Re: Downloading Debian CDs or DVD(s)?

On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 11:50:39 -0500, (PeteCresswell) wrote:

> Per David L. Johnson:
>>Only one iso file
>>to download, then it installs what you ask for over the net.
>
> Any idea whether it will preserve my existing partitions?

In order to install, you need a partition (or raw space) to install on.
>
> I read a couple of accounts of people trying to create a multi-boot box and
> losing their Windows system altogether.

There are, or used to be, third-party programs that would allow you to
re-partition a hard drive to make room for something like this. Windows,
for some reason.... does not supply such a utility. I don't think they
understand the advantage of multiple partitions (keeping one bad file
or partitions from corrupting everything), and certainly they have no
desire to make it easy for you to add another operating system.

Find such a program (someone will recommend one -- it used to be that
Partition Magic was highly recommended, but my memory harkens back to
Windows 3.1 days), or get a separate hard drive to use just for linux.

There are no guarantees that re-partitioning can be done without hosing
your Windows partition, so be sure to back up everything before you begin.


--

David L. Johnson

__o | As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not
_`\(,_ | certain, and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to
(_)/ (_) | reality. -- Albert Einstein


.

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