now-free space as it needs.

[digiSal]

sounds good! ill give it a whirl later tonite!

--Sal-

thanks.

[digiSal]

urgh, i obviously need to do more reading. i am not about to jump right into this one.

i made it all the way to the disk druid but was immediately confused as to what to do after i deleted the partion where i want linux to live on. i know what i need to do, i just need to know how to do it now.

thanks!

--Sal-



Originally posted by Bokkenka
If you plan on using the 4GB FAT32 partition, you can use the RedHat installer to set it up for installation. Move anything off of it that you want to save, because anything on it will be deleted.

Boot the RH disc, and when you get to section on partitioning, delete the 4GB partition. Then, tell the install to auto allocate. It will set-up the now-free space as it needs.

[mdwatts]

You can use PM7 to first delete the D: partition and then create the Linux partitions in it's place.

For now just create a root '/' partition and a swap.

Swap partition around 2 times your memory up to a maximum of roughly 256 or 384mb.

Once finished creating the partitions with PM7, start the Linux installation and the newly created partitions should be detected.

[digiSal]

here is an update on my setup for those that helped.

kay, i went in to PM7, deleted the D: part i had made, created a 100mb boot and a 256 swap as per watts and others advice.

then i booted the red hat cds and did an automatic partition, it worked. i went through the whole installation just fine. very cool!

when i rebooted the grub came up and i booted to Linux. it hanged at INIT: version 2.84 booting, i rebooted, and tried again, nada. then i went to win2k and opened PM7, i got an error message that the LBA was wrong, or something to that effect, i didnt record the error, althought i believe it was logged somewhere. i saw the linux partitions, very kewl.

at this time i wasnt sure exzactly where the boot up had hanged, so i went to reboot to record where it hanged so i can research, but on this boot, the grub bootmenu did not come up, only the grub command prompt. i tinkered a bit and gave up for the night.


this afternoon i did some reading and came to the conclusing that i needed to reinstall, i did, and i was in the same boat, hanging on the INIT. i did some more reading and found this
http://www.redhat.com/mailing-lists/redhat-install-list/msg24733.html

it says i need to add apm=off to a .conf file. i was a little confused there, i didnt know where and what file i needed to edit. so, i edited the syslinux.cfg file on the boot disk red hat made. and i was in. takes forever to boot from floppy, i need some insite on what file i need to edit, and i need to research the PM7 error message, i am wondering if it will screw up my GRUB again.

i got it up and going right before work and school, so i was not able to get her online via my cable modem, so thats something else i need to research. i am at work now :P

thanks!

--Sal-