Travic Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 Ok I decided that I'd try linux and see what all the fuss is about so I just installed Mandrake and rebooted and.....I'm back in windows how do I get into linux? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwolfe Veteran Posted February 24, 2004 Veteran Share Posted February 24, 2004 Ok I decided that I'd try linux and see what all the fuss is about so I just installed Mandrake and rebooted and.....I'm back in windows how do I get into linux? What did you install as a boot manager? Do you have one drive, with Win and Lin on it, or did you install Mandy on a second drive? I think Mandy defaults to LILO (other option is GRUB). Did you write to the MBR of your boot drive? Did you write it to the first sector of a secondary drive that you installed Linux to? Did you make a boot floppy? [EDIT: Jeez. Sorry if I sounded like I am shooting questions at you... I just need a bit more detail :yes:] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travic Posted February 24, 2004 Author Share Posted February 24, 2004 I installed it on a partition on a second drive beyond that I have no clue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugg3t Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 this is why n00bs shouldnt install linux. i installed it once, i got tired of it, reinstalled windows. hope u get it fixed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokkolm Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 I installed it on a partition on a second drive beyond that I have no clue. That's probably why, the windows drive is probably the bootable one and that's why linux doesn't load up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwolfe Veteran Posted February 24, 2004 Veteran Share Posted February 24, 2004 Ok. So drive 1 is all Windows? And drive 2 is first-half Windows, second-half for Linux? And you probably did NOT install GRUB or LILO off of the boot drive. (perhaps you picked first sector of drive 2, where you put Linux). Unfortunately, your computer BIOS will look at the MBR on drive 1, and see it points to only Windows. :( There is a way to use the XP/2k boot loader to allow you to select your Linux partition, but that is a bit messy, and requires manual editing. The easiest way to do this is to re-install Mandrake, but make sure you put GRUB (or LILO) in, and use the boot sector (MBR) off of your first drive (boot drive). Mandrake will allow you to select Windows or Linux when it boots. If you had data in your Linux partition, I would recommend ways to fix it, but you may find it easier to just re-do at this point. Another option *may* be to boot your Mandy CD again, and use one of the 'rescue' options to re-install GRUB to the MBR. I have never done this before, though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwolfe Veteran Posted February 24, 2004 Veteran Share Posted February 24, 2004 this is why n00bs shouldnt install linux. i installed it once, i got tired of it, reinstalled windows. hope u get it fixed I think that this comment was a bit unhelpful and off-topic... If you accept the defaults, Mandy and most of the other 'noob' distros will install a good dual-boot system. However when the user makes a selection that sounds "safer" than writing to the MBR of their boot drive, then they cannot boot. :( Making a "boot floppy" would be a great way to get around a 'no boot' situation. However, it doesn't seem that the original poster did that. :pinch: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bladerunner81 Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 easy way if you decide for using grub: start up with an livecd (don't know if one is included in mandrake), mount your linux-drive (which seems to be hdb2) with: $ mkdir /linux $ mount /dev/hdb2 /linux chroot into the harddisk $ chroot /linux /bin/bash then fire up grub $ grub then you type in your info: $ root (hd1,1) $ setup (hd0,0) $ quit notice that grub adresses the drives a little different: drive 1 partition 1 is named (hd0,0), drive 2 partition 2 is named (hd1,1). also be sure you adress your /boot - partition (take a look into /etc/fstab for exact drives). also note that the commands have to be typed without the $ (as it is only an indicator that an bash-command is beeing executed) good guide for grub (and lilo): gentoo bootloader instructions if there are questions, feel free to post back (or reinstall mandrake considering this information) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travic Posted February 24, 2004 Author Share Posted February 24, 2004 :whistle: Alright well I had heard linux had come to the point where it was easy to install but I guess not. How do I get it off. and turn the partition back to normal. :blush: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bladerunner81 Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 :whistle: Alright well I had heard linux had come to the point where it was easy to install but I guess not. How do I get it off. and turn the partition back to normal. :blush: giving up, are you? well, your desicion... use fdisk or winxp-controlcenter to do so. but mandrake IS easy to install... you might consider giving it another try and reading ALL footnotes during the install ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kongit Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 yes mandrake is incredibly easy to install if you read the directions. In fact I found it easier to install than xp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bladerunner81 Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 yes mandrake is incredibly easy to install if you read the directions. In fact I found it easier to install than xp. me too... the heck, i found gentoo easy to install after building my lfs, so don't you dare taking me serious :wacko: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travic Posted February 24, 2004 Author Share Posted February 24, 2004 easy way if you decide for using grub:start up with an livecd (don't know if one is included in mandrake), mount your linux-drive (which seems to be hdb2) with: $ mkdir /linux $ mount /dev/hdb2 /linux chroot into the harddisk $ chroot /linux /bin/bash then fire up grub $ grub then you type in your info: $ root (hd1,1) $ setup (hd0,0) $ quit notice that grub adresses the drives a little different: drive 1 partition 1 is named (hd0,0), drive 2 partition 2 is named (hd1,1). also be sure you adress your /boot - partition (take a look into /etc/fstab for exact drives). also note that the commands have to be typed without the $ (as it is only an indicator that an bash-command is beeing executed) good guide for grub (and lilo): gentoo bootloader instructions if there are questions, feel free to post back (or reinstall mandrake considering this information) That's definetely not easy. I have no clue what that is. I put the CD in created a "root" on hd2b it finished installing and that was it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwolfe Veteran Posted February 24, 2004 Veteran Share Posted February 24, 2004 You got it booting? :D Well, it normally goes very smoothly, but I suspect a safer-sounding option for booting was selected instead of the default 'write to MBR'. Glad you got it going, anyhow. :yes: Now, it's play time! Try things, and if you have questions, just post them and we'll help answer what we can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nivek7 Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 does this happen with redhat too? cause i think im about to try it. btw should i use fedora or redhat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwolfe Veteran Posted February 25, 2004 Veteran Share Posted February 25, 2004 does this happen with redhat too? cause i think im about to try it. btw should i use fedora or redhat If you are considering Red Hat, I would recommend Fedora. It is basically the next Red Hat (RH 10), since this is how Red Hat is releasing Linux for home users now... And, yes, it installs itself very well onto an existing Windows machine (as long as you make room for it, first). :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nivek7 Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 (edited) If you are considering Red Hat, I would recommend Fedora. It is basically the next Red Hat (RH 10), since this is how Red Hat is releasing Linux for home users now...And, yes, it installs itself very well onto an existing Windows machine (as long as you make room for it, first). :D so i don't need to install a boot manager? just have like 10 gigs then run the cd? edit: one more thing, what version should i use? edit again: do i need to make a new partition? edit one last time: do i need to install KDE or does it already have something similar? Edited February 25, 2004 by nivek7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrStaticVoid Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 You either need to install a boot manager or create a boot floppy when promted. Either works fine. You should use Fedora Core 1 considering how it is the "stable" version at this moment. It comes with both GNOME and KDE as well as a few of the lighter window managers. To install it, have some unpartitioned space on your drive. You can do that with Partition Magic. There is a trial version of it available. The Fedora installer (Anaconda) will automatically partition blank space on the drive. Of course, I am going by what I remember from when I used Red Hat 8. Things may be more automated now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwolfe Veteran Posted February 25, 2004 Veteran Share Posted February 25, 2004 so i don't need to install a boot manager? just have like 10 gigs then run the cd?You will need to install GRUB (or LILO) as your boot manager. It *can* be made to work with the Windows Boot Selection, but it isn't as easy to do.one more thing, what version should i use?What version of RedHat/Fedora? I recommend Fedora Core 1. You can try the Fedora Core 2 test version, but for a new inuxer, probably not. And, there are different archetectures supported (unlike Windows, which only supports the 'standard' PC i386 processor series). Pick the i386 set. There will be 3 CDs. They come PACKED with everything you would want to start. Server apps for FTP, HTTP, DHCP and SMTP - but don't install these unless you really NEED them, and know what you are doing. They will need to be locked-down when installed to avoid security risks. But, you will have a wide variety (and multiple choices on) your apps. It may be a bit overwhelming, at first, but you will soon find out what suits you best. :yes:do i need to make a new partition?The install will MAKE the partitions you need, but you will have to provide it some free space. That may mean "shrinking" your existing Windows partition(s) to make room. Let us know your Hard Drive config (# of drives, and what partitions are on each, are they FAT or NTFS), and we can give you more specific answers.do i need to install KDE or does it already have something similar?It will install Gnome by default. I recommend installing Gnome and KDE. Try them both, and see which works more to your style. There are also some "low resource" Window Managers available (like twm, icewm, flux, and others). Not sure which ones Fedora comes with... They should have at least one WM of that variety... Not sure, though.Hope this answers your questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuka_t Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 fedora comes with gnome, kde and xwindow(i never got fedora t owark so im not sure wheter xwindow is a window manager or something completely different. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nivek7 Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 i have 3 windows partitions: 2 80gig and 1 40gig all ntsc oh, i have 1 80 drive and 1 120 drive one more thing, does the boot manager come with the cd? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwolfe Veteran Posted February 25, 2004 Veteran Share Posted February 25, 2004 Well, if you can't (or don't want to) sacrifice one of your Windows partitions, you can use (buy or borrow?) Partition Magic. Partition Magic does a good job at 'shrinking' NTFS partitions. There are free GNU tools that can resize FAT, but I don't think NTFS is very safe to resize. Backup your drive, and defrag it before resizing. Once you make space (removing a partition or resizing it), your Linux distro will slip in nicely into the open space. Depending on what you plan on Linux for, the amount of space will vary. 2G to 10G is a ballpark range. You can do with less or more. Once installed, Linux will be able to read your Windows drives, so you can share (one-way) data such as MP3s or other documents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nivek7 Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 so do i make an additional partition by taking some space off other partitions using partition magic or do i just install linux on one of my existing windows partitions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kongit Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 I would suggest you shrink the drive on your main windows hard drive and create a 10-15 gig partition. You need another partition to use linux to its fullest. So you have to resize the existing ones to be able to create a new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwolfe Veteran Posted February 25, 2004 Veteran Share Posted February 25, 2004 If you leave the space "unpartitioned", that would probably be safest. That way you can tell the installer to install into 'unused' space, without having to remember which assigned partition is the one you emptied out. :pinch: Less likely to make mistakes that way. ;) [EDIT: Once you make the empty space, just start the install. It really is much easier than it sounds! :yes:] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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