Re: Setting up PC for dual-boot Linux and Windows XP

From: John Seeliger (jseelige_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 08/30/03 

Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2003 15:53:57 -0500

"Michael C." <mcsuper5@usol.com> wrote in message
news:bipj6k$b0ssa$1@ID-169517.news.uni-berlin.de...
> On Fri, 29 Aug 2003 14:53:27 -0500, John Seeliger <jseelige@yahoo.com>
wrote:
> > I just built a PC and have a copy of Red Hat Linux Deluxe Workstation
7.1.
> > I am planning at some point in the future to put XP on it. How should
I
> > partition it to do it properly, so it won't have to be redone later?
> >
> [snip]
> > Norcent 16x DVD
> > Pine CD-RW
> > Maxtor 40 GB 7200 rpm
> >
>
> XP needs at least some real estate at the beginning of the drive. I'm
> used to W2k which requires 2G for the install, but it doesn't have to
> install at the beginning of the drive (it does need to install it's
> boot-loader at the beginning though.)
>
> It may cause less trouble if you may repartition later to install XP in
> the first primary partition, 3 to 6 Gig depending on how much software
> you plan on installing, and FAT32/NTFS whichever is your preference.
>
> Create an extended partition that uses the rest of your disk.
>
> You may want a separate partition for your XP swap, if so make it next.
> If you do set up a partition for swap leave it, as Windows tends to get
> cranky about a missing swap file.
>
> If you're going to be burning CDs, you'll probably want at least 2
> partitions of at least 750M or so, and should probably make them fat32
> so you can use XP and/or Linux to build/burn your CDs.
>
> You may want to create a partition just for sharing data between XP and
> Linux. It should be fat32 if you do.
>
> You'll also need an ext2/ext3 partition for your root (I don't know if
> RH 7.1 supports ext3, if it doesn't then I'd upgrade.)
>
> A swap partition.
>
> A home partition (optional but highly recommended ext2/ext3/reiserfs)
>
> All partitions after XP's (optional?) swap partition can be any order.
> My preference is to put the system partitions first, then data
> partitions. If you have XP I'd recommend installing it first, creating
> it's partitions using it's own tools, and remember to feed it
> appropriate sizes. Create all NTFS/FAT32 partitions at this time, and
> do NOT create partitions that will be changed to Linux at this time just
> leave unpartitioned space.
>
> While they do have tools that may/may not work to change partition
> sizes, the correct way is to plan ahead.
>
> Remember to keep a Linux boot disk in case XP overwrites the MBR.

Thanks for the info. Guess I should have gotten a FD at the time I got the
other components, but they are pretty inexpensive.

So, I need:

1. first primary partition 3 to 6 GB
2. extended partition
3. XP swap partitition
4. CD partition 750 MB
5. CD partition 750 MB
6. Data sharing partition for XP and Linux that is fat32
7. ext2/ext3 partition for your root
8. Linux swap partition
9. home partition

Any idea on how big to make 3,7,8? The installation guide says to make the
swap partition double the size of the RAM (which would be 512 MB in my
case), but not to let it exceed 128 MB. I would like partition 2 above to
at least 20 GB as one possible application will be capturing DV from my
mom's camcorder, and the AVI is about 200 MB/minute (once converted to
MPEG-1, it is more like 10 MB/minute).

All Linux partitions should be fat32 but XP can be either NTFS or fat32?

I will have to look at getting XP soon and might take your advice to do it
first.

>
> GL & HTH,

Thanks.
-John

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