Jump to content

Help with W2K pro ntfs and Mandrake 9.0 install


Guest speedraker
 Share

Recommended Posts

Guest speedraker

:D :?:

 

Greetings...I need some help installing the downloaded version of Mandrake 9.0 on and/or with a w2k pro NTFS system?

 

PII 400 Compaq deskpro EN series 4600

 

Have a 20 gig HDD IDE Maxtor with w2k pro ntfs already installed...

and setup as my master primary ide drive. ( 14.9 gig free)

 

Also have a 9 1/2 gig Western Digital scsi HDD setup as a slave to the IDE for backup purposes, also formatted with NTFS. (5.38 gig free),

but could format it if need be for installing dual-boot win/linux etc.

 

I'd really like to install the linux on the 20 gig HDD seeing as IT will always boot first, anyways. How do I do this with a NTFS...I've heard i should be careful about it...can anyone walk me thru it?

 

Thank You

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First, I am going to assume that both drives are completely formatted NTFS.

 

The best thing that you can do is to buy/find/get a copy of Partition Magic 7/8, I am not sure what they are at now. This will allow you to repartition your hard drives non-destructively. If you let Mandrake do this, you may/will loose data.

 

Partition Magic is fairly easy to use with a very intuitive interface and plenty of wizards.

 

Once you have a free/empty partition on your hard drive you can install Mandrake into that partition.

 

In terms of the other drive, it really doesn't matter if the first one boots first. The Master Boot Record decides which drive boots.

 

The best option is to install Mandrake onto the second drive. When you do this, Mandrake will install either LILO or Grub onto the Master Boot Record and that will determine which OS, or drive, gets booted.

 

Hopefully somewhere in this rambling there is an answer to your question. If not, just shout and I, or someone else, will clarify.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fuzzy makes sense to me. Linux can read from NTFS but writing to any NTFS partitions is risky biz so we don't want setup to attempt this.

 

I would leave w2k as it is on your master drive and install linux on your slave. You will be able to select which OS starts by default after its all set up -or- you could select the other during startup. Later on you can move things around with Partition Magic if you so choose.

 

If you try Partition Magic ---My choice would be to keep the NTFS on first/primary partition with rest as FAT32 in extended partition of master. The slave can be all for Linux. This way the FAT32 partition could be used for storing and sharing files with either OS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fuzzy makes sense to me. Linux can read from NTFS but writing to any NTFS partitions is risky biz so we don't want setup to attempt this.

 

I would leave w2k as it is on your master drive and install linux on your slave. You will be able to select which OS starts by default after its all set up -or- you could select the other during startup. Later on you can move things around with Partition Magic if you so choose.

 

If you try Partition Magic ---My choice would be to keep the NTFS on first/primary partition with rest as FAT32 in extended partition of master. The slave can be all for Linux. This way the FAT32 partition could be used for storing and sharing files with either OS.

 

I definitely second this advice. The last thing you want to do is to try and write to an NTFS drive.

 

Although win2k does not need to occupy the first partition on the master drive, it is just easier to leave it where it is and work around it.

 

Strong Suggestion: backup any important info on your win2k drive in case you toast everything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest speedraker

Ok this is the thing...sounds good, but...I've been a mandrake user for quite some time...since 6.0 and have tried all version except 8.1 9.0.

with same setup...as now. and it seems everytime i try to do this...

for some reason, the lilo messes up my win2k boot process...

with not being able to fine (thereafter) NTLDR file...to then boot w2k.

 

It's possible that i COULD have left a floppy inside the drive on boot or something similiar...and thats why it wouldn't work , and therefore i got frustrated and just reformatted and went back to w2k. But I don't think so...i have PM 7.0 and can get version 8 if need be. But they are files i downloaded from warez sites or from off Kazaa.com and for some reason they also mess up things when i try to thereafter do a defrag etc....so i had to un-install it...I can't figure it out...something is just not koscher

with either w2k, or PM ....and/or the setup i have of using two different HDD architechtures, (don't know)I know alot about computers, and even build my own...but this problem is so frustrating...i want to go back to mandrake so bad...but i also like and need w2k.

 

I guess i could move my files off the slave scsi and place them on the 20 gig ide...and then install mandrake on the scsi...but it's been proven to me already that having scsi drives and ide on one system the IDE will "always" boot first...and it does....no matter what. so with this in mind what now?

 

First, I am going to assume that both drives are completely formatted NTFS.

 

The best thing that you can do is to buy/find/get a copy of Partition Magic 7/8, I am not sure what they are at now. This will allow you to repartition your hard drives non-destructively. If you let Mandrake do this, you may/will loose data.

 

Partition Magic is fairly easy to use with a very intuitive interface and plenty of wizards.

 

Once you have a free/empty partition on your hard drive you can install Mandrake into that partition.

 

In terms of the other drive, it really doesn't matter if the first one boots first. The Master Boot Record decides which drive boots.

 

The best option is to install Mandrake onto the second drive. When you do this, Mandrake will install either LILO or Grub onto the Master Boot Record and that will determine which OS, or drive, gets booted.

 

Hopefully somewhere in this rambling there is an answer to your question. If not, just shout and I, or someone else, will clarify.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been dual booting for some time now. First with MDK 8.1/2, then 9.0. Both with XP. I used Partition Magic the first time to size down the NTFS partition to only use half of the 20gb drive, then installed MDK on the second partition. MDK recognized everything nicely and at the end of the install I added "Windows" into the LILO boot config. When MDK 9 was released (and I saw it wasn't eating everyones computers willy nilly) I added a secon 20gb drive and put MDK there and gave the entire first drive back to XP (I must have my Everquest! :wink:

 

But they are files i downloaded from warez sites or from off Kazaa.com and for some reason they also mess up things when i try to thereafter do a defrag etc....so i had to un-install it...I can't figure it out...something is just not koscher

 

:!: A friendly word of warning :!:

 

Your problem may well be the downloaded software; or not - but with that you're playing with a loaded gun. I have seen remote control sleepers waiting for the command to join thousands of other "bots" in a denial of service attack, I've seen back door trojans, and software that looks innocuous but is actually recording keystrokes and web activity and sending it back to its origin. All of these from warez sites and a couple from Kazaa.

 

I've a friend who used to download everything and anything, especially from Kazaa (ever see that commercial where the computer tells the guy "You have reached the end of the Internet"? It's because my friend downloaded the whole damn thing onto his hard drive!). :wink: At any rate, he brought his computer to me to fix and I found several viruses and one small program that was trying to send traffic to a remote location which turned out to be a cable modem.

 

/em end warning mode

/em gets off soap box

 

At any rate, good luck. Post any problems you have here - there's LOTS of people with opinions just waiting to share. :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...