Hi there,
There are so many programs that I can not run on OpenSUSE so I want to install Windows XP as well. How can I install XP on my openSUSE 11.0 DELL Vostro 1400 System so that I have a dual boot system ? I have one harddrive with 150GB. Do I have to use partition manager ? Is it complicated ? I still have windows XP recovery CDs from DELL.
Is the Dell recovery disk the type that install windows in the normal fashion into a partition – or is it the type that writes an image (much like Ghost imaging) back to the hard drive, obliterating what’s already on there (like openSUSE)?
The recovery disk is of the first option. It will install in the normal fashion into a partition ! BTW, I do not know GRUB or LILO so step by step instructions will be appreciated. Thanks
That’s great. The first thing now is to reorganize your partitions so room is made up front on the drive for windows. So please show me your existing partitioning by executing these two commands in a maximised console window and then using mouse & copy/paste to post the whole dialogue back here:
sudo /sbin/fdisk -l | grep GB
sudo /sbin/sfdisk -uM -l
From that we should be able to devise a strategy for manipulating the partitions.
Hi thanks for prompt replies. Here are the answers…
sudo /sbin/fdisk -l | grep GB ----> 160GB
sudo /sbin/sfdisk -uM -l ------>
Disk /dev/sda:19457 cylinders, 255 heads, 63 sectors/track
Units = mebibytes of 1048576 bytes, blocks of 1024 bytes counting from 0
Device Boot Start End MiB #blocks id System
/dev/sda1 * 0+ 146718- 146719- 150239848+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 146714+ 152625- 5907- 6048472+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda3 0 - 0 0 0 Empty
/dev/sda3 0 - 0 0 0 Empty
/dev/sda5 146718+ 152625- 5907- 6048441 82 Linux swap / solaris
Hopefully this helps 
That’s quite an interesting arrangement.
Total 160 GB
The root partition includes the /home files (there being no separate partition for /home).
The root_+_home partition (sda1) has 90% of the drive space at 150Gb.
That’s followed by an extended partition of 6Gb that wraps/contains three logical partitions.
The first two of those logical partitions are zero-length failed partitions.
The final/third logical partition is an unusually large swap partition (6Gb).
All in all I have to say that your partitioning during the installation of openSUSE went badly wrong. Major surgery is indicated if you want to install windows. In fact major surgery would be needed to do practically anything in the future related to rearranging or rationalising your storage.
If you’ve just installed Suse, it might be worth thinking about doing it again, and putting windows on the first partition, then Linux. Does that suggestion make you groan?
I think i’m going to go back to Windows. Thanks for your help. I’ll use SUSE May be in future when I have time
Good luck.