really really really confused HELP!!

[-Tux-]

ok im trying to install mandrake 10.0 and i doing custom partitioning. i cant add it on to te windows one because, even after i defragmented my c drive, i would still say it was fragmented, ok anyway, so i went to resize it and i made it a little smaller i didnt want to overdo it, and this partition is hda or somehting, k? ok i go to press done and it says "partition something will be something onto hda!" well, say it said written or something ok? well, would i write linux with hda onto the same windows hda partition. hold on i'll do it again and ill post what it really said

[tr_wright1]

ok im trying to install mandrake 10.0 and i doing custom partitioning. i cant add it on to the windows one because, even after i defragmented my c drive, i would still say it was fragmented, ok anyway, so i went to resize it and i made it a little smaller i didnt want to overdo it, and this partition is hda or somehting, k? ok i go to press done and it says "partition something will be something onto hda!" well, say it said written or something ok? well, would i write linux with hda onto the same windows hda partition. hold on i'll do it again and ill post what it really said

what has realy happened here is that the install has told you that its going to resize your windows partition.
if you haven't you will need to make at least 3 linux partitions; a swap (at least twice the size of your ram) a "/boot" partition (about 125mb to 150mb works 4 me) and a "/" partition (be generous with this one cos it where all your programs are installed)

once you have made these the install will tell you that the partition table is going to be written to /dev/hda. click ok. after this you should be able to go through and install like normal.

[-Tux-]

it said "partition table of drive hda is going to be written to disk!"

hda is the one that windows is on and the one i think im supposed to put linux on, too

well, do i press ok or cancel

oh yea, and for the resizing, i changed it from 114401 to 144366, i think thats like megabytes or something but i really dont know, but anyway, will that be enough to put linux on?

[tr_wright1]

do you know how big your hard drive is?

[-Tux-]

111 gigabytes i'm pretty sure

[tr_wright1]

do you see a grey section in the partitioning windows? if so how big is it?

[-Tux-]

if you haven't you will need to make at least 3 linux partitions; a swap (at least twice the size of your ram) a "/boot" partition (about 125mb to 150mb works 4 me) and a "/" partition (be generous with this one cos it where all your programs are installed)

once you have made these the install will tell you that the partition table is going to be written to /dev/hda. click ok. after this you should be able to go through and install like normal.

how do i make them???

[-Tux-]

do you see a grey section in the partitioning windows? if so how big is it?

what do u mean?

[tr_wright1]

114401 to 144366 looks like your windows partition has gotten bigger!

[tr_wright1]

from memory i think you will have a box with different colored rectangles in it. (the windows one (if its fat32) should be blue)
all this is coming from past experience with 9.2 so it might be different