Formatting my HD

[Penguin Stew]

I've made a decision to format my HD. I've backed up all my important stuff on CD-Rs.

I have the Linux Installation CDs and the boot disk.

How should go ahead and format my HD for Linux?

[FoBoT]

guess i need to read better :o

the install process of almost all distros includes formatting of the drive, so if you just start the install either from the cdrom or boot floppy disk, it will walk you through it

[ 17 August 2001: Message edited by: FoBoT ]

[Nick Wilson]

Hi
Check out disk 1 of the distro you've got. look for the readmes on installetin!

good luck


nick

[bdl]

Do you mean 'how do I partition the drive so Linux and Windows share it'?? If so, you want to either do one of the following things:

1) Find and use the 'fips' application, squishing your current Windows partition into a smaller space so you can make room for Linux.

2) Get the utility 'Partition Magic' and do the same thing, only easier.

3) Wipe the drive clean, create a smaller partition for Windows, then reinstall Win, then run the Linux install and create partitions for that during it's own install.

4) Get and install a version of Linux that can be run in 'UMSDOS' mode, like Bigslack (http://www.slackware.com/zipslack). You don't even have to repartition the drive, Linux will live inside your existing Windows partition.


An example for partitioning a dual-boot system would look like this:

Let's say you have a 10GB drive -

primary: /dev/hda1 Windows - 5GB
primary: /dev/hda2 Linux '/' (root) - 4GB
primary: /dev/hda3 Swap - 128MB
primary: /dev/hda4 Linux '/var' - 500MB

It's not as difficult as it seems, and you're definitely going to learn something in the process. Have fun!

[ 17 August 2001: Message edited by: bdl ]