I've seen it in action, an it looks quite easy to use. I'm just wondering if it will mess up windows if I install it in the same partition. Please don't flame me for my lack of knowledge. I'm a noob when it comes to Linux, and I'm here to be educated.

Thanks

You can't install it on the same partition, but you can install it on the same drive. It's one of the easiest distros to get up and running, and will quite happily live with Windows. I'm running it

Just create another partition and install on that one, it should run fine.

Thanks for the replies. Just what I was looking for.
Which versions of linux don't run fine when another partition is created? I might as well take my first dive into the world of Linux today. I think this is a great question to start with.

Yes it will, you will need a second paritition formated as ext3 and a swap memory partition that's double the size of your RAM.

To avoid any trouble you can install it in a virtual machine like VMWare

So I should create two partitions? Does SuSe installation convert it to ext3?

Yes, during the installation you can choose to manually setup the partitions, an easier way is to use a program like Partition Magic and create them all before hand

I tried the SUSE LiveDVD, and whenever Linux finishes booting, it goes to a display setting that my monitor cannot display. Is there a solution to this?

Probably some kinnd of probrem with the X server configuration file. Don't worry there is a solution to everything in Linux

what Graphic Card you have ?

Thing is, its booting off a DVD, meaning its impossible to edit files, since its booting off a ROM.



Sapphire Radeon 9800 pro

*edit* I just realized that I posted this in the wrong forum. I'm greatly sorry. This belongs under Linux/Unix Customization & Support>Open Source OS Discussion. Would moderators please be kind enough to move it there where it belongs. Thank you.

Personally, I think the easy way is use PartitionMagic or any other good partition manage and resize any of the partitions down in order to make some free space on the partition itself (however much you want is up to you). Then just tell the installer to use the free space, and it wll set all the partitions up for you automatically.

Thanks for the help.

As of now, I'm worried about not being able to display Linux, as evidenced by failed resolution settings in my LiveDVD test setup. I think I have an idea how to install SuSe now, but does anybody know how to fix my screen resolution problem?

Just a "heads up", and it is possible that I did something wrong, but I made a new partition and installed SUSE Linux 9.2 Professional. The install went fine, and the program worked ok, even without a swap partition. The problem I ran into was when I wanted to uninstall it and take back the new partition space. I could find no way to uninstall, so I deleted the partition in Windows (I had dual-booted the system). Upon my next reboot I didn't get any boot menu, but instead all it would go to was a prompt that read: c:\grub. I could do nothing else at all, much less get to anything on my HD/other partitions. My only solution was to restore my computer (THANK GOD FOR ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE!!), which worked quite well. I can only say that Linux must put some hidden file on the C:\ which I couldn't find even though I searched before I killed the Linux partition.

Check the /etc/X11/XF86Config where it says about the horizontal and vertical frequences of your monitor to check if they are in the corrent range.
Also in the same file check the driver loaded for your card. It is in Section "Device".

It is not a hidden file by linux on C. You probably had configure GRUB loader to be installed on MBR and that it why when you deleted windows, GRUB could not find it's configuration files. An easy way out of this is to use windows xp cd, boot into recovery and do a rebuild MBR. Everyting would be restored to normal...

I'm sorry.. where did you get that path from? I'm booting off a DVD, so nothing is copied onto the HD. Even if it was, how do I access it from Linux while it is booting?

I also checked the ISO image for the DVD. Such a directory does not exist.

U can't edit the X server config file. Not in the DVD nor in the ISO ( u would have to remaster
the whole DVD). What u can do is type the option for the vert and hor sync for yor monitor at boot.
Personnaly never tried the SUSE live DVD, but it most be similar to knoppix... Press F2 or some
other key that it asks u too at boot and see the options.

Exactly, just kipper into the Recovery Console and type fixmbr

The best Quick & Easy™ way is to use CTRL + ALT + [Num Pad Plus] or CTRL + ALT + [Num Pad Minus].

Didn't I just answer this in another post?

quick question: does the suse iso come with a non destructive partition program? thanks!

yes you did. It solved my problem

hey guys
i have partition magic and suse 9 and i wanna install it on a partition off my windows xp run pc

thing is u guys said different things so i dun really know what to do here. should i create a partition ext3 i think then let linux do the rest or create 2or3 partitions and then do the linux thing ...if its the second i dunno what format to make the others

also i know partition magic has a choice to add a os ..should i just use that

and my last newbie question of the day i kno partitions are empty but so after i make a second priomary partition windows wont boot up directly right? so ill be able to choose the empty partition and then put in the suse disk to start installin linux

if these questions r all ready answered please point me in that direction but this was the first thread that was talkin bout what im tryin to do

thnx ppl
-nomad311

When you want to set up linux on a machine that already has another OS on it (like windows) the best thing to do is to create some empty, unpartitioned space. Don't try setting up ext3 and swap partitions, your linux installer should handle all that for you. Just use partition magic or whatever to resize your existing partition(s) to leave some unpartitioned space, then boot from your chosen distro's CD, then run through the installer. When it comes to setting up partitions, just tell it to use the unpartitioned space, and it'll handle everything else for you.

<<Moved to Linux/BSD/Unix Client>>

rezza damn beat me to it Yeah as already said just resize your windows partition, leave enough space for linux, a few gigs. The suse installer will do all the extra partitioning and formatting of that space, and automatically put a windows option in the bootloader and normally mounds your ntfs drive and makes it available in suse if you have any files or anything that you want to drag across. Suse is particularly good with hardware detection and display etc so you shouldnt have any problem.

aight so how much space should i set aside for linux ...i know NOTHING about linux so thats why i just wanna try out this partitioning thing

and should i put linux b4 or after windows ...cause PM pops up a message about 9gb i think for windows nt (which applies to xp too right?)

and finally i should make a third partition for my music+dls right ...itll make reinstallin windows faster and i get to keep my files next time huh?

...u kno this whole readin thing just gives me more questions ...and ppl say readin makes u smarter

thnx guys
-nomad311

Well, depending on how much you want to put into Linux (both KDE and Gnome to test them both out, plus the full selection of apps?) and your planned usage (downloads), it can vary widely.

If you can free up 20GB, it would be great. If you can do 10GB, that will be just fine. If only 3GB, you can still make it work by trimming options.

Install Windows first, then Linux will set up dual-booting for you.

koo i think ill go wit 10 for now but i can always resize right

...i cant member is it easier to take space from the os partiton or the data ...i read that its best to take from 1 jus dun member which 1

thnx agian
-nomad311

Well, have a backup of your data, because any resize can go wrong.

But, if you are going to screw something up, it is better to screw up your data (you do have a backup, right?) than your OS.

What I do is pretty much exactly that and it works nicely.

1 20gb NTFS for Windows
2 10gb Linux partition
3 512mb Linux Swap
4 rest of drive as Fat32 (VFAT) to share data, music etc between the two O/S.

Have to do it like this because NTFS cannot be written to (easily) by Linux, where as VFAT/Fat32 can.

ha yeh everythin i need is already on cds ...i had to send it i to get it fixed so whatevers on here now can get lost i dun care ...but thank for the help

...if only i could get my hdd workin ...i found out that its 'normal' for chkdsk to hang at a percent for hours ...im serious what kinda blulls--- is that ?!?

neways 2 successfull chkdsk's n still got errors ...im bout to make one o these batch files i been herein bout ...run it a few times while i sleep

thnx again pplz - i really love this forum ...ppl actually answer my noob questions
-nomad311

10GB windows, 2.5GB virtual mem, 10GB linux, 100GB programs and stuff.

The thing is, i would recommend a new drive, cos u cant do **** in linux when u start installing games and stuff with 10gb, so get a 100GB and play to ure hearts content.