Re: Partitioning/Dual Booting
"M. Phillips" wrote:
>I'm a newby to the whole Linux/GNU/Debian system, being a long-time MS
>devotee, and although I am very close to being sold on getting it, I have a
>couple of questions to clear up first.
>
>1: In the FAQ, section 3.4
><http://www.us.debian.org/doc/FAQ/debian-faq-3.html#ss3.4> states that one
>should partition a 1.6 GB hard disk with the following partitions:
>"
>?30 MBytes for the root directory (/)
>?450 MBytes for /usr
>?50 MBytes for swap space
>?1000 MBytes for home directories (some of this could be used for
>/usr/local/)
>?0 MBytes for /tmp; make /tmp a symbolic link to /var/tmp
>?40 MBytes for /var "
>
>Pardon my ignorance, or mayhaps it's the ambiguity of the whole section,
>but does this mean I need five separate partitions on the single disk, or
>(more likely, methinks) does it mean that the single partition consists of
>1570 MBytes? Any clarification would be most appreciated.
>
This is indeed 5 partitions. The swap partition is used as a runtime
memory extension; the other partitions separate out parts of the directory
tree to limit the extent of damage in case of any disaster. If one
filesystem gets corrupted, the others should still be OK.
>
>
>Also, seeing as how I _am_ new to the idea, I would very much like to
>perform a dual boot between Win95/MS-DOS, and Debian/GNU Linux operating
>systems. Seems like somewhere in the dark recesses of the PC World
>archives there's a miniscule article about dual-booting between 2 or more
>OSes, but I've since lost/given away the issue, and I'd like to hear it
>from a user more experienced than myself in the area.
When you install Debian, you can get dual booting by using LILO. This is
my config file (/etc/lilo.conf):
boot=/dev/hda3
root=/dev/hda3
compact
install=/boot/boot.b
map=/boot/map
vga=normal
delay=50
# Linux - 2.0.32
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.0.32
label=linux
append="mem=96m aic7xxx=ultra"
read-only
# Linux - 2.0.33
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.0.33
label=linux2033
append="mem=96m aic7xxx=ultra"
read-only
# Win 95
other=/dev/hda1
label=w95
This particular configuration allows me to boot Linux with either of two
kernel versions; it also allows for Windows95.
Important!
1 After changing /etc/lilo.conf, and especially after changing the
kernel, you must run /sbin/lilo to update the boot map.
2 Install any Microsoft product first; Microsoft has no respect for the
presence of any other OS and is liable to overwrite the boot sector.
3 Make sure you have a rescue floppy or a bootable CD.
If you don't want to risk using LILO you can boot Linux from inside DOS
with LOADLIN.EXE.
--
Oliver Elphick Oliver.Elphick@lfix.co.uk
Isle of Wight http://www.lfix.co.uk/oliver
PGP key from public servers; key ID 32B8FAA1
========================================
"Honor thy father and mother; which is the first
commandment with promise; That it may be well with
thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."
Ephesians 6:2,3
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