I had a similar problem when I 1st installed Linux on a disk with windoze98
already on it.
I used Partition Magic to shrink the Windoze partition, then FDISK to make
sure nothing Dos'y was in the free space
and then installed Linux with the LILO boot loader.
All went well.
I didn't build any Linux partitions on the free area with partition magic, I
let the Mandrake install look after that by itself.
Maybe this would be a solution to your problem.
Hope it helps:
Mike
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Warren Taylor [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: ג 16 נובמבר 1999 17:51
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: [newbie] Install problem: it won't see my partitions
>
> I want to be a Linux newbie, but I don't qualify yet because I can't even
> install it.
>
> I just bought a new computer with a Quantum Fireball 20.4 GB hard drive.
> The
> included special version of Partition Magic in the 6.5 version of the
> Mandrake-Linux seems to work fine; it builds a Linux partition and swap
> partition on the tail end of my hard drive. They are primary partitions
> and
> the main Linux partition is 3 GB in size. I intend to keep most of the
> drive
> dedicated to the Microsux OS until I get a better idea of whether Linux
> will
> meet my needs.
>
> When the install program starts up, it gets to the part where it has me
> choose Disk Drake or fdisk. When I choose either, it comes back with an
> error saying it can't find any valid partitions on which to install Linux.
>
> Someone told me it was because my hard drive was too big and that the
> Linux
> partition (or a boot partition for Linux) needs to be below some address.
> I
> don't really want to split up my Windows partition into two separate small
>
> paritions with a Linux partition in the middle, and in any case, I see no
> way to make Partition Magic put it somewhere other than the default place
> it
> chose (the end of the disk).
>
> Any help would be appreciated so that I can join the proud ranks of Linux
> newbies.
>
> Warren
>
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