Linux Redhat 7.1 Partitioning error

Yes. You need to make at least one partition that lies entirely inside the first 1024 cylinders of the disk so Linux can boot.
Normally, I do as follow;
Make a 7.5GB partition for Windows with DOS fdisk, install windows and make sure it works fine etc. ( NOTE! Don't touch the rest of the disk, just make a 7.5GB partition and leave the rest as is).
Now start Linux install. Make a /boot partition of approx 20MB ( If you plan to compile alot of kernels, you should provide approx 1MB for each kernel, so 20MB should be more than enough for the average Joe with 2 or 3 kernels). Now make a SWAP partition of approx 2x physical RAM, and then a / (root) partition of the desired size. Again, if you still have space left, just leave it, If you need more space for extra partitions for NT, you can add it while in NT with the Disk Manager tool. Same for extra Linux partitions. Use fdisk from inside Linux to add more partitions and mkfs to format them.

Just note one more thing at this point.
It might be worth your while to read the HOWTO on NT's bootloader.
I think you can find it at www.linuxdoc.org in the HOWTO or mini-HOWTO section.

then to create a partition at the start i would need to moe the windows partition. that would destroy windows and all the files. I would have to format and all that garbage

Well, if you already have a windows partition that covers more than 8GB, yes, you would have to re-partition, OR, you can try using the utility called fips that is on the RedHAt CD under the dosutils folder. It shrinks yyour current partition by removing the free space from it.
Note, it will only work for FAT/32 partitions, NOT for NTFS and you should first run a full defrag with the "consolidate free space" option before running fips.
You should also make backups...

PS, theres alot of buzz around the latest LILO apparently being able to work past the 1024 cylinders, but unfortunately, I have no 1st hand experience. If you really want to, you can try the following.
Ignore the previous comment about fips and just carry on with Linux install. You still need to follow the /boot (20MB) instruction, and you should see that Linux will now continue with install even though the /boot folder is not inside 1024 cylinders. Just do the rest as normal and create a boot floppy. LILO is *SUPPOSED* to make the corrections for the 1024 cylinders itself, but if not, you will need to use the bootfloppy to boot and make the changes to /etc/lilo.conf yourself. You should read up on LILO to find out exactly what those changes should be.

Its a warning not an error. If you want to have you boot partition past the first 1024 cil then just use a boot disk to get in to linux then:

(1) Edit lilo.conf

(2) Add the line:

lba32

(3) Save

(4) Run (as root) /sbin/lilo

Red Hat should do this by default, but generally doesn't. You can't use it in combination with linier mode (IIRC) which you need for some SCSI drives (and Red Hat loves enabling even if you only use IDE)

I originally wanted to install NT but the boot loader wouldn't work so I wanted to see if Linux would work. Does Windows NT also have issues with the boot loader not being in the first 1024 cylinders?

What i want to know is if I formatted the computer and made the first partition Windows NT and about 6 GB and the rest Windows 98 should everything run ok?

rest win98?? Where will Linux be then?

linux will be no where. I wanted to install NT, itinstalled ok but it wouldn't boot up, I wanted to see if I could get linux working but as I wrote in the question I got an error. I want to know if that is also the problem with Win NT. q

Disk Druid cannot put a boot partition above cylinder 1024 but the other option, Fdisk, can help.
It's not friendly to use.
I've just added Redhat 7.1 to a 60Gb drive. It had a 20Gb win98 partition and the rest was unallocated.
DD could not use any of this area above 20Gb for a /boot partition.
However, DD could rename/mount partitions previously made by Fdisk.
So I used Fdisk to create the 3 partitions mentioned in the install book and then used Disk Druid to mount them.  (careful not to modify the existing W98 partition by mistake)
LILO is in the MBR and the dual boot works ok.
PS. I'm a newbie to Linux and am amazed it works.  Install manual was NOT clear in this 1024 prob area.

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