Hi, I'm trying to install WinME and RedHat Linux 7.2 as a dual-boot system. I currently have WinME installed on my system, which is a 30GB HDD w/ 128MB RAM and a T-bird 900MHz AMD processor. I plan on using Ranish Partition Manager (www.ranish.com/part) to partition my hard drive, and XOSL (www.xosl.org) to manage and load the multiple oses. I'm totally new to partitioning (and to using Linux, which is why I'm installing Linux - to get experience with it), and I need some major help. I was planning on partitioning my drive in the following way: 5GB for WinME - used for the OS system files and applications installed under WinME 5GB for Linux - used for the OS system files and applications installed under Linux 2GB for Linux swap <= 2GB for XOSL - XOSL can be installed onto its own partition ~ 16GB for an extended partition that is visible to all the OSes Notes: The XOSL partition will be only as big as it needs to be (which is why I put <=), and the rest of the space will go to the extended partition (which is why I put ~). The extended partition idea I got from a FAQ about the Ranish Partition Manager (the question and the FAQ I found at the following site: http://users2.ev1.net/~mranish/part/faq.htm#linux). If you go to that site, you'll see a question titled "Q: What is the proper way for installing Linux with Advanced Boot Manager?". In the answer, the author has 5 partitions. The last partition is an extended partition with a shared FAT-16 partition which is visible to all the OSes. My questions are: 1) How do I create the shared FAT-16 partition? Do I just create an extended partition, and then create a FAT-16 partion inside it? Or do I have to do something in the install of WinME and Linux? 2) Which of those partitions (mentioned above) would most likely be active partitions, and which would be most likely logical partitions? Or does it not matter? 3) When I'm partitioning and installing the OSes, is there anything in particular I need to be aware of? Or can I just partition my HDD in the way I mentioned above, and install WinME (to most likely the primary partition) and Linux (to most likely the secondary partition)? Sorry for the long, and generalized questions, but as I said I'm new to this, and I need help. I've searched on the Net, and found some great articles, but I always seem to get confused by them. If you are able to help (with any of the questions I have), or know of a great beginner's article, please help. I will greatly appreciate it. Thanks. Hiran

Four give me if I miss the point here. Maybe I doent understand your goals! But all you got to do. Is decide how much space you wont four me. Set up the partition. If you wont an extended partitio with Logical drives set that up next. note; You can do this whith me fdisk. Then set up linux with linux fdisk or what ever gui tools comes with your distro. You can even just use free space and linux will auto set up all the partitions. After linux is loaded it will use its own boot loaded "lilo" to give you the choice of whitch o/s you wont to boot. Also you will be able to access ALL of your windows partitions from linux.(only ntfs partitions cant be seen and there is a patch four that) Hope that helps

I did something similar a long time ago and it didn't work. I ended up having to boot to linux with a floppy. Not very handy, and if I lose the floppy, too bad... The first thing you gotta watch out for is how you partition your drive. To be able to dual-boot your system, both OS's have to have their boot-up files below the 1024 cylinder mark on your hard drive (at least with LILO, maybe the GRUB bootloader has facilities to overcome this). You might be able to get around this using the "linear" option for lilo but this method is is more universal. First install Linux. Depending on your distro, you'll probably have the opportunity to partition your drive any way you want. One thing though, to avoid the above gotcha, the first partition you create, /dev/hda1 (assuming your partition table is clear) is the "/boot" partition. That is, create a partition, 50MB (a little more if you plan to do a lot of kernel work), e2fs or e3fs, mount point at /boot. The next partition should be your WinMe partition, create a vfat partition what ever size, mount point wherever, let's say "/mnt/winme". IMPORTANT: Keep track of which paritition this is, "/dev/hdXX", it'll probably be /dev/hda2. Now create your root and swap partitions, and whatever other partitions you need. In your case, you can create that ~16GB shared partition make sure you choose type:vfat, and a mount point like "/mnt/shared" or "/shared". Continue your install. Your distro will probably prompt you to create a boot disk. DON'T SKIP THIS!! Create the floppy. You need to boot at least once with this floppy. With Linux installed, install WinMe as usual. Check that your installations are satisfactory, partitions look good, etc. make changes if needed. Using your linux boot disk, boot to linux. Now edit your /etc/lilo.conf file with your favorite editor. At the end, add the following lines, replacing /dev/hdXX with what you took note of in one of the earlier steps: other=/dev/hdXX label="Windows ME" Save and exit from your editor, and from a shell prompt, logged in as root, type "/sbin/lilo". You should see somthing like: Added linux * Added Windows ME If not, check your lilo.conf file. That's it! Now you could have installed WinMe first, but then using ME's fdisk you probably would end up installing ME on that the system saw as the D: drive. Then when you install linux the C: partition goes away and ME might get confused, as what was the D: drive is now the C: drive. Installing linux first avoids this gotcha. Doing this with WinNT or 2000 or XP is a whole different ballgame, take a look at this website for more info. http://www.littlewhitedog.com/reviews_other_00011.asp Hope this works for you. -- D Nutt "dcallego" at "hotmail" dot "com"

Hmm Interesting!!!! If I may offer one more plan? Since you doent have any data on you disk.And nothing to loose if it doent work. Try.. 1.Load me. Use 1/2 the disk. (doent need any drivers at this point) 2.Load linux. Use auto allocate four the partition plan.And choose use free space. 3.When you reboot linux. See if you have a choice of windows or linux. (might have to type dos at the lilo prompt. So many distros I get confused) This will take appx one hour to do. PS: I have done it at least 50 times with win98..And mandrake has a better partition tool that red hat. Good luck..