Dual booting WindowsME and Mandrake. How to.

Baz_

Ok what I want basically is as the title says but I don't have a clean system and I don't want to lose my Windows setup, as I have installed quite a bit of stuff recently.

So is it possible (and I assume it is). How hard is it to do. What do I need to do it. How do I partition my drive (the biggest problem as I see it). etc...etc...

I'm sure there are many more probs, but these are the ones I thought of so has anyone got any advice.

Typedef

Ok in case you have non-moveable data at the end of your windows partition defrag your windows partition first right?

Once complete boot from Mandrake cd and then make sure you select the diskdrake righto?

Now once you are there use the diskdrake GUI to resize your windowz partition (handy huh?) and format your linux partitions ok?

Oh and once you have installed a bootloader etc, you will/should have to run scandisk in windowz so it realizez you have just resized it's partitions n stuff ok?

So like I say once you boot off of the Mandrake CD make sure you select the diskdrake ok, and then use that GUI to resize your windows partition and even let it auto-allocate the new partitions in the space you made right? All so if you are using a version newer than 7.1 format your linux partitions as reiserfs n stuff ok?
:cool: reiserfs :cool:
If you need lots of help why not try these guys
www.linuxnewbie.org
or
www.linuxjunior.org

Baz_

yeah i just read a website and read that I might have to get a CD with it on, which is a problem since I'm in Germany and I dont really want to install the German version, also I don't have a burner so I can't download and burn it, which is as my Italian friend says "a ****". I'll just have to see about getting my hands on a burner.

Is there no other way to do it.

Ta for the prompt reply

Baz_

Typedef

If you have band-width it may be worth your while getting mandrake or debian via ftp?

You could make a boot disk say, boot from the disk, mount windows partition and then install via the web or via stuff you have already downloaded from the web?

ftp.gigabell.net
Might be a good place to start

Baz_

anyway of getting a dumbed down version of the instructions, I'm a complete noob in this matter.

I mean I understand the whole making a boot disk thing and thats all really:p

Typedef

Ok if you do not have access to a Linux CD ROM and assuming you are using a winmodem, can I suggest you use
http://www.planetmirror.com/pub/peanut/Peanut-Linux-9.0/
Peanut linux until such time as you do get access to a cdrom or until you decide to stick with peanut linux?

And if you need to repartition then fips could be your man
but do remember to defrag your windows hdd first m-kay?
http://www.igd.fhg.de/~aschaefe/fips/fips20.zip

I had thought about maybe putting up some autrocious plan ot get debian but....

If you are so inclined I will mail you over a Mandrake 7.2, provided you send postage and packaging ok?

Baz_

ta for the offer but I do actually have bandwidth, as you said earlier.

whats fips.

now I know that this must be annoying answering all my questions, so I don't mind if you give me a link to a page with all the information on. Or if you're so inclined you could explain everything in one go instead of in bits and pieces. Sorry if this sounds angry its not meant to, it just makes sense.

Baz_

Typedef

Ermm just a note, attempting to download slakware and mounting the windows drive and installing may be a fair stretch away from the easy of use/install you could/are seeking with Mandrake, or just about any cd install would provide, ditto debian, that is why I would say again until you get access to a linux distro on a cd get something relatively small for the moment and stuff like peanut linux yes?

Right first off get fips and resize your windows partition making space for a linux one ok? If you have <=128mb ram then make I dunno two partitions one @ 2gb for root ok? and one @ 30mb for swap space right?

http://www.igd.fhg.de/~aschaefe/fips/fips20.zip
Ok so after defragging your windows partition use fips to resize it and then create 2 partitions as above ok?
Now leave the big partition as / or your root partition right?
The little one as swap m-kay?


Download these three floppy images yes?
http://http.us.debian.org/debian/dists/potato/main/disks-i386/current/images-1.44/rescue.bin
http://http.us.debian.org/debian/dists/potato/main/disks-i386/current/images-1.44/root.bin
http://http.us.debian.org/debian/dists/potato/main/disks-i386/current/linux
Use rawrite right or some other tool to write each of the above images straight to a floppy right?
Once you have finished booting the debian images above and depending on the sort of connection you may have an option to install from PPP or tftp, if so then you would probably be sorted at this stage yes?

What sort of broad-band are you using? ISDN,ADSL,Cable,Ethernet?
What I am saying is that you may or may not have a driver by the time you get these floppies boot yeah? That may be a problem. So your options become download all the files you need for a distrobution and mount the windows partition after you have booted from rescue floppies, in the event you don't have a driver for your internet connection in debian boot disks yes? This is why I say some small distrobution like peanut linux might suit until you get access to a cd?
If however you do have access to your internet connection from the debian boot disks, then you may have an option to install from tftp or PPP or LAN?
http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/ch-install-methods.en.html

I guess the only other real option to debian via the internet, or peanut linux via peanut linux install doc procedure is...

Use fips again right? Use same debian partitioning scheme as described above yes? When done back to windows and then maybe try this?
Make a dir c:\linux so that we can basically mirror the link below in the linux dir barring the directories I have specifically omitted yes?
get all the files from
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-8.0
bar pasture,contrib,isolinux,isos,sgiboot,source,
zipslack? You probably do not need bootdisk and rootdisk but get at least one file from each and write the two images to floppydisk ok?

Now boot with the boot and root disks yes?
Then once at the linux prompt say something like?
mkdir /windows
mount /dev/hda1 /windows
cd /windows/linux
setup?
From setup format the linux partitons we made the big one as / or root yes and the other as swap space and then try to tell the slack install where to look for files ie /windows/linux yes?

And try from there to point to the slakware dir to get all the relevant distro files, I may check that out for you now after I post and boot linux ok? Really even if I had the bandwidth making sure I had downloaded upwards of 300/400 files in any kind of contiguous order would be a serious pain in the butt yeah?
If I can list my own order of preferance for you.
1. Use the peanut linux link in my last post yea?
2. Let me send you a Mandrake CD just mail me your address cout@eircom.net
3. Try to mirror the slackware-8.0 dir with omissions specified make boot disks and run setup, if you are really determined and have the band-width??
4. Try the debian install, but IMHO the boot disks may not have the necessary drivers to get your network going?
Sorry if this seems vague but, if the debian install has no driver for internet connection the you are lumped with trying to mirror the slackware install above or using peanut linux ok?

Otherwise I would say, I dunno go to a cyber-cafe with a burner and get a drake iso?

Che Lives!

Baz_

May I just ask why you are being so patronising, Typedef.

Is it because I'm completely new to Unix and want to learn, and you think...well, I don't actually know what you could think about that. Sorry if my questions cause you any aggravation or anything, but I dont think anyone enjoys to read a post that has a question mark at the end of every line, and the either the word right, yes, ok, or most patronising of all m-kay. Thanks for your prompt replies, and your indepth help really was quite useful, but lay off on the attitude please, I don't deserve it, and you don't need to lower yourself to that level. Remember if you've nothing nice to say...

Cake Fiend

Well actually, I'm surprised to say, this is one of the first posts by Typedef I've read that didn't make him out to be an utter knob. I didn't (for once) find him patronizing, possibly apart from the 'right, ok', etc you mentioned. Otherwise his replies were unusually helpful and informative.

Have a look around for Linux Format magazine, they often have recent distros on the cover CD/DVD. As for localized versions - you can generally change the installation language at the beginning (Mandrake 8.1 even supports Irish Gaelic), so installing an English language version from a CD acquired in Germany shouldn't be a problem.

Baz_

Well perhaps thats because you're desensitised to him, but to me he sounded pretty patronising.

Typedef

Perhaps.
Hmm this reminds me of why I left Tech Support!

/Rant
If you don't have the expertise to get this working don't start berating me for trying to help you!
/Rant
Thank you call again!

Baz_

Well that's a very enlightened attitude there typedef, are you sure you left tech support.

The only things I berated you on was:
1. giving tiny pieces of info per post, which is not going to give anyone the expertise to get anything working.
2. being patronising, which was well deserving of a berating.

Typedef

Christ pal I've posted you what 7 links?
You have an ethernet connection in college (or was that another Baz_) posting on the Technology board? Either way if you do have an ethernet connection and you feel suitably un-patronized, then why don't you give the debian download a shot? It may be difficult (not to mention time-consuming) and if I were you I might just find myself a nice little cybr-cafe to do the deed of burning a drake ISO.
But if you are comfortable in doing the debian thing with the 3 floppy images I didn't have to post for you then good for you pal and more power to you, really.

Otherwise why not just install peanut linux until you can get your hands on a cd, as it's not like I just picked the name, you know it is meant to support 3D Hardware and be pretty user friendly despite its size you know?

Now if you think that is patronizing then really that is your problem pal not mine m-kay?

Baz_

okay everything but the last line was unpatronising, muchos improvemento:D

Can you update Mandrake, once you have it installed, I think I have version seven or six or summat, so if I installed that, would it then be okay to update????

Oh yeah I genuinely am sorry I pissed you off, but patronising people and ignorant people just do that to me (drive me mad), but I do remember thanking you on one occasion, and if you don't remember, here it is again:

Thanks typedef, the info you have given should be more than enough to get a linux distro going, and when(if) I get it going my first post from linux will be to thank you for your help.