phat linux/partition magic

[rilkean]

me again.

i just got me phat linux (http://www.phatlinux.com), and, despite my frequent visits to their message board (http://stop.at/phatlinux), i still couldnt get it up and running :(

has anyone ever used this? i only used it because it didnt require me to partition my hd....

which brings me to my next point.

my pc specs are:

4 gig hd
128 MB RAM

should i get partition magic? i really want to try linux out, but would probably just allot around 1 gig for it, and the rest is for win 98.

any suggestions re this? please?

thanks.

[Pat45]

I would recommend using PartitionMagic. It also comes with BootMagic, which allows you to manage different OS's. Makes trying out new OS's a cinch. BTW, I'm still using PartitionMagic 4.0, I think the latest is now v. 7.0 :)

[Krakista]

I use Partition Magic 6.0, lower versions don't support harddisks > 8GB, Win2K and WinME. I have an 8GB harddisk with 4GB dual boot FAT32 partition for Win98/2K, a secondary FAT32 drive (no OS) and 2GB for Linux Mandrake. When you startup your PC, BootMagic prompts for Linux or Windows. When I click Windows it allows me to select Win98 or Win2K.

1GB might not be enough though it depends on your Linux distro.

:)

[rilkean]

Originally posted by Krakista
I use Partition Magic 6.0, lower versions don't support harddisks > 8GB, Win2K and WinME. I have an 8GB harddisk with 4GB dual boot FAT32 partition for Win98/2K, a secondary FAT32 drive (no OS) and 2GB for Linux Mandrake. When you startup your PC, BootMagic prompts for Linux or Windows. When I click Windows it allows me to select Win98 or Win2K.

1GB might not be enough though it depends on your Linux distro.

:)

ok then. i could buy partition magic anytime now :)

what linux distro with GUI do you recommend then? ok... maybe ill go as far as 1.5 gigs.

if i dont like two OS's, is it easy enough to take back that partitioned part of my hd, and recover it for win98?

[Krakista]

Originally posted by rilkean
what linux distro with GUI do you recommend then? ok... maybe ill go as far as 1.5 gigs.

if i dont like two OS's, is it easy enough to take back that partitioned part of my hd, and recover it for win98?
For a newbie install, I think Linux Mandrake could fit in 1.5GB if you remove some of the options.

Yes, it's easier to take out a partition than to put in one. The first time I added a Linux partition to a production harddisk, the Linux install nuked my Windows 98 partition.

[rilkean]

Originally posted by Krakista

For a newbie install, I think Linux Mandrake could fit in 1.5GB if you remove some of the options.



like what? hmmm.... i think i just want some basic stuff lang naman, like word processing, and playing music. wag na image editing of course.


Yes, it's easier to take out a partition than to put in one. The first time I added a Linux partition to a production harddisk, the Linux install nuked my Windows 98 partition.

i dont get you here. ok, this is what i think i should do, and do correct me if im wrong:

->make two partitions: 1 for my main OS (win98), and the other for linux

what happened to your win 98 partition? im a little fearful here, since:

1)im just really curious about linux, and i want to get a hands-on experience; this qualifies me as a beginner

2)i cant do a backup on my files.

:( will appreciate more help....

[Krakista]

Originally posted by rilkean
like what? hmmm.... i think i just want some basic stuff lang naman, like word processing, and playing music. wag na image editing of course.Just tweak with the options, I myself am a Linux newbie. I made a minimal install so I could put in the Kylix Server Developer Edition. But I do have 500MB more but there's still lotsa free diskspace.



i dont get you here. ok, this is what i think i should do, and do correct me if im wrong:

->make two partitions: 1 for my main OS (win98), and the other for linuxCorrect.

what happened to your win 98 partition? im a little fearful here, since:

1)im just really curious about linux, and i want to get a hands-on experience; this qualifies me as a beginner

2)i cant do a backup on my files.

:( will appreciate more help.... All the files in my Win98 disappeared but I did have a backup. What I mean to say is if you already have Win98 in one partition that occupies the entire harddisk and you want to add another partition, that's where it gets a little scary should you not have a backup. But if you already have two partitions in place and you just want to delete one partition and reuse the space for the remaining partition, it shouldn't be a problem since you're simply gonna increase the size of the partition on a trashed partition space.

[rilkean]

All the files in my Win98 disappeared but I did have a backup. What I mean to say is if you already have Win98 in one partition that occupies the entire harddisk and you want to add another partition, that's where it gets a little scary should you not have a backup. But if you already have two partitions in place and you just want to delete one partition and reuse the space for the remaining partition, it shouldn't be a problem since you're simply gonna increase the size of the partition on a trashed partition space.

i dont know anymore..... :(

im really concerned re my files. maybe id just invest on another hard disk.

thanks anyway :)

[Krakista]

Better to be safe than sorry. :)

[:b]

phatlinux worked fine for me and i didn't have to repartition. maybe i can help... but i have to warn you, it's been a while so i may be a little rusty :)

[rilkean]

i successfully installed phatlinux!!!!

and im basking in the kde environment! that is, because its the only environment i could access based on my limited, windows-based know-how.

but the cd does say i have gnome and enlightenment, though :(

and its way too slow....

i dont know if im right, but the only asssumption that sounds right for me would be that my main machine runs on an amd-k6 400 mhz processor, and the other machine, the one where phat linux run successfully, was a pentium II.

should i return the 128 ram i just swiped from the pentium II machine to my main desktop? or wouldnt really matter much because of the linux distro im using?