i am using xp and want to install suse along with it (dual boot)
i am completely new to installing suse
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i have only 40GB HD out of which 20 GB for C: and D: drive
c: drive have only 5GB free whereas d: has 15-17GB free
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so i wanted to install suse in d: drive but dont know how to do that
i read installation tut over internet and read that open suse is intelligent enough that it will give u correct suggestion regarding partitioning , so u dont have to worry
**but when i boot from cd and went to installation , everything was fine
it suggested me about partitioning ( compress 17.3 GB and suse 3.7 GB etc etc which i dont remember )
so i clicked ok and it stated installing and during that partitioning stage may be an error came in a window and then it took me back to first step .
**
so what do i do to install suse on d: drive and along with xp (dual boot)
That you don’t actually know what you are doing, it’s important you backp important data from your windows install, assuming it still actually works.
You need to use custom partitioning
Create a large extended partition with all the free space you can muster up and then create your required partitions within the extended
You need
swap
/ (root)
/home
Whatever free space you have, create an extended partition to fill it all
An extended partition is like a container, you put logical partitions inside it.
create these partitions, they are inside the extended
I think the OP is lost. He equates Windows Drive letters to partitions. Ands is totally confused.
Ok here is how it works. If you have a drive that is say 40gig and Windows shows to drive letters. What you are seeing is really two partitions each of 20gig. Windows names them C and D. You can not install Linux on a windows partition (ok you can but it always ends in pain and is hard). So what you need to do is move all the stuff on the D drive to the c: drive wipe the D drive (partition) so there is no longer a partition there. Now you have free space in which to install Linux.
Linux will create two or more new partitions. One will be a small one for swap this is normally 1 to 2 times memory. Then there will be one for root. Suse by default creates a third called home. By having /home on a its own partition all you personal data is safe in case you decide to changes distribution (distros) or upgrade. But since you have such small space it is probably better to go with a single root and forget about a seperate home partition.
The fact that you only have a 40 gig drive raises the question about the rest of your system. You really need more then 256 meg to install and run a full blown GUI Linux in todays world. Also I would recommend at lest a 1ghz processor. If you system can not manage that you should look at a lighter distro like Puppy or DSL linux.
@gogalthorp
Raises some pertinent points, it did occur to me that your 40GB HD might mean you have a low spec computer. Perhaps you should confirm this.
Did you take my advice and backup?
Do you have a XP install CD? You might need it if you mess things up. You really must understand what you are doing. Installing a Linux operating system is NOT like installing windows which assumes everyone is as intelligent as a door post. Linux is a highly configurable and advanced operating system requiring user knowledge.
Raises some pertinent points, it did occur to me that your 40GB HD might mean you have a low spec computer. Perhaps you should confirm this.
well i have P4, 2.4GHZ, 1 GB RAM , 112 MB gfx card
i suppose this is sufficient enough
i had installed ubuntu before but that was "install inside windows " option , so very easy
but this time i decided to install suse as independent OS
What you are seeing is really two partitions each of 20gig. Windows names them C and D. You can not install Linux on a windows partition (ok you can but it always ends in pain and is hard)
firstly thx for explaining clearly ( though i knew it) but i repeatedly mentioned that i want to install on d: drive as i did not wanted to disturb c: drive part , so i thought there might be a way
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finally, i want to know the settings i should enter during partitioning stage
initially caf4926 said these config:
swap 1GB
root 8GB
/home (all that remains)
later he said make it extended
and now goglthrop said
"But since you have such small space it is probably better to go with a single root and forget about a seperate home partition.
"
**
There is no right way. Personally I like to have a separate home partition but when space is tight it may be better to just have the root and not have the home. Note you will still have a /home directory it just won’t be on it’s own partition. Also it depends on how you plan to use it. If it is going to be you main OS then you should have a separate home because you will probably collect data that is important. But if you are just playing with it or doing it as a learning exorcise and use Windows as your main you really don’t need a separate home. It is totally up to you. I think with only 20 gig it is a little tight for a serious desktop.
good news is that i am writing this post from suse 11.2 finally
though i dont understand that why am i able to see and acess my windows drive and files from suse… if suse is independent OS then how can it access m windows cCC: and d: drive
also if i want to uninstall suse and want that this space used by suse should go go back to my xp d: drive … what should i do
elvispark wrote:
> good news is that i am writing this post from suse 11.2 finally
congratulations!
> though i dont understand that why am i able to see and acess my windows
> drive and files from suse… if suse is independent OS then how can it
> access m windows cCC: and d: drive
sure, it is an independent OS, but it is smart enough to be able to
see and read everything on every hard drive connected to the machine
which it has permission to read…even those connected via the
internet
> also if i want to uninstall suse and want that this space used by suse
> should go go back to my xp d: drive … what should i do
you should use openSUSE long enough to make a rational decision to
either dual boot or move entirely to Linux (except maybe for
games…Redmond makes pretty good game systems, while Linux is great
for scientific, industrial, school and enterprise needs)…
> also ii should that suse is FANTASTIC
fantastic and free…free as in free to choose the way YOU want it…
> also if i want to uninstall suse and want that this space used by suse
> should go go back to my xp d: drive … what should i do
you should use openSUSE long enough to make a rational decision to
either dual boot or move entirely to Linux (except maybe for
games…Redmond makes pretty good game systems, while Linux is great
for scientific, industrial, school and enterprise needs)…
i completely agree but would still want to know how do i delete suse and give that space back to xp d: drive( as i have currently gave suse very less space as i was testing it … so i might unistall it from my PC & install it on my laptop.
You need to run the fixmbr from the xp cd
then use the disk management in xp to grab back the space
i read online about how to do fixmbr which would delete my linux partition and reinstall boot part from xp cd … but will it give my space back to d : drive
also pls explain more about “disk management in xp” part
finally