Linux Hard Drive Format

Yeah... I use PM to resize Windoze partitions, and let the Linux installer do the rest. SuSE, Mandrake, and Fedora all have good partitioners, and while I'm partial to SuSE, I think Mandrake's partitioner is the easiest for n00bs (because it also has a nice pie graph listing of your HD, as well as other cool features).

~~ Andrew D.
linuxnoob@wi.rr.com

Originally posted by andrewd18@Nov 18 2004, 05:29
Yeah... I use PM to resize Windoze partitions, and let the Linux installer do the rest. SuSE, Mandrake, and Fedora all have good partitioners, and while I'm partial to SuSE, I think Mandrake's partitioner is the easiest for n00bs (because it also has a nice pie graph listing of your HD, as well as other cool features).

~~ Andrew D.
linuxnoob@wi.rr.com

I agree with easy Mandrake graphic paritioner. I have installed Drake many times, and this week when I was going to install SuSe on an old machine, trying to learn something to help with modem problem, I realized I had two partitions for linux, / and /home, and I have learned it is better to have only one partition if you have limited space.

When I started to use SuSe partitioner, it started asking me all sorts of questions about primary and extended and logical partions. I finally turned off the switch, dug out my old Drake 9.1 CD, and easily and happily made it into one big partition plus a swap partition. It's even color coded, sort of like falling off a log.

When it was done and started selecting packages, I hit the switch and shoved in the SuSe CD and let it accept the partitions I had made with Drake CD.

I think it has to be later than Drake 9.0 to partition XP NTFS stuff. But, as long as they use the same file technology, the Drake CD is usable with no intent to use Drake as such, and noticeably cheaper than buying expensive utilities.

Quote:

" DO NOT use Partition Magic to install SuSE, it doesn't work. It will just currupt your installation and all other partitions on that hard drive, that happened to me the first I installed linux a couple months ago. "

Unquote.

I don't understand, why the beef with Partition Magic???

I've been using it since early 1995 and it has never borked up my system not even once.... ( I use it a lot !! ) You just have to make sure the version that you are running supports the file system that you are manipulating. The latest version doesn't support Reiser FS, but Paragon Hard Disk Manager does.

Maybe I am just extraordinarily lucky, or maybe ????

mandrake

Linux System Rescue CD

If you want to partition your hard drive prior to installing anything, I highly recommend the URL above...QtParted, part of this rescue CD, is a PM linux clone and works flawlessly w/ SuSE installs.

If you want to use Partition Magic, feel free to do so, but only use it to resize a Windows partition to make space for your Linux partitions. Do not create Linux partitions with it. They usually will not work. Linux will claim that they are corrupt. Just free up space with Partition Magic and use Linux to create all the new partitions. You will be much better off.

This might be helpful determining what type of filesystem you want to use:
http://mandrakeusers.org/index.php?showtopic=6388&hl=

Myself, I use ReiserFS (SuSe uses it standard too)