Very Computer

Dear Netters:

    Recently, I bought a Pentium II 300 with 64Mb memory and 6.4Gb
disk (C:, D:, E:, 2Gb each).  The operating system is Windows 95.
The file system is FAT.  From Windows 95 in C: Drive, I've installed
Windows NT 4.0 to D: Drive.  I plan to use Drives D: and E: for
Windows NT, clear Windows 95 and use Drive C: for Linux (I was
thinking about RedHat 5.0).

    Do you see any potential problem?  How should I proceed?
One question is the files "boot.ini" and "ntldr" (maybe some other
NT files I am not aware of; I know quite little about Windows OS)
reside in Drive C:.  If I format Drive C: under Linux, these files
will be deleted.  What Should I do?

    Any suggestion or tip will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Dimitri

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Buy System Commander from any retailer...  That can load ANY OS and I have
not seen it be imcompatible with any OS (win 95, dos, NT, Linux, OS2)

  DM> I plan to use Drives D: and E: for Windows NT, clear Windows 95
  DM> and use Drive C: for Linux (I was thinking about RedHat 5.0).

Two things you gotta realize is that GNU/Linux doesn't use names like
C, D & E, and that NT & Win95 can disagree about them.  We'd be in
better shape if you ran fdisk in the GNU/Linux setup & told us the
partition numbers, like /dev/hda3 below (for one IDE hard drive).

Also, get Matt Welsh's book "Running Linux" to learn about `lilo'.

  DM> One question is the files "boot.ini" and "ntldr" (maybe some
  DM> other NT files I am not aware of; I know quite little about
  DM> Windows OS) reside in Drive C:.  If I format Drive C: under
  DM> Linux, these files will be deleted.

If NT was already installed, you'd need to copy the files boot.ini,
ntdetect.com, ntldr to the NT partition before deleting the Win95
partition.  But it's easier if you're gonna install NT again after
wiping out Win95, because then those files will end up on the NT
partition.

And then you should be OK.  I posted a solution already here: install
GNU/Linux first & make a boot floppy; `fdisk /mbr' from a DOS floppy;
install NT; boot GNU/Linux off floppy and edit /etc/lilo.conf to look
include

other=/dev/hda3
        label=nt
        table=/dev/hda

where /dev/hda3 is what the GNU/Linux `fdisk' thinks the name of the
boot NT partition is. Then run `lilo' to install LILO on the MBR.

A lotta people are saying to keep the NT boot loader on the MBR, and
the standard solution is to use the NT Disk Administrator to create
the GNU/Linux partitions.  otherwise ntdetect.com won't be able to
locate the GNU/Linux partitions.  But I don't like that, let's keep
the OSs separate.

Quote:>    Recently, I bought a Pentium II 300 with 64Mb memory and 6.4Gb
>disk (C:, D:, E:, 2Gb each).  The operating system is Windows 95.
>The file system is FAT.  From Windows 95 in C: Drive, I've installed
>Windows NT 4.0 to D: Drive.  I plan to use Drives D: and E: for
>Windows NT, clear Windows 95 and use Drive C: for Linux (I was
>thinking about RedHat 5.0).

After you install Windows NT and Linux, Windows NT will not be able to see
the Linux partition but Linux will be able to see (but not necessarily
read) the Windows NT partition.  So Windows NT will have drive letters C:
and D: as for as it's concerned.

Oh year, make sure that Drive C: for Windows NT is also a primary
partition.  Drive D: was have to be a logical partition.

You can install LILO in the Master Boot Record to boot both Windows NT and
Linux but you run the risk of it being overwritten by NT (or another
Microsoft operating system) if you ever have to reinstall NT in the future.
Boot Manager makes its own partition so if the MBR ever gets wiped out, all
you have to do is set the Boot Manager partition to active again and
everything will work as it did before.
--
Please remove "NOJUNK" from my address to mail me a reply.

--

If you don't mind reinstalling all of your software, here's what I'd
recommend.  Wipe your drive, create your Linux partition(s), and install
Linux.  Note that my preference in loaders is to use NT's OS loader, instead
of lilo, so you'll want to install LILO in the superblock of the partition,
not the MBR.

Use NT to fdisk/format the rest of the space and install it.  Using the
freeware bootpart (available via a link from MS' NT download sections), you
can add Linux to the bootmenu with one command.

In all honesty, I think that this will be the easiest way to go, since changing
all the drive/paths in every config file NT and its apps uses will be a bear,
to say the least.

        --Arthur Corliss
          Corliss Consultancy
          Anchorage, Alaska

copy c:\windows\command\deltree.exe c:\
copy c:\windows\command\attrib.* c:\

deltree windows
attrib -h -r -s msdos.sys
del msdos.sys  [msdos.sys used to be a system file, but is now only a
config file]

There is a program called partition magic that will let you
resize/delete/manage your partitions.  You should be able to use this to
get free space for linux.  I highly recommend it, but it is not free..
about $69 us.  powerquest is the manufacturer.

Sam

Just  a couple of points that might help:

1. Linux needs to be installed on a primary partition (both 95 and NT only
allow one primary partition per HD - Linux supports up to 4 primary
partitions on a single HD). The extended partition has been allocated 4GB
and cannot contain a primary partition within it. Therefore Linux will have
to be installed in the original (C) primary partition. Incidentally I don't
believe NT will mind the C drive not existing (all assuming there are no
references to C within NT and it's applications.

2. Linux needs two partitions (one for Linux itself and the other as a swap
partition, which needs only about 30MB to 40MB max).

Quote:

> 2. Linux needs two partitions (one for Linux itself and the other as a swap
> partition, which needs only about 30MB to 40MB max).

More importantly, if you're planning to use LILO to choose which partition
to boot from, have all boot partitions (Win95, WinNT, linux) start below
the 1024 cylinder (this shouldn't be a problem, my 6.4 gig drive only has
1024 cylinders..)

        David.
At one point, I had DOS, linux swap, and two linux partitions on one
drive.

--
Fog Lamps, n.:
        Excessively (often obnoxiously) bright lamps mounted on the
fronts of automobiles; used on dry, clear nights to indicate that the
driver's brain is in a fog.

See also "Idiot Lights".

Subject: Multi OS System

Windows 95 + Windows NT + DOS 6.22 + Linux (Red Hat and Slackware)

I use a LILO bootloader that allows me to access Linux (I have two
versions installed), Windows 95 (OSR2), DOS (6.22) and Windows (3.11)
and NT 4.0.

There are no reasons why I did this or used these specific OSs.  It
just made
a good Sunday afternoon project.

I hope this is of some help to somebody somewhere, and if there is an
easier way (without buying System Commander), please let me know, as I
am a linux newbie.

Specs:
The machine I used was a generic 166MMX, 64 MB RAM, and 4.1 GB, 3.5
GB,
4.1 GB Hard Disks and a 32X Teac CD.

1.  Under DOS, and using rawrite, I made installation disks for both
versions of Linux that I wanted to install (Slackware 3.1 and Red Hat
4.2)

2.  I used Linux fdisk and created a /root (100MB) and /usr directory
on
each of the first two hard disks, and a common swap partition (128 MB)
on the
first HDD.  I left all other space unpartitioned.

3.  I rebooted, disabled my primary master in cmos, and installed Dos
and Windows
for Workgroups on HDB3.  I then formatted partitions on HDB4, HDC1 and
HDC2 as FAT16.
I used FAT16 because all the OSs would be able to access them.

4.  I then installed NT 4.0 over DOS on HDB3 choosing the "Leave
current file system
intact".  This gives me the option of choosing NT or DOS when I boot
to this
partition.

5.  I rebooted, re-enabled my primary master, and disabled my primary
slave.
If you do not do this Win95 SR2 will mess with the MBR on the second
hard disk.

6.  I then installed Windows 95 on HDA4.  I had to use FAT32 because
of FDISK 4 partition
limit.  If I used FAT16 I could not use all the remaining space on the
partition as DOS.

7.  I then installed Slackware on HDB1.

8.  I then installed Red Hat on HDA1.

9.  I enabled LILO and customized my /etc/boot.msg and /etc/lilo.conf
(below are the examples)

It all works well, even though to get to DOS I really have count on
the NT Kernel.

Chad Perkins

#/etc/lilo.conf
boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
message=/etc/boot.msg
prompt
timeout=50
other=/dev/hda4
        label=win95
        table=/dev/hda
image=/boot/vmlinuz
        label=redhat
        root=/dev/hda1
        read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
        label=slack
        root=/dev/hdb2
        read-only
other=/dev/hdb3
        label=dos
        table=/dev/hdb
        loader=/boot/any_d.b
other=/dev/hdb3
        label=nt
        table=/dev/hdb
        loader=/boot/any_d.b

#/etc/boot.msg
Timeout Setting is 50 Sec
Default OS is Windows 95
For RedHat Linux type         redhat
For Slackware Linux type      slack
For Windows 95 type           win95
For DOS 6.22 & Windows 3.1    dos
For Windows NT Workstation 4  nt
On Sun, 08 Feb 1998 22:04:59 -0600, gerald clark