Who wants to answer a nice little newbie's questions?

**xMist** · 09-13-2005

Cool! So I can use my NTFS hard drive. Good. That makes me very happy.

Now I'm downloading the four FC4 CDs as I type. I have fiber optic, so they'll be done in an hour or so. Then I'll burn them.

I guess my main question now is: Fedora Core 4 or Ubuntu? I ran the Ubuntu Live CD - it looked quite nice. If there's already a comparison, I apologize.

One more thing: THANK YOU! Thanks so much for your near-instant replies! This is great...

I'll be a part of this forum for a long while to come.

**aysiu** · 09-13-2005

Originally Posted by xMist

Cool! So I can use my NTFS hard drive. Good. That makes me very happy.

You can only read from it. Please make a separate FAT32 partition for sharing files between OSes. You will not be able to write to (i.e., save files) on the NTFS partition from Linux.

I guess my main question now is: Fedora Core 4 or Ubuntu? I ran the Ubuntu Live CD - it looked quite nice. If there's already a comparison, I apologize.

Try both. That's the only way you'll know for sure.

**xMist** · 09-13-2005

Yeah, that's what I meant. Even though my whole hard disk is formatted to NTFS right now, I can still slice a 15GB slice outta it and format it to FAT32 and use it to run Linux, correct?

Also, will Windows be able to see and interact with the FAT32 partition? Will it show up as another drive (L:\)? Thanks.

EDIT: Wait, what file system should Linux use? And didn't you just say Ubuntu supported NTFS right out of the box?

I'm really confused now...

What I'm looking for is a way to install Linux on a 15GB sector of my currently NTFS 80GB hard drive and have a way to share info between Linux and Windows. Question: How?

Thanks, guys!

**aysiu** · 09-13-2005

Yes.
So you'll have a Windows (NTFS) partition.
You'll have a FAT32 partition (it will show up as D:, probably).
You'll have two EXT3 partitions--one Ubuntu, one Fedora.

**genesus** · 09-13-2005

read what I said under partitioning again at the beginning of this thread...I answered this question.

1 swap--linux's virtual memory

1 ext3--for base filesystem

1 fat32--a drive that both os's can see and write to, will look like drive d on windows

**aysiu** · 09-13-2005

Originally Posted by xMist

EDIT: Wait, what file system should Linux use? And didn't you just say Ubuntu supported NTFS right out of the box?

Yes, it does, but you have to understand what "support" means in Linux. Support for NTFS means it can recognize that partition and read from it. You cannot install Linux with the NTFS format, and you cannot save files you open from an NTFS partition.

**aysiu** · 09-13-2005

Okay, let me give you an example. This is my partition table:

Code:

Disk /dev/hda&#58; 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1   *           1        1911    15350076    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2            1912       18494   133202947+   f  W95 Ext'd &#40;LBA&#41;
/dev/hda3           18495       19457     7735297+  83  Linux
/dev/hda5            1912       14763   103233658+   b  W95 FAT32
/dev/hda6   *       14764       16434    13422276   83  Linux
/dev/hda7           18363       18494     1060258+  82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/hda8           16435       18362    15486628+  83  Linux

hda1 is my Windows XP partition (NTFS)
hda3 is my /home partition (that's where my Linux settings are stored)
hda5 is my FAT32 partition where I share all the files between Windows and Linux
hda6 is my Ubuntu partition
hda7 is my swap partition
hda8 is my Kubuntu partition

If you want more details about dual-booting and general setting things up, please read the first link in my signature below.

**xMist** · 09-13-2005

Thanks guys! So what exactly is a 'swap' partition, and how big should it be in relation to the other partitions? And 'home' is yet another partition Linux requires? Okay. I can deal.

Next: Just in case I screw up, or I want to remove Linux, or just one distro, etc, can I re-partition that space back into my NTFS where Windows is operating? Thanks.

Thanks for tolerating me, too. I know I'm impatient.

**ceal105** · 09-13-2005

i thing this will be usefull....

linux filesystem is very different from the windows file system... you will find folders like

/
/usr
/var
/home
.
.
.
.

so i recomend that you use an ext3 partition for "/" (the whole system) and a FAT32 partition for /home (where your personal files will be located)...

what? when? where?

it will be easy so you will be using fedora, and its install process is very easy to use

why?

this way you will make sure that you can see from windows(with read and write permisions) everything that is on the FAT32 partition (/home folder)...

if you didnt understand what i just said fell free to ask... we are here to help...

pd: about the swap partition.... it is a partition that is used to exchange information or data between the RAM memory and the hard drive... its something like windows virtual memory (correct me if im wrong)... and the size should be 2 x RAM memory...

**xMist** · 09-13-2005

Thanks ceal! Love the Knuckles avatar (Knuckles, right?)

So do each of the \'s represent a different partition that I have to set up, or am I being thick-headed? Will the install process of Fedora guide me through this all and partitioning by itself, or do I have to know this before I set it up?

Another thing: How can I partition so I can discover what distro(s) I like best? I've currently got: Ubuntu, Fedora Core 4, Mandrake, and SuSE on CDs. What next? I'll probably read over your links, ceal. I'll also probably read this whole thread again to try to understand everything better. Thank you guys so much.

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