LiveCD Installer Trying to Delete EISA Partition

[rks171]

Hello,

Firstly, I've never used Linux before, but have to now for a new research project. I'm trying to install it on my machine along side XP. I originally had a XP/Vista dual boot setup, but I blew off Vista, reformatted the HD, and installed XP thinking that would solve my problem (plus I didn't really need Vista), but it didn't. Anyways, my problem is that when I boot to LiveCD, run the installer, and get to the section about partitioning, YaST wants to:

'Delete partition /dev/sdb1 (9.77 GB)' (my EISA partition) and

'Delete Windows partition /dev/sdb2 (48.83 GB). Resize impossible due to inconsistent fs. Try checking fs under Windows.'

I already ran dskchk /f in windows and it didn't fix the error. I tried manually creating the partition setup, but then I get an error saying that my /boot partition is after cylinder 1024 and that my BIOS won't support that.

So what do I have to do here to install OpenSUSE 11.1 alongside my already installed version of XP and not delete my EISA partition?

BTW, I ran fdisk -l in the LiveCD app, but I can't copy/paste the results here because the computer isn't hooked up to the internet. Is there any way I could get it connected to the internet in the LiveCD app? I'm on a network here in my office, so I would have to manually enter the IP address, DNS server, subnet mask.

Thanks a ton if anybody can help me with this,
I'm going on 2 days working on this problem now

[caf4926]

When using the live cd, Try pressing print screen when you have the fdisk -l

It will take a screen shot. save the file to a usb drive and post the image on imagebam.com
Then link us to it by posting the BB code imagebam gives you

[rks171]

[caf4926]

Try and explain to us what is on sda
and sdb

What is EISA Partition?
OK sorry I just G'd it:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=EIS...ient=firefox-a

[caf4926]

The installer is working with sdb not sda

again explain what is on the two HD's

[rks171]

sda is an extra hard disk that was laying around my office. I threw it in the computer to back up my files on. sdb is the the hard drive xp and my EISA are installed on and it is the hard drive I want to put openSUSE on, as you mentioned.

[caf4926]

So what are all the linux partitions in sdb? 5,6,7,8

[rks171]

They're from a previous install of openSUSE. I created my own partition setup, but when I got to the install portion, a slew of errors popped up. I guess it set up the partitions, but I couldn't boot openSUSE. Windows XP started after restart instead of going to the GRUB bootloader. I'm not sure if the problem was with me not mounting the windows partition or if it was because the /boot partition was after cylinder 1024.

[caf4926]

OK. So assuming you don't need anything in the old Linux partitions. This what to do.

You see sdb5,6,7,8
They all reside inside sdb3 (The extended partition.)

Delete sdb5,6,7,8. This you do by following this route at install:
At this page choose: http://files.myopera.com/carl4926/albums/671478/8.png
Partition Based/Create Partition setup.

At the next screen: http://files.myopera.com/carl4926/albums/671478/9.png
Choose Custom Partitioning

This will take you here: http://files.myopera.com/carl4926/albums/671478/13.png
Where you can see your disks. And work down the tree of sdb on the left, select each of the partitions and delete.

Then create 3 New Partitions within sdb3
/ (root) allow 15GB
swap (2GB)
/home (all the rest)

Then just make sure you set grub to MBR as shown here: http://files.myopera.com/carl4926/albums/671478/19.png
You get here from the install summary screen and click on the 'Booting' title.

[rks171]

Okay, thanks, I'll try that. However, is it necessary for me to 'mount' the partitions containing windows and my backed up files so that I could access them in SUSE? If so, how would I do this?