Re: Trying to install Linux on a Win XP machine
From: Adam McCarthy (anonymous_at_privacy.net.invalid)
Date: 09/18/05
- Next message: mdltorre_at_gmail.com: "Script to add multiple user account in Linux"
- Previous message: Aragorn: "Re: Can Knoppix be installed permanently?"
- In reply to: Andrew Levin: "Trying to install Linux on a Win XP machine"
- Next in thread: Andrew Levin: "Re: Trying to install Linux on a Win XP machine"
- Reply: Andrew Levin: "Re: Trying to install Linux on a Win XP machine"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ]
Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2005 22:35:24 -0400
Andrew Levin wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Here is a post that I made to comp.os.linux.setup, which brought no replies.
> If anyone here is able to help me, that would be good, otherwise I will have
> to run windows for the forseeable future. Thanks in advance.
>
> ======================================
>
>
>
> Hello,
>
>
> I have been trying to install Linux (specifically, Slackware 9.1 and 10.1)
> on my new HP Windows XP machine, however, I have run into some problems.
>
>
> I have 80 GB of hard drive space, and, knowing I have a 13-CD (!) set of
> recovery discs for Windows, have set out to try to run a dual boot with
> Linux.
>
>
> I first turned to Hewlett-Packard online support, where the representative
> suggested that I remove the "recovery partition (a small secondary partition
> that is the first option to recover from lost or corrupt files for Windows
> or included applications)," and install my secondary operating system on
> that.
>
>
> That I did, up until the last part. During the Slackware install, I was
> unable to make any changes with fdisk or cfdisk. The problems I got were
> along these lines:
>
>
> - One program could not get a grip on the filesystem or partition table, and
> simply could not recognize *any* of the partitions on the hard drive, much
> less write new ones, and may have said something like unable to find DOS or
> superblock or Sun or other partitions.
>
>
> - The other one simply said I did not have permission to write to the
> partition table, though it may have recognized some of the Windows data on
> the hard drive.
>
>
> After some frustration with this, I was able to get my hands on a copy of a
> Partition Magic-like program, "Partition Commander." That program took the
> MBR, which was not a problem. I tried to use the 'install new operating
> system' option which even had a picture of Tux the penguin for its icon, but
> gave me some non-descript error on that line. However, I was able to resize
> the Windows partitions to have them take up about half of the 80 gigs on the
> drive instead of all of it.
>
>
> Additionally, I was able to install a number of ext3 partitions and a Linux
> Swap partition through this program, seemingly so I could move ahead with my
> Linux install. However, to my dismay, neither of the installations was able
> to recognize the Linux partitions (if one of the two, (c)fdisk even
> recognized the Windows partitions), and at fdisk was still unable to
> recognize any partitions or even a valid partitioning scheme on the drive.
> Therefore, I could not move forward with my Linux install.
>
>
> I am somewhat ignorant about the low-level mechanics of hard drives, so I'd
> be pleased if you'd excuse me for that, but I figured having
> partition-commander taking up the MBR, and/or whatever else is at the very
> beginning of the drive, it might affect my chances of success w/ installing
> Linux positively. However, I had no such luck.
>
>
> I have used linux for 6-7 years now, at least two years of which I was
> running a dual boot, and this is the first time I have run into something
> like this. It seems that Microsoft and/or HP have intentionally made it
> difficult to install secondary Operating Systems on the drive. I can't
> imagine they could make a proprietary hard drive, but indeed the sticker on
> the front of the machine (besides the Intel Inside one, (but that's another
> story :)) says "designed for Microsoft Windows XP."
>
>
> Could it be that there is installed on the hard drive, in the first areas,
> some kind of information or partitioning scheme that neither Linux nor
> Partition-Commander could completely understand? Fdisk was unable to even
> recognize the hard drive as having a valid DOS partition.
>
>
> I've searched the web and Deja-Google for information on this, but no one
> seems to have this specific problem.
>
>
> Any help would be very appreciated.
>
>
> Thanks,
> Andrew L.
>
>
Why Slackware 9.1 and 10.1? Only 10.1 is needed.
- Next message: mdltorre_at_gmail.com: "Script to add multiple user account in Linux"
- Previous message: Aragorn: "Re: Can Knoppix be installed permanently?"
- In reply to: Andrew Levin: "Trying to install Linux on a Win XP machine"
- Next in thread: Andrew Levin: "Re: Trying to install Linux on a Win XP machine"
- Reply: Andrew Levin: "Re: Trying to install Linux on a Win XP machine"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ]
Relevant Pages
|
|
