Confusing Partition Tables

[wizzlefish]

Trying to install Ubuntu is proving to be extremely hard. All went fine until I had to partition the hard drive.

The partition table for my HD had a partition labeled "#2 - primary - 35.4 GB." Windows is installed on this. I basically want to divide this into two partitions, and keep Windows installed on one of them, and use the other for Linux. If I select on it, all I can do is resize it, but not split it into two partitions.

How would I go about splitting it in half? Would I need to split one of the halves into thirds for root, home, and swap partitions?

[oz]

You might try gparted if you haven't done so already. It's a Partition Magic clone (under 30 MB) that works directly from the live-cd:

http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livecd.php

You don't really have to use a /home partition, but I usually use one. My partitions usually looks something like this:

/ (ext3 - about 6 to 8 gigs)
/boot (if I use one at all, ext2 - about 32 megs)
/home (ext3 - about 6 to 8 gigs)
swap (about 512 megs)

[wizzlefish]

So I can download GParted while using the Ubuntu LiveCD? Is there a way to do it during the installation?

[oz]

So I can download GParted while using the Ubuntu LiveCD? Is there a way to do it during the installation?

I'm not really sure that would work, but you could download it with Windows and burn it to CD, then use gparted to create/change your partitions to your liking, then install Ubuntu onto those partitions.

[wizzlefish]

I'm not really sure that would work, but you could download it with Windows and burn it to CD, then use gparted to create/change your partitions to your liking, then install Ubuntu onto those partitions.

I'm very confused now. Would I use GParted while running the Ubuntu LiveCD, or while I'm running Windows?

[oz]

I'm very confused now. Would I use GParted while running the Ubuntu LiveCD, or while I'm running Windows?

Neither... once you've downloaded and burned the gparted .iso file to CD, you'd boot with it to setup your partitions. Once they are the way you want them, you'd boot with the Ubuntu CD to install it. Sorry for any confusion caused by me mentioning the gparted option... I just thought you might find it easier to use.

[wizzlefish]

It probably will be the easiest option, though.

[genesus]

Just hop onto Limewire and download Partition Magic, defrag your windows drive, resize it to leave unpartitioned space. Boot with your ubuntu cd, start installation, create one ext3 partition for / , and one swap partition of about 1024 mb for swap space out of the created unpartitioned space. Grub will be installed and should automatically detect windows as well, if not we'll help you with that as well. THis method should be a bit easier to follow since you are probably more windows proficient.

[wizzlefish]

Ok. I'm in GParted.

I assume that to make a Linux partition, I resize the primary partition, then out of the free space, I make an "extended partition," into which I put two partitions, a swap partition and the root partition? It won't let me make two separate primary partitions, and I don't think I need to.

Edit: Or...do I make a single extra partition, and make the / and swap partitions during the install? Ah...I think that's it! No, it won't make let me make a separate swap partition. Arg! I resized my 30GB HD so it had 16 GB left on it. Then in the Ubuntu installation, it only lets me create a / partition. Is partitioning supposed to be this confusing?

[genesus]

no partitioning is not suppossed to be this difficult...if you have a live cd with linux on it, here is what to do...

1) Use your GParted to resize your primary partition, and leave the rest as unpartitioned space

2) Boot up with a linux live cd and from a root terminal use cfdisk on your machine with "cfdisk /dev/hda1"

3) hit p and you'll see your current table, you should see your part and the unpart space.

4) create two new parts, one about a gig, and another to fill the rest

5) set their types, one set as swap, and one set as linux, i think the numbers are 82 and 83 right off the top of my head but the program has a list

6) write the table to disk and then quit

7) make your file systems, use this example if you made your second part your swap and your third your linux partition, if not then simply replace your values, this will get your filesystems made

mkswap /dev/hda2
mke2fs -j /dev/hda3

this will make your second part a swap and your third and ext3 file system, which most distros default with anyway...then boot up and install the distro of your choice...normally its not so hard, just the resizing can be a *****.