rmiller67
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Installing Linux for dual-boot with Win 95
I have a Sony Computer PCV-220 running Windows 95 and am trying to install Linux 6.5 which includes a version of Partition Magic to divide the hard drive for dual booting. But the Partition Magic isn't workin it starts and gets about 58% done and stops, is it supposed to do this? I am lost totally, what should I do?
ASKER
Its Linux- Mandrake 6.5
Its PM 4.0 but not a full version, came on the Linux discs
I am not exactly sure what's it doing but there are two horizontal graphical bars an upper which says current process and lower says clearing truncated partition and also a time elapsed clock
The upper stops at 58% and the lower at 99% and the time elapsed clock stops too. My mouse arrow doesnt move, the system just sits there no movement from the drive either
This is how I know its failed. All I can do to get my system back is hit alt-ctrl-del at the same time and my puter reboots with no changes of any sort.
During the time it is workin I can hear my hard drive and its light going.
There are no error messages of any sort.
My harddrive is 6.4 gig and I have 4.27 gig free space.
Now my computer came system recoverey CDs would or could they affect it somehow, making it difficult to partition the drive etc?
Its PM 4.0 but not a full version, came on the Linux discs
I am not exactly sure what's it doing but there are two horizontal graphical bars an upper which says current process and lower says clearing truncated partition and also a time elapsed clock
The upper stops at 58% and the lower at 99% and the time elapsed clock stops too. My mouse arrow doesnt move, the system just sits there no movement from the drive either
This is how I know its failed. All I can do to get my system back is hit alt-ctrl-del at the same time and my puter reboots with no changes of any sort.
During the time it is workin I can hear my hard drive and its light going.
There are no error messages of any sort.
My harddrive is 6.4 gig and I have 4.27 gig free space.
Now my computer came system recoverey CDs would or could they affect it somehow, making it difficult to partition the drive etc?
Use "fdisk" in Linux to make partitions, not Partition Magic...when you innstall Linux Mandrake! I never use PM first to make partitions, and then install on the native systems.
Then under the innstallation, choose LILO to be the BOOT-loader! Then you can multiboot your computer.
If there was some troublle eith this, make a comment here...then we'll see!
Then under the innstallation, choose LILO to be the BOOT-loader! Then you can multiboot your computer.
If there was some troublle eith this, make a comment here...then we'll see!
easy but a little long process
1. back up all your data you want off the win95 disk.
2. run dos fdisk and remove all partitions
3. using dos fdisk, make one dos primary partition and format it for win95
4. install win95
5. run linux setup
6. linux fdisk, create your needed partitions
7. install linux and choose lilo as the boot loader
i have not had good experience with pqmagic and bootmagic. use lilo!
1. back up all your data you want off the win95 disk.
2. run dos fdisk and remove all partitions
3. using dos fdisk, make one dos primary partition and format it for win95
4. install win95
5. run linux setup
6. linux fdisk, create your needed partitions
7. install linux and choose lilo as the boot loader
i have not had good experience with pqmagic and bootmagic. use lilo!
The back-up idea is good, but there's a missing detail. Linux should be installed first, to make sure it gets the first partition. This avoids lots of problems.
Another solution would be having two hard-drives, one for each system.
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Another solution would be having two hard-drives, one for each system.
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you should use fips
fips is the simpilest program for seperating your harddrive into 2 partitions
if it isnt on your linux cd it should be at ftp.cdrom.com
format a dos floppy and put all the system files from the root directory on it (C:\) and add fips.exe and restorrb.exe.
run scandisk then defrag
then reboot with the newly made bootable floppy in the drive that has fips.exe and restorrb.exe on it
when your system has rebooted run fips
and it should run though then chosse how large you would like the new partition to be
let it run through
reboot your system into windows
scandisk and defag both paftitions
reboot run linux setup
delete the new partition and make the new linux ones eg. /, /usr, /tmp, /var and swap
finish the installation
and if you dont like what you did if you chosse to have a backup of your drives partition table in the floppy just run restorrb.exe and it will return your partition table to its old boring windows operating system.
fips is the simpilest program for seperating your harddrive into 2 partitions
if it isnt on your linux cd it should be at ftp.cdrom.com
format a dos floppy and put all the system files from the root directory on it (C:\) and add fips.exe and restorrb.exe.
run scandisk then defrag
then reboot with the newly made bootable floppy in the drive that has fips.exe and restorrb.exe on it
when your system has rebooted run fips
and it should run though then chosse how large you would like the new partition to be
let it run through
reboot your system into windows
scandisk and defag both paftitions
reboot run linux setup
delete the new partition and make the new linux ones eg. /, /usr, /tmp, /var and swap
finish the installation
and if you dont like what you did if you chosse to have a backup of your drives partition table in the floppy just run restorrb.exe and it will return your partition table to its old boring windows operating system.
ASKER
But the book says not to use FIPS if you have another OS. What about Disk Druid?
diskdruid cant split partitions
fips can so can partion magic but you said it frezzes on you fips is the best bet it worked for me on both my dualboot machines (one is redhat 6.0 same as the mandrake distro and the other is SuSE 6.2)
fips can so can partion magic but you said it frezzes on you fips is the best bet it worked for me on both my dualboot machines (one is redhat 6.0 same as the mandrake distro and the other is SuSE 6.2)
i did use partition magic to set my hard disk. First of all u need to make an empty partition with nothin in it, put like 2 gig if you can. Then apply the changes and it is suppose to reboot in DOS, it will apply the changes. If it still jamming then make a backup of your files and format your disk, reinstall your original OS and retry to partition your disk. I fit doesnt jam, then install you Linux OS and create the Native and SWAP partition with your disk Druide, you need to go with disk Druide it works better. You create those two partitions and there you go the installation of Linux will go on.
In a time when I still cared about Winblows, I used Partition Magic to resize / move my old Winblows partition to create more room for Linux and it worked just perfectly. But if Partition Magic is locking up for you, you should consider:
1) Giving FIPS a try;
2) Getting a separate HD for Linux;
Good luck!
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1) Giving FIPS a try;
2) Getting a separate HD for Linux;
Good luck!
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Ok, but this means he would have to destroy his current Windows installation. And also note that if the oportunity is given, you should always install Linux first, Windows after.
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Then he have to boot linux in an other way, just re-configure LILO, so he can dual boot again!
Isn't that a little bit harder?
- Ørjan -
Isn't that a little bit harder?
- Ørjan -
Depends on the Winblows version he's using.
Yes, it's harder... But it's also the good way of doing things right.
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Yes, it's harder... But it's also the good way of doing things right.
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Look at on top of this page, there he says: "I have a Sony Computer PCV-220 running Windows 95 and am trying to install Linux 6.5 ..."
Not in Windows 95!
:-) Ørjan
Not in Windows 95!
:-) Ørjan
Wrong, only Windows 98 crashes Linux installations.
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What distribution of Linux are you using? (i.e. what brand)
What is PM trying to do? Is it moving partitions, formatting, etc? What is it doing when it stops? If they any error message? How do you know it has failed?
How big is your drive? How much free space is available?
J Crouchet