Partitioning

[Joogs]

Hi,

I have Windows XP and have recently wiped my 10Gb hard disk (I know, pretty small) as I've recently got hold of Mandrake Linux 8 and want to dual boot. Could someone advise me on what size of partitions to create?

Thanks
Jennifer

[mdwatts]

It would depend on what software you plan to install on XP. WinXP takes something like 2-3GB for the base install and then allow for the apps you will install and your data.

Whatever you have remaining, give that to Linux.

If XP was going to be my main os then I would probably give 7GB to XP and 3GB to Linux.

Personally I would allocate 10GB to Linux and 0GB to XP. ;)

Just figure out your needs and what you will be installing on XP.

[proffy]

Originally posted by Joogs:
<STRONG>Hi,

I have Windows XP and have recently wiped my 10Gb hard disk (I know, pretty small) as I've recently got hold of Mandrake Linux 8 and want to dual boot. Could someone advise me on what size of partitions to create?

Thanks
Jennifer</STRONG>

Well make sure you put XP on your C drive and don't make it's partition more than 7.5 gigs.

Also, what are you going to put on XP? MS visual C++? visual studio? Office? Those apps could take up alot of space so I'd lean toward a larger XP partition.

[Joogs]

Hi,

Actually, after I try Mandrake and all seems well, I was thinking of using the additional 10Gb drive I have for the Win XP installation. Being a newbie to Linux, I was really wanting how I should size the swap file and so on.

Thanks for any input,
Jen

[PimpHolic]

well, i have a 12 gb harddrive
i give 9 gb to windows, 3 gb to linux and a 256 mb swap file

my partition table is as follows:
/dev/hda1/ windows 9gb FAT32
/dev/hda2 swap 256 mb Linux Swap
/dev/hda3 linux 3 gb Ext2

a lot of people will tell you to make multiple partitions for linux, such as making a seperate partition for /home, but seeing as you are starting out, i would suggest 3 gb as enough, and you dont need multiple partions (such as /usr /home)
if you dont understand what im saying, check out this NHF: http://www.linuxnewbie.org/nhf/intel/installation/partition/multi_partition.html


oh yea, make your swap about x2 the size of the amount of ram you have, but around 256 mb swap size max (dont quote me on this though, i think it depends on how hard you will work your computer)
for ex. 64mb ram = 128 mb swap file

[ 30 January 2002: Message edited by: PimpHolic ]

[scott_R]

As you're a newbie, I'd recommend that you treat linux like a new program. Try it out, give it a little space, then if you like it and are willing to give it a little more, go head and reinstall it with more space.

My rational for this is from my own experience. Although I am a full-time linux user, I was totally clueless at first. Although linux is much, much easier to install and use than it was when I started, it is still a different system from windows.

While much of it is the same, you'll probably find yourself looking for things in the wrong areas, changing the wrong files and other ways of messing up your system. Worrying about making linux a permantent installation at this point is like deciding what video game you like to play before you install it.

So, treat it as a toy, a learning experience, whatever. It takes time to get comfortable with linux, perhaps as much time as it took you to get comfortable with computers when you started using them. This isn't a bad thing, because although it can be frustrating, you are no longer at the mercy of someone else's "preferences" once you get there.

Being highly configurable is both a blessing and a curse, depending on how you look at it, just like something as simple as cooking. Microwave food isn't great, but if you put too much of the wrong ingredient in something homemade, you may long for that microwave dinner.

On the other hand, once you have a good idea of what and what not to do (mostly the latter), you'll avoid that "easy" software anytime you can. There will still be times you'll have to "eat" it (someone else's computer), but you'll find yourself wishing you were using your own personal system.

Expect to break linux. Hell, try to. Spend some time playing around with stuff, before you put anything important on it. It will be worth it if you ever have to fix it, and it will tell you more about your computer than Windows ever will. Also, if you learn how to recover (versus the MS mantra of "reinstall, reinstall"), you can save your own butt in the future.

For these reasons, I'd recommend partitioning 2-3 times the recommended install. That way it won't take too long, you can play with the installation process, have some space for downloaded apps, yet you still retain room for your other system, in case you need it as a backup. (I say it like that, because once you put a little effort into linux, you'll wonder how you ever let yourself pay for a bare-bones OS, bugs and all.)

Plan on, if you stick with it, reinstalling at a later date. Maybe because you'll mess something up (everyone does, even on windows), perhaps because you want a newer, or a different distro, whatever. By then you'll have a better idea of the amount of space you'll need, and perhaps, you'll even decide to send Windows to the showers.

For now, however, just load linux into a little area, and let it grow on you. :)

Anything above 2-3X your system memory runs the risk of bogging down your system, not to mention lost space on your drive. If you have a lot of memory on your system (300+ meg ram), you will probablay use very little on a desktop system, and you can probably get by with the same amount as your physical ram. Unless you usually run several dozen apps at the same time, of course.

Didn't think so... :)

[ 30 January 2002: Message edited by: scott_R ]

[bdl]

Usually you don't need anymore than 128MB swap, and in any case, when you install MDK it will give you an option for a 'default' installation, just point it at a harddrive and stand back. Personally, I would partition my Windows/Linux installations across two 10GB drives thusly:

/dev/hda1 Windows - 10GB

/dev/hdc1 Linux SWAP - 128MB
/dev/hdc2 Linux '/var' - 500MB
/dev/hdc3 Linux '/' - 8GB (plenty for any distro)
/dev/hdc4 FAT32 Partition - remainder of drive - share files between OS's the easy way.

You'll notice I have each drive on a master controller rather than as a slave, makes I/O throughput a little better.

It's always a good idea to have a separate '/var' partition for security's sake, that way someone can't fill up your root filesystem with logfiles by flooding your machine or otherwise. If you want, you can partition your Linux drive with one big extended partition filled with logical volumes, but I always tend to use the 4 primary partitions rather than doing that, just a habit I have to keep things simple. This is just a very basic example of a dual boot system, you can partition it several different ways depending on what you want to use your system for. For example, put your Windows install and your root filesystem on /dev/hda and the rest of the install on /dev/hdc - that way the drive access will be kept to a minimum and the system will respond a little faster, your drive doesnt have to thrash back and forth between SWAP, '/var' and the root filesystem to get things done. Hope any of this has been helpful (or indeed made any sense).

[Joogs]

Guys,

Thanks a lot for the info. Much appreciated. :D

Jen