Dual Booting Linux and XP

**LeftofCool** · 08-19-2003

I am interested in dual booting Windows XP and Linux. I was wondering if I could Re-partition my HDD using Partition Magic 8.0 and Install Linux on one of the Partitions. I am using an NTFS HDD. Have any of you gone through this process using Partition Magic and if so would it be successful even though my disk is NTFS formatted?

**Octane_** · 08-19-2003

Um, well to start of with, NTFS cannot be used for a bootloader.... as in, a boot loader will not boot ntfs, only fat32.

please correct me if im wrong.

also, im not sure bout the partitons, but can you partition a partition?? because if no, then u will have to create 3 new partitions. Linux Boot, which is 99 meg, your Linux Swap, which is twice your ram... (eg: if you had 256 ram your swap be 512 meg.) and your linux / (root) partitons. so... following this...

you will have 4 partitons...
Linux / (however much meg u give it)
linux boot (99 meg)
linux swap (twice ram)
windows (how ever much meg is left.)

**slfc** · 08-19-2003

I don't know much about NTFS since I have Windows ME, not XP. But I just installed Red Hat 9 tonight and have the computer set up to dual boot ME and RH9. Are you going to preserve the XP installation or reformat the hard drive? With Partition Magic, at least with FAT32, you can resize the Windows partition to make room for Linux. That's what I did and it worked perfectly. Then install Linux in the free space.

**Nerderello** · 08-19-2003

Linux, nowadays only needs two partitions, The main one (where all the Linux stuff gets put) and a swap partition (like Window's Swapper.dat).

You will need to have these partitions to be able to install Linux.

Problems:- NTFS as a file system is not well represented by Linux. You can mount the NTFS drive to Linux (for file sharing) but only (1) read only and (2) if NTFS has been enabled in your Linux Kernel.

have fun

Nerderello

**big_k105** · 08-19-2003

i have done this before. i took my 30 gig hd that was running XP only and used partition magic i think it was 8 but not sure and shrunk that partition down to 10 gigs and then created 3 small partitions for linux cause i thought you needed 3 and then created the extr 10 gigs for my fat32 drive so i can share files between my linux partition and my winXP partition. the main reason i did this is cause when you set up to mount an ntfs drive you can only read and i wanted full access to that drive so i can put stuff i downloaded into it and open them up on the windows side and so forth. it worked pretty nice. hope this helps

ps i would recommend you backing up your system before you do this, cause you never know when something will happen and mess up the winxp partition. i didnt run into any problem and i dont think you will either.

edit: o and one more thing my xp was on a NTFS partition

**Hotwheelz** · 08-19-2003

I have RH9 running on my HD, which was formatted as NTFS. My 2nd HD is Fat32, but not this one. And its running fine

**flw** · 08-19-2003

I have the same setup as bigh _k on a laptop and agree with his basic points.

**Hotwheelz** · 08-19-2003

I never used Partition Magic, and have been told not to use it. What I did, was when I installed Windows, it allowed me to create a partition. When I had to format and install Linux and Windows again, I installed Windows then when I was finished started the install again. I then created the partition and exited out. Installed RH9, and have had no problems

**LeftofCool** · 08-19-2003

Thanks, I have an ISO image of SUSE Linux, and I want to use Partition Magic 8.0 to do it because it has an "Install another OS" feature, with Linux as one of it's choices. Have any of you worked with it?

**big_k105** · 08-19-2003

i didnt do it like that all i did was figure out alittle bit about partition magic and the shrunk my current and went from there

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