Jump to content

XP Shrinker?


Guest Super Llama
 Share

Recommended Posts

Guest Super Llama

ok so I downloaded the One 2009 KDE version of Mandriva, installed on VirtualBox, and I absolutely love it!!! The only problem is that it doesn't run as fast as I would like (since its an emulator). I've gotten to the point of installing it onto my actual computer. I'm currently using Windows XP, and I don't want to lose any files but I only have one internal hard drive (and an outboard) and obviously I don't want to have to put the LiveCD in all the time because it won't remember my settings. I even went to the trouble of freeing up 25 GB of space on my Hard Drive. Now I'm no Linux noob, I have Ubuntu installed on a different computer. I'm also no expert, as I didn't use Ubuntu very much. But one thing I know is that linux and windows cannot live in the same partition. Ubuntu had a feature to resize the XP partition and make a new one while preserving the data. Is this feature present in Mandriva One 2009, or do I have to use some third-party tool to shrink the partition?

 

Also, will it automatically install GRUB? This is my main PC and I've had it for years, I really don't want to mess it up but I'm getting sick of windows always lagging and crashing.

 

Extra Data:

my hard drive is compressed

my hard drive is rather fragmented EDIT: Defragging now

my hard drive has 25 GB left on it EDIT: Make that 37, I deleted more stuff XD

I have an outboard 500 GB but its already formatted

the livecd is not yet burned, its just an iso but i know how to burn it. is it possible to boot from an iso?

 

Also: is it worth it to dual boot with XP? As I come to the end of writing this I'm starting to think all the trouble of installing linux isn't worth it, can someone reassure me? I can probably use it just fine in VirtualBox but aMSN is really laggy in that and it won't do any 3D stuff very fast.

 

Also how well does wine run windows games? I don't play them very much anymore but I might want to in the future. My hobby is programming (specifically C++, VB, and x86 Assembly) are there many good tools for this on Mandriva?

Edited by Super Llama
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although I'm rather confident your situation is simple enough (provided you won't have bad luck with some hardware), be sure to backup your important data. If you don't have enough space on another local/USB hard disk, or enough RW CD/DVDs, but you have a LAN-connected PC with enough free space on its disks, that can do the trick.

 

Mandriva has, in my opinion, one of the best partitions manager available (along with Gparted). So yes, Mandriva 2009 should shrink your XP partition without data loss, and install Grub so you can choose either at boot. Be sure to first defragment your XP partitions repeatedly from within XP until the little color bars (in the defragmentation program) almost don't move from one run to the next.

You'll need at least 7GB free space for the “/†partition, and 512MB to 1GB swap, and whatever you need for your personal data (“/home†partition).

 

With the Mandriva installer (especially starting from the “One†CD), installing Linux isn't that much trouble anymore. Is it worth it for you? I don't know. In my opinion, it is; I only use Linux (except sometimes at work, and then, it's a pain) since 1999.

I do agree, though, that Linux isn't trouble-free. Most trouble comes from pieces of hardware that are not as well suported as one could wish, despite the open-source and free-software communities' best efforts, because hardware manufacturers rarely do and maintain anything for the Linux OS…

 

VirtualBox is as nice in Linux as it is in Windows, but on either side, it won't do any 3D stuff. Wine is faster and will do some (not a lot) 3D. The best results, but only for a subset of applications and games, are achieved with Transgaming's and Codeweavers' versions of Wine.

 

As for programming, Linux is a good OS for development, or so they say. I can't say much myself because I'm mainly a Java programmer, and most Java-related tools are cross-platform anyway.

 

Yves.

Edited by theYinYeti
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing you should really be careful of is that when you ever shrink a partition, you run the risk of losing data. You say you're defragging now, so look at the display in the defragger and see if there is any data at the end of the windows partition. Even if you've got 37 GB free, you need to somehow get space free at the end of the partition. I've done it, it is possible, but it requires care and as YinYeti says, do careful backups beforehand. gparted is great but as far as I know it's not smart enough to move NTFS files around before truncating the partition. Maybe but I doubt it.

 

I have a dual-boot Mandriva and XP system, and it's well worth it for me. But it's your choice. You could read my web page about it if you like, to give you some ideas.

 

About programming, you won't find VB tools on linux because VB is tied irrevocably to the Win32 libraries. But C++ for sure (see kdevelop, or anjuta, or eclipse with cdt) and for sure assembler but I can't help you there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

one thing i didnt see addressed, i may have missed it I'm not wearing my glasses, but it seems as though he said his XP drive is COMPRESSED

 

now I remember doing that YEARS ago (remember STACKER anyone) I compressed everything is site performance be damned give me more MEGS!

 

HOWEVER, not having dealt with it in MANY years I would NOT believe that he could dual boot a linux/XP system on a compressed drive.

 

I hate to be the one to suggest a TON of work, but having lost TERABYTES of data in my time I would say your #1 option is this:

 

#1 Copy EVERYTHING of ANY VALUE that is NOT part of the windows install or program Files directories to your 500GB external HD.

 

#2 gather ALL of you install disks for windows, that games utils, drivers etc. If you downloaded them at some point in the past re download them again and put them on your external drive. (you'll actually be getting better files that way)

 

#3 FDISK your C drive

 

#4 make 2 LARGE partitions, I would say cut it 60/40 with 60 going to Linux (as you learn more you'll need more) - DO NOT COMPRESS ANY DRIVES AT THIS POINT

 

#5 install windows and as many of the VITAL programs as you NEED (you learn a LOT about whats important when you lose it all).

 

#6 once windows is up and running (you will probably notice it more stable and faster now to) start your mandriva install. You will need to take the 2nd half of your drive and make at LEAST 3 other partitions: "/" "/HOME" and "/TMP" beyond that make up what you want, putting HOME on a seperate partition will save you LOTS (look for my reent post on 2008.1-2009 upgrade)

 

#7 move your email accounts to your linux partition (even if you have to do like I did with my wife, and set KMAIL or whatever leave a copy of the mail on the server - that way outlook can still get to it)

 

#8 As you use linux more and more you will use windows less and less.

 

I now have a seperate linux box and windows box, and ALMOST feel guilty about the windows hardware being wasted. I only use it as an extra TORRENT machine and because I'm not 100% confident of my RAR skills in linux. Other than that all my audio/video editing is doie one yet another seperate windows PC -oh yeah I also HAVE to use my windows PC to remote connect to my office, but thats a limitation of my IT setup not linux.

 

my 2 cts. please anyone add as needed!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I did not mention that before 1999, I used an Atari, so I never had Windows at home. Result: I had never heard of “compressed†Windows before and it escaped my attention.

 

I advise you to follow mindwave's advice. There's nothing like first-hand experience to tell you what is important.

 

You may think that's a lot of trouble to go into just to get a taste of Linux. But don't get discouraged. You don't have to hurry! Take your time ; meanwhile, Linux will only get better :) Linux, unlike Windows, is in permanent improvement, and to be honest sometimes great transitions don't go unnoticed, but they're worth the trouble in the end.

 

Yves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ditto on taking your time.

 

although wiping your drive and starting from scratch does make things move a LOT faster, it will ALMOST bring a grown man to tears the 1st few times it happens by accident.

 

but I figure that now a days if you have a broad band connection, the ONLY thing you cant immediately recover is personal docs and pix, so killing an entire drive isnt as big a deal as it used to be.

 

HOWEVER that IS why I suggest a SEPERATE /home partition.

 

people will TELL you this a lot, but until you go through an "upgrade" and LOSE youre home and then have to try and rebuild it, and then later put it on a seperate partition and do like I just did, 2008.1 to 2009, and are able to reboot and EVERYTHING you need isn right where you left it.

 

then you'll be a believer.

 

but as dave says Linux will only get better and better.

 

I came to MDV back in 7,1 (?) and thought that COMPARTITIVELY Mandrake was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

well you compare 7.1 to 9 and its like comparing windows 3.1 to winXP

 

j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is it that the hard disk is compressed, or that you just compressed the files within Windows XP? If so, then the hard disk isn't compressed, but just the data within the partition for the files you selected.

 

Please clarify this, and if you did compress the hard disk, what program did you use? Since, this program would be loading first, before Windows starts to boot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Super Llama

I just checked the "compress this drive to save space" on the drive's properties.

 

Thanks for all the help guys, I'm very glad that mindwave warned me before I tried to install it without uncompressing XD

 

I've lost hard drives before, my old computer had a system error and every last file was lost except all my 3dsmax and VB files that I had very coincidentally copied to my other computer a few days before. Phew. I've also formatted a drive before; I backed everything onto my current computer and gave the old one to my brother and he formatted it for his own use (it was a 20 GB lol). When I tried copying it though, I got alot of "you can't move that file" errors... is there a way to make a drive image to put onto the backup instead of just copies of all the files?

 

I'm going to uncompress the HDD soon, now that I have 37 GB free again I can let some of it go back to increas performance

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A disk image is possible, but I won't be able to help you there. I've always be wary of such tools, wondering: “what if the partitions layout changes?â€, “what if the partitions sizes change?†and such… I always backup at the file-level (except CD/DVDs with DVDisaster). For your backup, you don't have to move your files, only copy them; this may be the cause of the errors you got.

 

Yves.

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...