Which HD

[Luckyjfl]

Hi Guys, I am an oldie, Noob, where Linux is concerned. I just wanted to know, that when I actually give the go ahead to Install my Linux system, will it allow me to choose which HD to put it on, or will it just automatically install on my Primary HD.
I have Win XP Pro on my primary, which is a Sata Drive. My other HD is an IDE, which I would prefer to install the Linux on, until I can get used to it. At this moment in time, I am not to well up on things like the duel boot system or Grub as I believe it ie known as. I could be wrong though.
Anyway, any advice would be really appreciatted.

All the best.

Lucky

[oz]

Welcome to the forums!

Linux installers generally let the user choose where they want to install Linux. Dual booting like you suggest between Windows and Linux is a very popular option for those that are new to Linux.

[rokytnji]

Maybe My Tutorial might shed some light on how to install on 2 seperate types of drives.

Yet Another Technology Site: Install AntiX 8.2 Final on External Flash Drive

[hazel]

Most Linux distro installations start with a partitioning stage using gParted. Your hard drives are listed and you set your partitions up the way you want them. So you can choose where you want your Linux root partition to go and specify that you want that partition to be mounted as /.

Most Linux users install GRUB in the master boot record. It will give you a boot menu and you can choose which system to boot. Dual-booting Windows and Linux is very common, though many people find after a while that they are using mainly Linux, and they finally cut the umbilical cord and get rid of Windows altogether.

Welcome to the free world!

[Luckyjfl]

Thank you for the quick reply. I missed the other replies in an earlier type of question. Is it difficult to actually install the Grub program in the MBR. I am not too sure how to go about that. Also, I presume I need to install that program before I begin the Linux installation.
Cheers.

Lucky

[Luckyjfl]

Thank you for your quick replies. They were brilliant. Atfirst I did not see them and by mistake I entered this question in the Lounge as well. So my appolegies for the mistake.
Cheers.

Lucky

[MikeTbob]

Thank you for the quick reply. I missed the other replies in an earlier type of question. Is it difficult to actually install the Grub program in the MBR. I am not too sure how to go about that. Also, I presume I need to install that program before I begin the Linux installation.
Cheers.

Lucky

The installer will do all this for you at the same time. Just insert the CD/DVD, reboot the machine and make sure your BIOS is set to boot from CD/DVD first, the installer will ask you some basic questions and allow you to partition your drives. When the installer is done, you just need to reboot one more time.

[oz]

Atfirst I did not see them and by mistake I entered this question in the Lounge as well. So my appolegies for the mistake.

No problem, Lucky... I've merged your two threads into one thread since duplicates are not allowed and it's easier to follow if all replies to a problem are in a single thread.

[Luckyjfl]

Right, I tried kubuntu, Fedora and Inspire. I am hesitant about the screen instruction where it says " install on hard drive ". I Do not want it to install on my Sata primary and bugger the files up on it. Ie, I have a few games on there like Jops and TFD. I do however have a secondary drive which is an IDE HD. I would like to install it on there. When I even installed the tempary Distro, it gave me the oportunity to install on my hard drive. Again, I was not too sure to go ahead incase it did not specify or ask me which drive I wanted it on. Do you see where I am coming from. At no stage has any of them mentioned Grub2 or the other one G something for duel bootup.
So, tell me what I am doing wrong please.

Lucky

[oz]

I do however have a secondary drive which is an IDE HD. I would like to install it on there. When I even installed the tempary Distro, it gave me the oportunity to install on my hard drive. Again, I was not too sure to go ahead incase it did not specify or ask me which drive I wanted it on. Do you see where I am coming from. At no stage has any of them mentioned Grub2 or the other one G something for duel bootup.

Pretty much any distro that you install should ask you where you want it to be installed if you go with the manual partitioning method, but you do have to be careful that you fully understand where you are installing to, and that you aren't overwriting some drive or partition that you want to keep as is. Of course, if you have backups or system images of your current layout, you can experiment and make mistakes all day long, and then simply restore your system from those backups if need be.

The bootloader (GRUB) doesn't usually get installed until near the end of the installation routine.