<< Folks. I was trying to install Mandrake Linux 8.1. I currently have XP professional and I want my machine to be able to dual boot XP and Mandrake. Should I choose to install Mandrake into my windows folder? Is there any other way around? Is it going to format my disk if I use other installation options? >>
Well, it should work [warning: I don't have Xp but win98se, and not mandrak 8.1 but 8.0-with-updates]
If Xp is not very different than the other microsoft OSes, you should be able to free a few partitions.
[if you don't have any, defrag the disk where you want the new partitions to be, then use something like partition magic to create some new partitions at the end of this newly defragmented disk [defragmented so that the end of the disk is "file free"]
You seem new to linux-mandrake, so I will also give more details for the linux installation part: basically insteads of putting linux inside windows partitions [fat32 generally] it is far more efficient to install it in "linux partitions" [for example "ext2fs" partitions, aka "linux-native"].
You need at least 2 partitions imho: a root "ext2" partition[mounted on "/", create it with a size at least 1Gb ... go for more if you will use huge tmp files, or create a huge /var partition and put links for the tmp dirs to point to a dir in /var...] and a swap "linux-swap" partition [not mounted at all]. I think you can avoid the swap partition but it will be far easier to have one.
A good thing would be to have a little [40Mb is plenty enough] boot "ext2" partition [mounted on /boot] and if possible have it as close to the beginning of the disk as possible [ideally it should be all fitted under the 1023 first sectors of the disk this partition is on, to avoid problems with old bioses and old version of lilo... you may have to use an old rescue disk, so even if your new linux can do better sticking your kernel under those 1023 sectors is still a good idea]
Separating your user files is also a good idea: put a partition dedicated to /home, so you won't have to take care of saving your users files before reinstalling another version of linux-mandrake, and don't forget NOT to use the /root dir more that you should [which is: only to do stuff only the root can do, and nothing more, and delog right after doing what you needed to do]. Use an account with your name instead, so all your files are in this /home/yourname account. And from time to time "tar" some important stuff in /home as well [for example: tar czf /home/2001_11_17_etc.tgz /etc && tar czf /home/2001_11_17_root.tgz /root && echo "OK" || echo "troubles..." ]
To sum it up:
before:
disk1 [a huge windows fat32 partition, containing 24Gb of rubbish]
disk2 [another huge fat32 partition, containing only 2Gb of rubbish]
you "know" that the /boot part will be easier to fit under the 1023 first sectors if it sits on the 2nd disk... so you do:
Defragmentation of disk 1, defragmentation of disk 2. You don't write a lot of things, but reboot on your linux CDrom install instead.
You don't even create the partitions [unless your version of partition magic is up to date, at elast DO NOT use windows or dos FDISK...]
after rebotting the pc and launching the linux install: you answer the questions, and when you have to choose/create the partitions you do everything correctly to now have:
disk1 [a huge but smaller fat32 partition|a 4Gb ext2 part. ("/")|a 256MB swap part.()|a 2Gb ext2 part ("/var")|remaining: fat32 part to be formatted under windows/dos]
disk2 [another huge-but-smaller fat32 part | a 40Mb ext2 part ("/boot")|a whatever-size-you-need ext2 part ("/home")|remaining space: fat32 so you have yet another partition for windows to play with]
if it sound completely correct, you can "write" the partition table [and cross you fingers] and proceed to do the rest of the installation. But if it appears impossible to fir a /boot partition under 1023 sectors of any disk you have availble, then you can still install the newer versions of lilo or grub, but one day you may wonder why your old linux rescue disk that you downloaded and which is full of stuff to help you recover your linux is now unoperable...
This is an example only, YMMV (and, oh, yes, RTFM ;^p).
Oh, I forgot: generally during the partitionning process of the linux-mandrake install, you can also precise where the existing windows partitions can be mounted [but do not format them ;p]... usually in a subdirectory of /mnt [for example: mount the partition that is your C: into /mnt/c, your D: into /mnt/d, etc. you can mount a partition on a directory [that directory have to be already accessible, so part of "/" or of an already mounted partition] and then under this directory the content will be the content of this partition. [note: interresting happens if the directory you choose is not empty... but pleas avoid it unless you need it to do "clever" tricks]
<< BTW, what is it like if fresh install Mandrake first and then XP?😱 >>
This should work also [as long as you don't get lost in the partitions creations process: use fdisk [or a better utility? I prefer fdisk for the fact it is pretty safe as long as you don't say "w" to Write your changes on disk... use "q" to quit without saving] of linux first to create the partitions that will be used by linux, not necessarily sitting at the beginning of the empty disk [better to put the windows parts at the beginning]. Then once everything is installed, if you still want to install Xp, reboot yor computer and boot your windows XP install cdrom, it should be able to install himself on the fat32 partitions [that you already have, or that you have to create and format]. I think [but can be wrong] that it is better to leave the space not assigned to a partition while installing linux, so when you reboot on the Xp install it sees a free space and will hopefully propose to format it [and hopefully won't propose to format the whole disk?]
But I bet 2 cents that windows will also replace the existing MBR of the primary HD by his own, and so you may lose your own lilo boot... to fix that: boot linux on a floppy [or using the CDrom rescue] and reinstall lilo. If you manage to reboot then, you will have to modify the /etc/lilo.conf so that it also have the boot specification for windows [see the man page "man lilo.conf" ir my memory is correct]. A lot can go wrong: Xp needs a special mbr instead of a special boot record? Lilo should be installed a boot record [a good one is the BR of the /boot partition] to allow Xp to install a multiboot mbr that points to Xp and to this partition? [can Xp do that? and will it do that?] etc, etc.
To sum it up: good luck, save your datas, and keep reading!
Hope this helps [pm me if not ;p]
Olivier.
