Dual Boot

[Matt G]

Ok i want to make a dual Boto machine a Linux distro, and windows 98se. Windows for the family, linux for me. How would i go abouts doing this? I install linux first? or windows first?

Thanks.

[MandK_10]

There are plenty of posts that can help here as well as NHF, but here goes.

My personal opinion is that you need Partition Magic. Install windows, install PM and use it to make your linux partitions, then install linux.

Barring that, start with nothing, use your windows setup disk to fdisk your drive. Make a partition for windows and leave space for linux. after you install windows, install linux which will have a program called Disk Druid that will allow you to format for linux.

These two ways are probably the easiest in my personal opinion.

Just as a side note a standard linux install will use about 1.5 to 2.0 gig which gives you a lot of programs to play with. This will give you an idea of how much room to leave for linux. Unless you have a huge drive, I would say 5 gig would be plenty.

Mike

[Tyr-7BE]

Check out http://www.linuxdoc.org/

tonnes on this

[j.harrison]

I don't know what distro you're looking at, but I've got Mandrake 8.0 dual booted on two machines. I've got it with Win98 SE at work & WinME at home.

I had Windows already on both machines. I just booted up with the Mandrake install CD and DrakX did all of the partition work for me. All I had to tell it was how large of a Linux partition it should create from the free space in the existing Windows partition. No muss, no fuss.

I've installed every Windows version out there, and the Drake 8 install was quicker, and just as easy. If this is your first time with Linux, I say go with the Drake. It makes Linux easy on the newbies.

For more on Drake 8's install go

here. (http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/demos/Demo)

Good luck and Good Linux! :cool:

[Matt G]

Thanks for the replies guys, this isnt my first time with Linux, ive played with RH 6.2, but it was propietary, so all i wanted was linux. Ill give this a go, only problem is its only a 3 gig drive. So im thinking, leave as minimal for windows as possible, little Download space for the family, and rest will be mine to play with and set up gaming server for a LAN party next week. So install windows first, leave space for linux, boot with linux CD, use DD to make linux partition, and go from there, Problem is, i got to 92% of Mandrake 8.0 ISO file off Linuxiso.org, and now it wont resume right :( So, i need to restart it, ill go with Drake i think. I hear its a good all around way to start. Thanks!

[MandK_10]

Drake probably is a good way to start. I would start with custom install and then only choose what you need. The install program will tell you how much space you are going to use. If you have problems with Mandrake try RH. I have 7.1 on my main machine and it installed flawlessly, I have 6.2 on an older machine and it also went off without a hitch. The 6.2 machine has 2.5Gig available and the RH install is only using about 1gig.

Mike