[tubamaiden]

Hi, I'm Tracy, and I'm new here..... and at most everything.....which is probably why I'm having this little situation right now ^_^

Ok, so I had XP on my comp and decided I wanted to also have linux on my comp to learn how it worked. So I got Linux 8.0, partitioned my hard drive, and installed Linux. But then I couldn't get to windows, even thought I thought I should be able to dual boot, but there was no such way of doing so. I had a little help come in and we figured out it wasn't a Fat32 partition windows was on, and that linux wasn't compatible, or something like that, with non-fat32 partitons...of course ..... So now, unless there's a way to save the stuff I had on the windows partition, I'm starting over, which is ok, because there wasn't anything desperately important on it, but still, you know, I had it all ....mine.....

So now I have no clue what to do or start with and the only thing that I can get into is Linux and it's still very foreign to me, so it doesn't help much

I think I should probably make the new windows partition Fat32, so that I CAN install linux....right?

Can anyone give me hints....or gigantic clues....as to make this work?

Thanks ^_^

-Tracy

 

[DJ Specs]

Im no Linux dude, but if you dont mind starting over again.. I would just reformat the whole drive Fat32. Then install windows, then Linux. It should be all good after that.. But I'm open for comments.

By the way, welcome to the forums, We hope you stay, and have some fun too.

 

[tubamaiden]

do you know anywhere that would take me step by step on how to do that? I seriously have no idea.

Thanks for the welcome!!!

this is a pretty cool place, I think I'll stay for a while..... ^_^

-Tracy

 

[DJ Specs]

Try this Microsoft set of instructions HERE!
Though this is not what your looking for, its a good background anyway, you may want to check it out. As for doing it with Linux... I'm not sure.. wheres our Linux dude?? He will help you as soon as he see's this.

 

[twas]

Hi Tubamaiden and welcome to TSF, aka "Scatter Brains R Us"

Which "Flavor" and Version of Linux are you going to install??

Mandrake
Red Hat
SuSe
Lindows, etc .....

This info. will allow us to do a better job of helping you.

:ufo:

twas

 

[SPEEDO]

Hello tubamaiden and welcome to Tech Support Forums.........

OK here is what you need to do.

First go here <http://www.drd.dyndns.org/index2.html> and download the Win98 boot disk.

Win98 is FAT32.

Boot to this new boot disk.

Select boot with no CD Rom support.

At the A:> Prompt Type fdisk /mbr then Enter this will be quick.

Then you will be back at the A:> Prompt

At the A:> prompt type fdisk, When the prompt comes up about large disk support select yes.

Then select option 3 Enter

Select option 1 Enter

Select Yes

Type in the Volume Label if there is one and hit enter.

Are you sure Yes.

Esc.

Select 1

Select Yes

Esc

Reboot

Now you need to Format.

Boot to the floppy without CD-Rom support.

At the A prompt type format c:/s

Select yes

When it's finished you can enter a volume label such as hard drive or you can leave it blank.

Now boot to the bios by hitting the delete key when prompted.

You need to find the boot sequence or boot order in one of the bios pages. When you find it change it to boot to CD-Rom first and IDE0 or Hard Drive second. Insert the WinXP CD now.

Save to bios and reboot. Press the space bar when it prompts you to boot from CD if it shows up.

Now install XP. When it asks you if you want to install to the current partition select yes so that it will be FAT32.

When you are finished we will take on the Linux part.

You will need all of the drivers for any cards installed if XP doesn't install them.

Oh! which distro of Linux do you have?

 

[tubamaiden]

Wow! thanks guys, I'll print that out and go try it i guess

I have SuSE Linux 8.0

-Tracy

 

[TheTechIsIn]

Quick question, do you have 2 HDs?

Because if not and you allocate all the drive to WinXP, when you go to install Linux you're gonna be screwed unless you have partition resizing software like Partition Magic..

 

[tubamaiden]

maybe I'm one of those computerly challenged people, but gee, I can barely get past the first line there (download the Win98 boot disk). I thought I did, but then I got to the third line (boot to this new boot disk) and got stuck again, so....well, I'm not sure which file to download....and then I don't know how to boot from a diskette.....it keeps saying to take out the diskette.....so, um, lol, sorry. Like I said, I'm pretty illiterate.

-Tracy

 

[tubamaiden]

Sorry, TheTechIsIn posted the same time I did ^_^

Well, I have only hard drive (40 gigs) and I used Partition Magic to split it into two and used the Linux setting it said to.

-Tracy

 

[TheTechIsIn]

Ok so you have 2 partitions good.

Now whats the problem exactly the bootmenu that Linux wrote no longer allows you to get to Xp?

What does the bootscreen say?

Does it make any reference to lilo or is it graphical?

 

[tubamaiden]

There's no mention to lilo at all. It doesn't even say there's another sysem anywhere on it, but I know that I installed it onto the correct partition cause it's the same size as the space I set aside for it. It's like window is in hiding (must be scared of Penguins). I think my dad got windows to start to run through round about ways, but it really doesn't like it and won't get throught the boot process.

 

[TheTechIsIn]

Ok, see what I'm getting @ is your XP install might still be on there in perfect working order, the boot loader that Linux installed may simply not have listed Windows in the load choices..

You said in you first post that Windows wasn't Fat32 ... it was most likely NTFS which Linux cant read when your in Linux ... but doesn't mean you cant have two OS's on the drive at once. Only that neither OS can work with or utilize the space in the others partition.

ie: Linux can use its space, but wont stray into Windows yard and vise Vera,

If you don't want to reinstall windows we can work on trying to get it to be recognized again ...

Or if you just want to cut bait, we can blank the hole drive, again split it in two and install both Os's again. Let me know what you want to do.

 

[tubamaiden]

Well, I'd have to say that the fish I currently have isn't quite as appealing as what I could get. Let's just cut bait and hope for the best. Clean slate. Plus, I'd like to be able to have the two OS's coincide in peace. I'll have enough future probems as it is

Thanks ^_^

-Tracy

 

[TheTechIsIn]

Ok,

Step 1)

Put in WinXp disk, when it asks if you want to install or upgrade choose install.

At some point your brought to a screen that asks which partition you want to install XP on, it also displays the current partitions.

There will be an option on the screen to delete the currently highlighted partition, delete all partitions listed until the only thing in the box is the size of you drive and the words "Unpartitioned Space" next select that unpartitioned space and select half the drive as its size, this leaves the other half un-used for the Linux install.

Windows XP will install, once thats complete let me know.

 

[tubamaiden]

Will this work if I just have a recovery CD? Are they the same thing? Windows came with the comp....

-Tracy

 

[SPEEDO]

When I have done dual boots with Linux before thats all I did was load Windows and then load Linux.

Linux gives you the option of selecting how much of the drive you want to use for the Linux partition.

 

[tubamaiden]

wow, I'd have to say I've learned more about WinXP and Linix and recovery CD's and such in the past hour then ever.

I found a site where a person was complainingn about the same problem and, boy, was there a lot of replys.
http://newsforge.com/newsforge/02/05/27/0334227.shtml?tid=23

Anyway, it seems like, from what I can tell, you can load XP and Linux by making two partitions, installing XP, then Linux. But the controversy is that to do that, you need to have a way to install XP on to a partition. Many computers come with only a Recovery CD that, as it says, recovers your computer to the exact way it came from the factory, erasing any and all partitions and making everything for XP. So, if you only have a recovery CD, you either have to hack the CD to only install XP or buy a retail XP. That's basically the jist of what I got from it.

Now of course I only have a recovery CD, so I don't know if I have to have one OS or the other, or if there's yet another way around this.

Gosh, I didn't think it'd get so complicated.....

-Tracy

 

[TheTechIsIn]

well if you have partition magic, just let the restore disk do its thing, and then load Partition magic onto your XP install and shrink the XP partition to half the drive.

Leaving half empty for Linux.

 

[tubamaiden]

But see, I don't get it. That's what I did the first time.