how to share data between XP and Suse

[trevelynzx]

hey guys, i'm a brand-new TOTAL linux newbie!! like, i haven't even installed any programs yet. thankfully, the Suse Pro 10.1 install went without a hitch and now i'm dual-booting my laptop between that and XP pro.

so two things:

1) most importantly - how can i share files between the two? i have one hard drive and thought when installing linux that formatting as a "swap" drive meant i could use that to share data between the two OS's. but now i realize that "swap" is really more of a "page-file" thing, so i want to resize that partition and create another partition that i can store data that will be available between the two operating systems.

2) i was wondering: if anyone knows of a good guide for getting started with Suse for a newbie like me if they wouldn't mind posting a link to it. or really any helpful beginner info would work. right now i'm trudging through the Suse user's manual, which is pretty good, but anything else would be appreciated.

thanks for the help, and glad to be here.

[oldcpu]

Many Linux users create a 3rd data partition (not a boot partition) which they format as VFAT-32, that can be accessed (with read / write) by both WinXP and Linux.

Recently, there is a beta driver (called ntfs-3g) which can be used to provide Linux read/write capabilities on an NTFS drive. With that driver in place and installed, there is no need for the 3rd data partition. ntfs-3g is still beta, mainly IMHO because it is tricky to install.

[Dpontes11]

I have a bit of a diferent problem, but within this matter... I have dual boot WinXP/SuSE 10.0. For some time I had a 3rd partition which I could access with both OS.

The thing is, being a newbie to this, I let some guy change the type of my partition's file system, so now I cannot access with WinXP to this partition.

How can I change (through SuSE) the type of file system for FAT? Thanks in advance for any help given...

[Flight_118]

How can I change (through SuSE) the type of file system for FAT?

Go to Yast > System > Partitioner

[Alex Stan]

ntfs-3g does the job for me!

[UnsecureAccount]

What I've always found is that Linux can access all of the partitions on a drive (even the protected ones you may have made on your XP C drive) but Windows can only get the fat or NTFS. I usually put a FAT32 partition in at the end (after I put in the NTFS for XP and a few REISER for Suse). Both can access the FAT32 drive.