Linux guys - help me with QT parted

[dd74]

Hi all: I want to try this handy-dandy Mephis distro that Shuie sent out from the bayou. But I don't know crap about using QT parted to partition the hd. I'm going to set up the hard drive as FAT32 as Linux has yet to show me it can communicate with NTFS. However, after I install a bare bones XP OS as one half of the dual boot system I envision, I know I'll be clueless as to how to partition the drive for the Linux-Mephis install.

Can anyone run me through the steps in a sort of easy-to-read Step 1; Step 2; Step 3 process?

Thanks all.

[id10t]

Linux can read NTFS just fine, but not safely write to it. You'll want a small (100mb) linux partition as the first partition on the drive to mount as /boot, the second partition will be fat32 for winxp, then you need a large partition for / for linux, and a small (200mb or so) swap partition at the end. Linux will reference the first primary partition as hda1, the second primary partition as hda2 (for XP's c:\ ), the third for Linux's / will be hda3 and swap will be hda4. This assumes you make all 4 partitions primary partitions (you should...). I've not used partd (or the qt front end to it) but I can post directions on using Linux's fdisk if you need it.

Also, best Linux board I've found in 7 years is at www.justlinux.com (formerly known as linuxnewbie.org)

[dd74]

Hey, thanks for the reply. If you have fdisk partition directions, that'd be great if you can post them. Like I said, I'm trying to do this with Mepis, and would also like to try it with Knoppix. Mepis gives an option to format the entire drive, but it wipes out XP.

[id10t]

Check out http://www.linuxjunior.org/cgi-bin/pet/pet.cgi?SUBMIT=Display&id=33

www.linuxjunior.org is my second favorite linux board, its where a LOT of us went from lno/jl when it got bought by internet.com