On Thursday 28 August 2003 03:53 am, John Layt wrote: > Hi! > > I thought I'd posted my eXPeriences earlier, but looks like I > forgot to. Anyway, I recently successfully converted my > sisters HP machine with XP over to dual boot with 9.1 on the > same drive, and hit all the same problems with defrag and > repatitioning and no XP CD's, but the good news is that it is > do-able with some free-trial windows tools. I now know more > about WinXP than I ever wanted to, and I can say that Linux is > now officially easier to install and use than WinXP anyday!!! > Like my sister says "It won't let me do anything!"... > > The following description is of moving from an existing WinXP > system with a single NTFS partition to a dual boot WinXP 3 > partition and Linux multi-partition system, and assumes you > will be using both systems actively. > > Let me explain those 3 WinXP partitions. NTFS is the WinXP > default filesystem, which Linux can currently safely read, but > writing is still unsafe, hence you need a separate FAT32 > partition if you want to safely pass files back and forth > between WinXP and Linux. It is also good practice in Windows > (Linux too!) to have separate system and user data partitions > (e.g. C:/ and D:/ drives in Windows, /usr and /home in Linux), > so that you can screw-up/re-install your Windows system > without losing all your user data. You could use the same > FAT32 data sharing partition for your Windows user data, but > FAT32 does not have the same security features as NTFS. On a > single user system, that's OK, but on a multiple user system, > it leaves your data open to other users, and any passing > virus. To be safe, you should therefore have an NTFS C:/ > drive with your system files, an NTFS D:/ drive with your user > data files, and a FAT32 E:/ drive for sharing files with > Linux. I'll leave it up to you to decide on relative sizes, > but I found that C:/ needs to be at least 6Gb (!!!) for a > basic WinXP install. > > While we're on the subject of multiple WinXP users, be aware > that most WinXP installs default to single user mode, i.e. you > are automatically logged in as the WinXP Owner account, the > equivalent of the Linux root user. This is VERY BAD, so make > sure you set up a proper user account without admin rights for > everyday use. > > Now, onto the steps I followed. > > 1) First of all: back-up your Windows data files first!!! > All the important user data files are now under the "Documents > and Settings" folder in XP. This folder is roughly the XP > equivalent of /home in Linux. If you haven't actually used the > machine yet, then obviously don't bother :-) > > 2) Next check, defrag and check again your XP drive. The > WinXP defragger is a brain-dead version of Diskkeeper, that > only makes files contiguous and doesn't move them all together > at the start of the disk. Instead, you can download a trial > version of Diskkeeper Lite from www.executive.com, which is > better than the XP version in moving files to the start of the > disk, but still not as good as the full version as it leaves > some supposedly unmovable system files splattered everywhere. > You may want to turn off the XP swap file, as this cannot be > moved by the defragger and may be in the middle of the disk. > While logged in as Owner, go to Control > Panel/System/Advanced/Performance Settings/Advanced/Virtual > Memory and turn off the swap file. While you're in Control > Panel/System, turn off System Restore for now, then use the > built-in Disk Cleanup utility to delete all the old restore > data and any other files you don't need for now. Uninstalling > as much software and backed-up data can also help in extreme > circumstances. Reboot, then run the defrag, followed by a disk > check to be sure all is OK. It pays to run the defragger a few > times over, with reboots in-between, to maximise the effect. > > 3) Next we resize the NTFS C:/ drive. While the Mdk 9.1 > installer can safely resize NTFS partitions, it does so > conservatively by only using the spare contiguous space at the > end of the disk. It will not move any files to make more > space. If you're lucky, you may already have all the space > that you need for D:/, E:/ and Linux. If so, skip to the > Mandrake 9.1 installation step. If you're unlucky and don't > have enough space yet, you need to download the 30-day trial > version of "Boot It New Generation" from www.booitng.com. > This is a full scale boot manager which includes a fully > featured partition manager, which can agressively resize NTFS > partitions by moving files around. Download the file under > Windows, extract it and install it on a floppy disk by running > bootitng.exe (you could also create a boot CD, but that's > overkill). Next reboot your machine from the floppy, from > which BootItNG will run. The first question it asks is to > click OK to install to the HD, don't! Instead click on > cancel, which will take you into "Maintenance Mode". In the > GUI, click on "Partition Work". You'll now have a list of > partitions, select your NTFS system partition, click the > resize button, choose the new size, and let it run. Save the > MBR and exit, rebooting into Windows and run yet another file > system check. All should be happy now. > > 4) Next we run the Mandrake 9.1 install. When you reach the > disk partitioning, choose to allocate the partitions yourself > in expert mode. If you haven't already done so (i.e. you > already had enough space in step 3), first re-size the NTFS > partition in diskdrak, then boot back into Windows to do a > filesystem check. Next in diskdrak, allocate your D:/ and E:/ > drives as required, and your Linux partitions according to > your personal preferences. Now complete your install, write > the LILO boot manager to the MBR, create a boot floppy, and > all should be well with the world. You'll want to go back > into WinXP to re-format the NTFS D:/ drive, just to be safe, > then move your user data files across to it. > > A word about the HP WinXP Restore partition. HP hides the > WinXP restore files on hda1, at the start of the disk, and > installs WinXP on hda2. The restore program re-installs WinXP > on hda2 by wiping it first, you do not have the option of > choosing any other partition. Ensure that Linux installs > starting at hda5 (i.e. on the extended partition), Mdk 9.1 > tends to set it up this way by default, so that shouldn't be a > problem. For example, on my sisters machine, FAT32 HP Restore > is on hda1, NTFS WinXP System is on hda2, NTFS User Data is on > hda3, FAT32 Share Data is on hda4, Linux /boot on hda5, etc. > Also, the HP Restore partition can be booted by running a > program within WinXP, so don't worry about overwriting the > WinXP boot manager with LILO. > > Well, I think that about covers it. Of course, it is a LOT > easier just to install Mandrake on a second hard drive, or to > wipe and re-install WinXP, but this should work for you if you > can't afford that option and need to keep your existing WinXP > install. Note most of this is from memory and obscure > scribbled notes I made, so it may not be 100% accurate, but > I'm sure you'll all cope. I also did a re-install of WinXP > after it was all over, just to be ensure that still worked, > and to clean up the mess I made from my initial attempts. > WinXP does suck, Bill has tried to graft the best bits of the > UNIX world onto the old Windows model, and it just doesn't > quite gel properly. There are just as many hassles moving from > Win98 to WinXP as there would be moving to Linux. > > Feel free to improve/copy/share this as you want, or to ask > questions if I haven't been clear enough. Just don't blame me > when WinXP screws everything up... > > Cheers! > > John.
John, this is one of the best manuals I've ever seen. I'll save it my archive and I think Anne would appreciate it on the twike site. Anne ? Kaj Haulrich. -- Registered Linux user # 214073 at http://counter.li.org Powered by Linux - Mandrake 9.1 kernel 2.4.21-0.25mdk Sent to you from a 100 % Micro$oft-free computer.
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