XP Pro + Slackware


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ok here's my situation..

My computer does not have a floppy drive (I didn't think I would need one on this new computer)

I want to install slackware linux and dual boot with XP...

I've installed it three times on a 40GB partition (2nd primary) after the 1024 mark.. tried to install setup lilo but it didn't work...

How could i possibly get the dual boot to work?

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Which drive are you putting lilo on?

The MBR of drive one or drive two? < (0,0) or (1,0) >

... and what do you mean, installed it on a 40 gb partition?

Usually, theres a /boot, a /swap, a /root , and possibly other partions... usually linux not existing in just one partion...

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Sorry, i'm a newb when it comes to installing without the help of mandrake or another graphical installation..

I have a 70GB XP Partition and I created a 40GB ext2 partition... I am trying to install slackware onto that 40GB partition...

/swap I read about it but didn't quite understand.. and /boot.. have no idea =(

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ahhh.,.. I wouldn't start with slackware then... It's a bit more unix-ey than the rest.

(Actually, I'm pretty sure its the MOST unix-ey!)

Gentoo is a step up from the rest, and while It might be a bit above your level for the moment, if you don't get swap space and /boot partions; I think you can handle it, because the documentation for the gentoo installation Documentation is VERY GOOD... (unlike slackware, which was aimed at those people who live their lives in the shell, outside of xwindows :rolleyes: ) It's possible for anyone to install, granted, you still may be better off in Fedora, SuSe, Mandrake, etc....

But If you decide to go to gentoo or something else, you'll at least start to 'get it' just by doing it.

Cheers! :beer:

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Yea.. I spent awhile downloading the slackware iso's.. oh well i'll keep them for future use.. i'll go start a gentoo download or something =P

Edited by Powerworks
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even after the 1024 cylinder mark you should be able to boot. i think if you install lilo in mbr it'll be fine. otherwise if you install lilo into the partition you'll need to use winxp's ntldr to boot an image of the kernel i think. also windows likes to override mbr (if you install it second), so do make a bootdisk to boot to linux (to reinstall lilo in mbr).

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usually linux not existing in just one partion...

Depends of your choice. I do partitions. Some people don't. Just to say it is perfectly possible to install linux into a single partition.

As for fixing your problem, you can get over your 1024 sector issue by creating a /boot partition before sector 1024, and the rest past the windows partition.

It should look like this laid out horizontally:

[boot] [NTFS-XP] [/home] [/] [<swap>]

This is how I used to do it back then when lilo nor grub would boot past sector 1024.

Partition magic can help you there, should you need to move your windows partiton up.

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Depends of your choice. I do partitions. Some people don't. Just to say it is perfectly possible to install linux into a single partition.

Which is exactly why I said 'usually' ;)

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[boot] [NTFS-XP] [/home] [/] [<swap>]

*Now for my nit-picking...*

If swap is supposed to be like virtual memory, then you would want it to be fast. So why would you put it at the end of your drive, where it will take more time for the hard drive heads to move to? I would think it would be best to put your swap between two highly used partitions (/home, /).

Just a though.

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also im not sure if this is the best way to do the swap, but i heard that you want it to be twice the amount of ram you have. so if you have 512mb of ram, make your swap 1024 mb. also you 'dont' really need a '/boot ' mount point, just keep it as '/' if you're still learning. also id have to agree that slack probably isnt the best distro to learn off, try either mandrake or redhat. both are pretty straight forward, especialy with the rpm's. and if lilo doesnt want to work, try grub, it should be another option in the bootloader, depending on the distro.

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*Now for my nit-picking...*

If swap is supposed to be like virtual memory, then you would want it to be fast. So why would you put it at the end of your drive, where it will take more time for the hard drive heads to move to? I would think it would be best to put your swap between two highly used partitions (/home, /).

Just a though.

You have an excellent point there. I do this only because I learned that way -- back when Mandrake 6' auto partition scheme did it that way.

However, my 512mb RAM linux system only swaps once in a blue moon, really. But you do have a point.

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