Install First? Linux or WinXP

[don]

I'm starting with a blank 80 gig harddrive and would like to be able to Dual
Boot Debian Linux or WinXP.

My question is which operating system should I install first? How would you
split the harddrive up? Can both systems read the same files if
I partitioned the drive into 3; 1. for Linux 2. for WinXP 3. My
personal files

[Bit Twister]

On Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:56:28 -0500, don wrote:
>
> My question is which operating system should I install first?

Always install windoze first.

> How would you split the harddrive up?

Install windows, install all service packs, install your third party
apps like firefox, thunderbird, java's jre,.....
Then run Disk Cleanup and be sure to click Clean Up under Options,
System Restore, OK, OK

Then run disk defragger.

You then figure out how much space you need on XP, and add 10-15 gig
so you have room for updates.

Once you know that you can shrink XP partition to whatever value you
wind up with.

> Can both systems read the same files

There is a few third party apps you can install on XP to read linux
partitions. I created a vfat D drive to xfer files to/from doze.

> if I partitioned the drive into 3; 1. for Linux 2. for WinXP 3. My
> personal files

Well, I created a swap partition just after windows D drive, the size of memory
or 512meg whichever is larger.

Then I created a partition for general storage, 20 gig for linux install.
No idea what size partition required for Debian, depending on what you install.
Rest of drive is left free.

When a new release comes out, I create another 20 gig partition and
install there. Set boot loader to load old/new install. Once new
install works, old partition becomes free for new install.

[Todd H.]

"don" <d...@panix.com> writes:

I'd install Windows first. Modern Linux installers know to look for
windows and adjust the boot manager accordingly.

Yes, I'd consider splitting up the hard drive.

Your partitioning scheme sounds good. Depending on your security
requirements, your scheme would work quite handily with low drama if
you put your personal files on a fat32 partition. Linux and XP can
read/write those without drama. Supposedly captive NTFS has gotten
more robust, but I don't have personal experience to back that up.

Another option you might consider versus dual booting would be the
joys of virtual machines. VMWare Server is free. You could install
whichever SO you'll be doing most stuff in, and install VMWare server
into that host OS and create a virtual machine inside of it for the
other OS. That would obviate the need for any partitioning
gymnastics.

VMWare works wonderfully with enough memory and if you haven't used it
before, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it and won't have
much patience for dual booting ever again. VMWare Workstation has
sufficient features over VMWare server that it'd be worth the money in
my estimation, but if you need free, VMWare Server (formerly their
GSX Server product) is free and quite capable.

Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

[don]

Thanks - I wasn't aware of VMWare Server being free - I think I may try it.

[Todd H.]

"don" <d...@panix.com> writes:

> Thanks - I wasn't aware of VMWare Server being free - I think I may try it.

http://www.vmware.com/products/server/

[Basil Holloway]

Todd

Very interesting reply re using virtual machines for Linux with XP.
Thanks for sharing with us.

>Modern Linux installers know to look for
>windows and adjust the boot manager accordingly.

In your experience would AIX work in this situation or would one be stymied
by AIX's penchant for specific IBM hardware.

Thanks

[Todd H.]

"Basil Holloway" <farl...@bigpond.com> writes:

> Todd
>
> Very interesting reply re using virtual machines for Linux with XP.
> Thanks for sharing with us.

VMWare rocks. Happy to spread the word.

>>Modern Linux installers know to look for
>>windows and adjust the boot manager accordingly.
>
> In your experience would AIX work in this situation or would one be stymied
> by AIX's penchant for specific IBM hardware.

Unfortunately it won't. VMWare is not an emulator. Instead it
implements and x86 motherboard where there is a hole in the place
where teh processor should be ... and the actual machine's processor
is timeshared in to provide the virtualization.

Therefore, the only supported guest operating systems for VmWare
Server and VMWare workstation are those that run on x86 hardware.
AIX, which runs on the POWER architecture, is therefore not among the
supported guest OS's. It won't do HP-UX (PA-RISC or Itanium) either.
If you want a real Unix under it, Solaris would get the call (Solaris
x86, not SPARC).