Hello everyone,

it's been a while since I last installed Slackware 3.6
along with other OS's on my old Extensa 390 (now defunct).
I just got me a brand new Compaq Presario M2010 (no floppy
drive) and I wonder what's the best way to go about
partitioning the HD and installing the various OS's
without a bootable floppy drive (I'm used to do it with
a bootable floppy with DOS as OS, dos efdisk for getting
three primary partitions, MS-DOS fdisk for getting
extended partition and logical drives, then lastly using
fdisk from the Linux CD for the Linux partitions).
I was thinking of burning a bootable CD-ROM with the DOS
stuff on it, but I'd like to hear from you if there are
better choices available.

Anyway, on a 40GB HD, I plan to have the following:

P1: 100MB with DR-DOS and Win3.11
P2: 6GB WinXP
P3: 6GB FAT16 for data (readable/writable by all systems in the laptop)
P4: 4GB Linux system 1 (Slackware 10.1)
P5: 4GB Linux system 2 (for experimenting with various distributions)
p6: 20GB ext2 (/HOME to the two Linux systems for data)

I don't think I'll need a swap partition, given that as soon as I get
the 512MB sodimm I ordered I'll have 768MB of RAM in the laptop.

I would appreciate your tips for partitioning and installing without
a floppy drive, and also some additional advice from those who have
installed Slack 10.1 on the Presario M2010 (or please point me to the
available sources of information).

By the way, the manual for the M2010 cryptically states that in order
to put in more than 512MB of RAM in the PC and still have a functional
hybernation/power management mode it is necessary to increase the
small partition dedicated to the Compaq files... That's all it says,
no specific instructions anywhere else, not even on their website...
Any comments from Compaq laptop users?

Thank you all, very much.
N.

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

In alt.os.linux.slackware, Nicole dared to utter,
> it's been a while since I last installed Slackware 3.6
> along with other OS's on my old Extensa 390 (now defunct).
> I just got me a brand new Compaq Presario M2010 (no floppy
> drive) and I wonder what's the best way to go about
> partitioning the HD and installing the various OS's
> without a bootable floppy drive

You came to he right place.

http://www.slackbook.org/chapter3.html

> (I'm used to do it with
> a bootable floppy with DOS as OS, dos efdisk for getting
> three primary partitions, MS-DOS fdisk for getting
> extended partition and logical drives, then lastly using
> fdisk from the Linux CD for the Linux partitions).

Just boot from your Slackware CD and use linux fdisk to create all the
partitions, then format and install to your taste.

> I was thinking of burning a bootable CD-ROM with the DOS
> stuff on it, but I'd like to hear from you if there are
> better choices available.

Forget DOS.

> Anyway, on a 40GB HD, I plan to have the following:
>
> P1: 100MB with DR-DOS and Win3.11

WTF? That's never going to work! Dr-DOS on a modern computer, and a
laptop at that?! Windows 3.11? You've got to be out of your ever-lovin'
mind! I would _highly_ doubt that it would even run.

> I don't think I'll need a swap partition, given that as soon as I get
> the 512MB sodimm I ordered I'll have 768MB of RAM in the laptop.

It's a good idea to have some swap anyhow. You've got 40GB of hard
drive space, using 512MB for swap isn't going to kill you, and might
save your butt once or twice.

> I would appreciate your tips for partitioning and installing without
> a floppy drive

If you get bootable media with your laptop, it's a piece of cake. Just
install Windows XP first, forget about Win 3.11, and then install
Slackware.

> By the way, the manual for the M2010 cryptically states that in order
> to put in more than 512MB of RAM in the PC and still have a functional
> hybernation/power management mode it is necessary to increase the
> small partition dedicated to the Compaq files... That's all it says,
> no specific instructions anywhere else, not even on their website...

Wouldn't know exactly how to go about doing that without wiping out
what's already in that partition, but it makes sense. They're going to
need some place to write the current contents of your laptop's RAM to
for hibernation.

- --
It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise,
Than for a man to hear the song of fools.
Ecclesiastes 7:5
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (GNU/Linux)

iD8DBQFCdrOIvgVcFKpJf4gRAi03AKC82cU9lzMvw63B9y8m7o lpwloxIQCg481v
oOYF6EvD3p3sPJGeRqh+4WQ=
=6R7x
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Le Mon, 02 May 2005 23:11:43 +0000, +Alan Hicks+ a écrit*:

> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> In alt.os.linux.slackware, Nicole dared to utter,
....
> You came to he right place.

mmm... that's a call of the wild ?

Would you read your sig again, (take a breath first)

> It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise,
> Than for a man to hear the song of fools.

Might be I'm a bit too much suspiscious but I'd reckon
you were caught, though not on April 1st ...
Time will tell, or not )

In alt.os.linux.slackware +Alan Hicks+ <alan@lizella.network> wrote:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> In alt.os.linux.slackware, Nicole dared to utter,
>> it's been a while since I last installed Slackware 3.6
>> along with other OS's on my old Extensa 390 (now defunct).
>> I just got me a brand new Compaq Presario M2010 (no floppy
>> drive) and I wonder what's the best way to go about
>> partitioning the HD and installing the various OS's
>> without a bootable floppy drive
>
> You came to he right place.

Fuck off, Hicks.
_________________________________________
Usenet Zone Free Binaries Usenet Server
More than 120,000 groups
Unlimited download
http://www.usenetzone.com to open account

On Monday 02 May 2005 15:27, Nicole wrote:

> it's been a while since I last installed Slackware 3.6
> along with other OS's on my old Extensa 390 (now defunct).
> I just got me a brand new Compaq Presario M2010 (no floppy
> drive) and I wonder what's the best way to go about
> partitioning the HD and installing the various OS's
> without a bootable floppy drive (I'm used to do it with
> a bootable floppy with DOS as OS, dos efdisk for getting
> three primary partitions, MS-DOS fdisk for getting
> extended partition and logical drives, then lastly using
> fdisk from the Linux CD for the Linux partitions).
> I was thinking of burning a bootable CD-ROM with the DOS
> stuff on it, but I'd like to hear from you if there are
> better choices available.
>
> Anyway, on a 40GB HD, I plan to have the following:
>
> P1: 100MB with DR-DOS and Win3.11

Why bother with such an old OS on a modern machine? If you need to run
some old favorite Windows apps, run them under Linux using wine
(www.winehq.com) or win4lin (www.win4lin.com) or CrossOver Office
(www.codeweavers.com).

> P2: 6GB WinXP

Leaves little "breathing room" for XP. I'd go at least 10GB.

> P3: 6GB FAT16 for data (readable/writable by all systems in the
> laptop)

If you don't install Windows 3.11, this can be FAT32. Although, I don't
think you need 6GB, unless you're going to be storing lots of music,
video and images there. Be aware, that long file names to this
partition will be converted to 8-plus-3 names by either XP or Linux.

> P4: 4GB Linux system 1 (Slackware 10.1)
> P5: 4GB Linux system 2 (for experimenting with various distributions)

Both of these sizes are okay, since you have a separate /home. Although
I like to have a /usr partition, too. I like to keep system,
applications and user data and files separate for safety. I even have
a separate /var partition for temporary files.

> p6: 20GB ext2 (/HOME to the two Linux systems for data)

Sharing /home between multiple Linuxes can cause problems. I suggest
that you use a different user for each distro, so there'll be no config
file conflicts.

> I don't think I'll need a swap partition, given that as soon as I get
> the 512MB sodimm I ordered I'll have 768MB of RAM in the laptop.

You should absolutely have a swap. For at safety at least. Just in case
you are working with a large file or large number crunching app or lots
of apps running simultaneously. It'll save you from a crash or a
corrupted hard drive. 512MB should be more than enough. I have 256MB
RAM on my system with 2 swaps on different hard drives. 512MB on the
main system drive and 256MB on the other. (This second drive is where
I test install other distros as well as backup important files before
burning them to CDs.) The system uses the 256MB swap first. Currently,
it's almost max'd. (I've got a lot of things running.)

> I would appreciate your tips for partitioning and installing without
> a floppy drive, and also some additional advice from those who have
> installed Slack 10.1 on the Presario M2010 (or please point me to the
> available sources of information).

Just boot up using the Slack install CD. Partitioning is part of the
install. You can do it your way or have the installer take care of it.
But install Linux last, so it can set up a multiple boot system.
Windows won't do that.

> By the way, the manual for the M2010 cryptically states that in order
> to put in more than 512MB of RAM in the PC and still have a functional
> hybernation/power management mode it is necessary to increase the
> small partition dedicated to the Compaq files... That's all it says,
> no specific instructions anywhere else, not even on their website...
> Any comments from Compaq laptop users?

If you're getting your laptop with XP and this dedicate Compaq partition
already on it, just use a partition resizing utility like
PartitionMagic (runs under Windows) or QTparted or ntfsresize that run
under Linux to make room for Linux. I think the Slackware install
includes such a partition resizer, but I'm not sure. But before you do
anything, backup your XP system. Be aware that the Linux partition
resizer, parted, can't resize Windows' NTFS partitions.

--
Stefan Patric
NoLife Polymath Group
tootek2@yahoo.com

In comp.os.linux.setup Nicole <nicolina888@yahoo.it> wrote:
> By the way, the manual for the M2010 cryptically states that in order
> to put in more than 512MB of RAM in the PC and still have a functional
> hybernation/power management mode it is necessary to increase the
> small partition dedicated to the Compaq files... That's all it says,

Well, you will need another 512M of space!

> no specific instructions anywhere else, not even on their website...
> Any comments from Compaq laptop users?

None needed. Oviously they have pre-provided a hibernation partition
with space for only 512MB of saved memory. You'll have to increase that.

They should have some utility to do that - I think for my thinkpad the
utility was tphdisk or something similarly named. Look on compaq's help
site.

Peter

+Alan Hicks+ wrote:

> Fuck off, Hicks.

Looks like a mistaken identity here.

cordially, as always

rm

> Just boot from your Slackware CD and use linux fdisk to create all
the
> partitions, then format and install to your taste.

Not a good idea. I did that a few years ago and screwed up the
hard drive permanently in the process (I hadn't thought about
saving a copy of the mbr record before making the changes). Do a
'#man fdisk' and see what it says about modifying partitions with
linux fdisk (or cfdisk, etc.) that will later be used by a DOS/WIN
system. The only safe way to do it is to create the partitions with
the OS that will reside there. Hence the need to make the partitions
using fdisk or efdisk within MS-DOS.

The damage you do by using linux progs to make DOS partitions becomes
very evident when you run an advanced program like Partition Magic to
check the integrity of the partition thus created, or when you later
try to modify the partitions using DOS/WIN fdisk... it just can no
longer write to sectors. Even if you erase the partitions in Linux
and then try to make new ones in DOS/WIN, it won't let you. The table
of partition sectors is now screwed up irremediably, unless
you had the good sense to make a copy of the table of partition sectors
which then you can write back to disk (we are not talking about doing
a simple '>fdisk /mbr' here).

> Forget DOS.

Again, not a good idea when we talk about booting a hard drive with
multiple OS's including microsoft windows systems.

> WTF? That's never going to work! Dr-DOS on a modern computer, and a
> laptop at that?! Windows 3.11? You've got to be out of your
ever-lovin'
> mind! I would _highly_ doubt that it would even run.

DOS and WIN3.11 as of now both run beautifully on the first 100MB
of mylaptop drive. They have for a couple of years also on my desktop,

a Pentium 4 2.8GHz. As surprising as it may seem, I have my own good
reasons for keeping them running on my machines.

N.

Nicole <nicolina888@yahoo.it>:

>> Just boot from your Slackware CD and use linux fdisk to create all the
>> partitions, then format and install to your taste.
>
> Not a good idea. I did that a few years ago and screwed up the
> hard drive permanently in the process (I hadn't thought about
> saving a copy of the mbr record before making the changes).

Must have been quite long ago. At least before Win98 (as, e.g., DOS 6.22).
You may run into problems, if Linux fdisk and BIOS don't agree upon the
geometry of cylinders, heads and sectors, and when partitions start on
boundaries, where early DOS versions prefer wasting space (I saw the latter
one only rarely). One may control both aspects inside linux fdisk, as well.

[...]
> DOS and WIN3.11 as of now both run beautifully on the first 100MB of
> mylaptop drive. They have for a couple of years also on my desktop, a
> Pentium 4 2.8GHz. As surprising as it may seem, I have my own good
> reasons for keeping them running on my machines.

Yes. So you think twice, how to get this running. And try until all tools
agree upon the same numbers for cylinders, heads and sectors. Agreed, this
is not that easy anymore. (I remember having had fun with this kind, as
well). With M$-tools starting from Win98 (or the DOS version, which comes
with it), things get a bit easier.

(... just to insert the point here, that linux fdisk is quite a precise
instrument for managing disk space - but one should tell it what to do.)

On 5 May 2005 08:54:28 -0700, "Nicole" <nicolina888@yahoo.it> wrote:

>> Just boot from your Slackware CD and use linux fdisk to create all
>the
>> partitions, then format and install to your taste.
>
>Not a good idea. I did that a few years ago and screwed up the
>hard drive permanently in the process (I hadn't thought about

That's your fault, finger trouble And you can't permanently
damage a hard drive with fdisk? Just write zeroes to the first
track and start over.
> Hence the need to make the partitions
>using fdisk or efdisk within MS-DOS.
Not true
> Partition Magic to
>check the integrity of the partition thus created, or when you later
Not true. Prior to WinME ms-dos fdisk had an 'off by one' error,
as did PQMagic prior to the patched version 8.

>Again, not a good idea when we talk about booting a hard drive with
>multiple OS's including microsoft windows systems.
Not true.

When you _understand_ partitioning, you don't use anything other
than a reliable tool, for me that one is GNU/Linux fdisk. There
are some others to choose from. One also needs to choose techniques
that both work and offer least interference between different OS
on the drive. I have a simple set of guidelines that work for me.

I added dual boot windows other day to slack box, all windows did
was format the partition I'd made available to it, sure win wiped
the MBR, but MSFT own the MBR, they defined it. I don't fight that.

So after installing win, I boot slack-current install CDROM, use
fdisk to change active partition from win to slack primary, mount
and chroot /dev/sda3, tell /etc/lilo.conf to boot from /dev/sda3
instead of /dev/sda (MBR), run lilo, exit, reboot and the machine
is default slackware again. No drama, worked first time as expected.

--Grant.