Need Advice..on patitioning scheme..

[whistler]

i have bought a new 80gb hdd...and want to install WinXP sp2 and Redhat 9.0 on it...
i have three Q's, (1) what should be an ideal partition scheme? and (2) should i use grub as boot loader at mbr or some third party tool at mbr and grub at first sector of linux boot partition?
and finally,
(3) Is there a way to use XP's Boot.ini as boot loader for linux..without any third party tool or grub instead?

here let me tell u that Xp will be used as my main os and linux will be as for testing as multimedia workstation..
my current choice is a 10gb C holding my WinXP and program files. 30 Gb as movies and games & songs, 25 gb as softwares & my documents, and finally 10 gb to Linux...(Hope it may install in it)

WHAT YOU PEOPLE SAY? :roll:

[ShekharPalash]

refer Aug 2003 issue of DIGIT .... magz or PDF in DVD

[dare_dexter]

Easy!
(1) Use NTFS as Windows partition(s), and ext3 for Linux.
(2) Choice is yours. I recommend GRUB in bootloader.
(3) No, as per my knowledge. See if anyone else knows.

Finally, 10 GB to Linux?! It's too much, isn't it?

[busyanuj]

Originally Posted by whistler

my current choice is a 10gb C holding my WinXP and program files. 30 Gb as movies and games & songs, 25 gb as softwares & my documents, and finally 10 gb to Linux...(Hope it may install in it)

your partitioning choice is fine.

use NTFS for the 10GB and 30 GB Windows Partitions and ext3 for Linux.
NT file system does not give Linux the permission to write anything on it (as far as I know), so I'll suggest make the 25GB partition a FAT32 so that you can read and write onto that drive from Linux as well.

firstly install Windows XP.
then, when you install Redhat Linux 9, use Grub as the default bootloader and install it on the mbr of the hard drive.

[whistler]

now i know how to add linux to my xp's boot.ini. and yes, IT IS POSSIBLE!!
finally i wanna know..
can i password protect my linux entry in boot.ini?
mean to say it should ask for the password if i select "linux" from the boot menu?

THNX FOR ALL UR SUPPORT!!!

[theraven]

whistler ... iw ould like to know how to use boot.ini as well ...
if u dun mind disclosin ur secret

[pradeep_chauhan]

if you copy the contents of the grub.conf file into the boot.ini I think it will work There is no big secret behind it . Just try it ( sorry I cannot as my windows is inside VMware.)

[whistler]

8) cool way pradeep !!!
i even didnt got the slightest of thought of it....too technical man...!!

BUT... its not that easy..

@ raven...YES I WOULD LOVE TO HELP U MY FRIEND....

Here u go---->its in two parts...
1) the linux part
2) the windows part..

first install winxp as usual..then install ur linux boot loader to FIRST SECTOR OF BOOT PARTITION. (do remember to create the floppy!)
now boot through this floppy into linux..
here comes the linux part-->

1) You have to boot from diskettes until the XP-part is fixed.


Now you have to peel the bootsector from your Linux-root-Partition. With /dev/hda2 as your linux-partition, the dd-command is:


# dd if=/dev/hda2 of=/bootsect.lnx bs=512 count=1

There is something wrong if your bootsect.lnx has more than 512 bytes.

Now copy the file bootsect.lnx to a DOS-formated floppy if this is your way to transfer files to the NTFS-Windows-partition.

You can copy it with


# mcopy /bootsect.lnx a:

or with


# mount -t msdos /dev/fd0 /mnt
# copy /bootsect.lnx /mnt
# umount /mnt


Now comes the XP part
2)Copy the file from the diskette to C:\\bootsect.lnx. I don't tell you how to do that.

What Grub.conf is for linux is c:\\boot.ini for Windows XP. Remove the, system- and the read-only-attribute before you can modify it with:


C:\attrib -s -r c:\boot.ini

Now change the file boot.ini with an editor, notepad for example, as follows:


[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows XP Professional" ...
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows XP Professional" ...
C:\BOOTSECT.LNX="Fedora Linux (Kernel x.x.x.x)"

Only the last line has been added in this example. Restore the attributes after you have saved boot.ini with:


C:\attrib +s +r c:\boot.ini

After a shutdown of your Windows NT and a restart your should see the following:


OS Loader V4.00

Please select the operating system to start:

Windows XP Professional
Windows XP Professional [VGA mode]
Fedora Linux (Kernel x.x.x.x)

Select Linux and see

Grub loading zImage ....

And thats it buddy..

if this is too technical to u then....There is a NT-programm called bootpart written by G. Vollant that can do the jobs from the previous two points for you. Bootpart is available at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...t/bootpart.htm

Only limitation is that the first partition where boot.ini resides should be FAT16



BUT CANT ANY ONE TELL ME HOW TO PASSWORD PROTECT UR MENU ITEM IN BOOT.INI?

[whistler]

@ RAVEN: buddy do u have any idea of WIN PE?
i would like to discuss it here...and u seems to be the person as i was watching ur posts here...

[tuxfan]

My 80GB partitions are like this
9 GB C: (Win98 + necessary software)
9 GB D: (other softwares)
12 GB E: (Data)
12 GB F: (Music)

Rest of the space is used up by PCQ Linux 2004 (Kernel 2.4 and 2.6), Knoppix (HD installation). I would prefer PCQ Linux over RH9. It is far better. Secondly, use GRUB not XP's boot.ini. For each Linux installation, 7-8 GB is really enough. For something like Knoppix/Gnoppix 3-4 GB would be enough.

[whistler]

@tuxfan :
buddy, my family members r not that educated in comp's.
each time my xp gets currupted (thnx to my family)...my linux gets out of order...thats 'cuz i used grub at mbr...now the idea is that if i use boot.ini and linux boot info at first sector of /boot, then only xp will be reinstalled in c and the boot sector file will do the trick for me (in linux) ...overall in easy words, i dont have to install my linux again but only to patch my boot.ini and iam off..

what u say?

Still no answer on password protecting the linux menu in boot.ini

[tuxfan]

In any case, if your MBR gets re-written, you don't need to re-install Linux. All that you can do is re-install GRUB and things will be normal again. Installing only GRUB will take less than 10 minutes.

[whistler]

In any case, if your MBR gets re-written, you don't need to re-install Linux. All that you can do is re-install GRUB and things will be normal again. Installing only GRUB will take less than 10 minutes.

Can U explain reinstalling GRUB ..

[theraven]

@whistler thanx man
that seems simple enuff ill give it a shot
and try installin linux on an ext3 partition ..
hope it works ...
abt win PE im really sorry i cant help much
this is how the big guys play
wait for boy genius or batty

[tuxfan]

whistler: Just boot from the first CD of your Linux installation. I guess it is Red Hat 9. It will automatically detect the existing installation and also recognise that GRUB is not installed. It will then prompt you for installation of only GRUB. That is how it works in PCQ Linux 2004 (based n Fedora Core 1). So I don't think there will be any difference in RH9.

But still if you are unsure of what to do at a particualr point, abandon the process and wait for some more tips. Better be late than never.

[whistler]

@ TUXFAN
thats what i was saying...think like this...i install win xp (MBR WRITTEN)....GOOD..
now i install linux in ext3 partition and GRUB at MBR (MBR re-written)...right...
now, xp currupt...(THNX TO MY BRO OR SIS OR POP )
with grub at mbr iam unable to boot xp...but linux....thats excellent...
now what?
simple, i have to install xp on c:
what's this?
GRUB gone !!
now i do ur method (boot with RH cd and repair GRUB) and woila...iam back to business..
------------------------------------OR----------------------------------------------------------------
i install xp and linux as usual (BUT GRUB AT FIRST SECTOR OF /BOOT)
i capture boot sector info in a file, copy it to c:, make an entry of it in boot.ini, and write them to a cd for future reference.
now as soon as my family member makes me thank him, (which i know he WILL , sooner or later)
i just reinstall xp with ghost and copy my reference files to c: and iam back to my business..
"ONE MORE THING TO REMEMBER IS I DONT HAVE CD'S OF RH9 BUT ISO'S ON A DVD" "DONT TELL ME TO WRITE THEM ON CD'S, I ALREADY HAVE 500 ODD CD'S TO MANAGE"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TELL ME WHICH IS EASIER AND BETTER?

[tuxfan]

I really would go for the first alternative because that is what I have used all the while. I am not aware about the pros and cons of the second alternative so can't suggest which is the better alternative. As regards ISO images, if you want to install, I think you will have to burn them on CDs. I don't think you can install directly from ISO images. BTW, for installing GRUB, you need only the first CD, not all.

[GNUrag]

Originally Posted by dare_dexter

Finally, 10 GB to Linux?! It's too much, isn't it?

Hey ! dont say that.... I've given 20 GB to debian + other 40 GB to various other Linuxes....

[GNUrag]

@whistler, go ahead with your method and install grub onto first sector of root partition. As for your question regarding password protecting entries in boot.ini, you can't do it at windows bootloader level... but you can always add password at GRUB level... You can add entries of WIndows inside grub so that if someone goes to grub accidently, then s/he can always switch back to windows...


@tuxfan, you also try this technique.... Its less time consuming than CD repair.

[whistler]

@ tuxfan

As regards ISO images, if you want to install, I think you will have to burn them on CDs. I don't think you can install directly from ISO images. BTW, for installing GRUB, you need only the first CD, not all.

READ THIS--->Linux Without CD

As i have done this only AND successfull so far..

@GNUrag
what do u people say about adding Dos to boot.ini and using "loadlin"
will it do the trick 4 me?

[sujithtom]

Make 6 partitions:
Partition 1: Win XP
Partition 2: Red Hat
Partition 3: Files of Win Xp
Partition 4: Files of Red Hat
Partition 5: Common Files (Like .htm files and movie files)
Partition 6: For the future OS. Use for anything you like for now.

[whistler]

@ sujithtom: buddy the question now is not how to partition but how to password protect the entry in boot.ini..

anyways thnx foe the sugesstion...
(but really asking u suggested a mess on a HDD...) "No offence"

[GNUrag]

Originally Posted by whistler

what do u people say about adding Dos to boot.ini and using "loadlin" will it do the trick 4 me?

Okay, do it.... add an entry of DOS and in the autoexec.bat file add the reference of loadlin..... autoexec.bat is anyway not executed by your windows XP startup routine...

[whistler]

me also think likewise..
anyone else care to comment?

[tuxfan]

Thanks whistler for the link. It is really useful. I think what GNUrag said is right.

[whistler]

@tuxfan:no probs mate...felt nice to help u!!

"BUT HOW TO PASSWORD PROTECT THIS BOOT.INI"

[GNUrag]

Originally Posted by whistler

BUT HOW TO PASSWORD PROTECT THIS BOOT.INI"

You can't password protect entries in BOOT.INI coz there's no such thing called as password protection in NT boot loader.... what you can do is add the password protection in GRUB configuration file... or be bold and install grub onto master boot record...

[whistler]

ok got it....gav up the thing....what i have done is, installed the GRUB on dirst sector of /boot.
and added the entry in boot.ini..
everything id fine till now....i can select "linux" from boot.ini and boot linux
quiet peacefully..
now i have done a mistake and want to fix it...
actually i got the idead if protecting the linux boot through GRUB only after the process of boot.ini...
mow can anyone tell me how to do it manually in grub.conf?
dont tell me to run cd1 to repair grub... i dont have cd's and will also not burn my iso's

ANY TAKERS?

[tuxfan]

now i have done a mistake and want to fix it...
actually i got the idead if protecting the linux boot through GRUB only after the process of boot.ini...
mow can anyone tell me how to do it manually in grub.conf?
dont tell me to run cd1 to repair grub... i dont have cd's and will also not burn my iso's

Huh?? I couldn't understand what you are saying. Please clarify (and simplify)

[whistler]

actually i wanna know how to edit grub.conf to password protect my linux menu entry "manually"..
got it now?