partitioning question

[eXtremist]

Okay.. I installed RH7, but I'm not happy with the configuration. I want to install WinME in a partition eventually, but not right yet. How should I set up the partitions?

Can I create a linux partition of say 25 MB for /boot, then a FAT partition of about 3 GB to house Windows (eventually), and then make the rest of the partitions as I please? I'm a little confused as to how (or where) I should make the windows partition.. I've heard LILO horror stories and want to make sure that everything works correctly.

What would be the best plan to follow? Again, I want to install linux NOW, leaving about 3 GB open to windows, so that I can install windows down the road. I know windows will take over the MBR, but that's easily fixed. If I make a partition of 3 GB at the beginning of the drive, will I get the dreaded LILO 1024 error when I make a boot partition next?

[willk]

This is posiible...but a real pain to get going...
If you are not familar wuth partitioning schems...do some homework...and practice....

Either way it is MUCH easier to install Windows first. If you install secound it WILL overwrite your boot sector.
Then you will have to boot into Linux from a floppy...reconfigure lilo or whartever boot loader you use...unless you are pretty familar with what i am saying it probably is not something you want to be doing.
Good Luck.

[Lorithar]

*grins*

I suggest the following scheme for large disks, mostly from experience and listening to horror stories here.

1st partition - fat16 - windows base install < 1 gig
2nd partition - ext2 - linux /
3rd partition - extended (wrapper for the rest)
4th partition - fat 32 - windows D: working stuff
5th partition - ext2 - linux /home
6th partition - swap - linux swap

Consider that lilo doesn't like booting off a partition which runs beyond the 1024th cylinder (in MOST distro's that are considered stable.) Even though there is a newer version of lilo that does NOT have this problem the likelyhood that your distro comes with it is fairly small. ... My lilo is version 21.5-1 which does handle the higher cylinder count. It came with slack 7.1 ..


As a rule windows wants partition 1 disk 0 to boot.

[ 12 March 2001: Message edited by: Lorithar ]