Linux on windows pc help!!

[U-Toast]

Ok, i dont have my sig yet, so ill post my config at the end if info needed.
I have 2 hds, one 20 gig, and one 40 gig.
The 20 gig hd has 7 gig partition with windows xp home. With the rest i have installed linux
The 40 gig hd is full with games.
I have reinstalled linux a few times to get the dual boot working, but i am unsucsessfull!
Does linux hafta be installed on a 2nd primary partition, or a extended?
And when i have installed linux, i can boot into it, i hafta use the consol thing ( system restor, log in as root, and i am supposed to put the bot sector on a floppy, that i put in root in windows (c I hqave tried to mount, didnt work, so maybe it was already mounted, so i typed the command to copy sector to floppy, didnt work.
My linus is installed as fallows:
hda1 win xp
hda2 swap
hda3 linux with boot sector on first boot sector ( the option i chose)
What the heck am i supposed to do?
I dont mind reinstalling linux, i actually would prefer you walk me through the step to get this right. BTW, i want to use suse 9.1 personal

Specs:
athlon xp 2400+
kt400 chipset
rad 9700pro
logitech mx duo ( i use other keyboard and mouse when booting in linux, it doesnt recognize the wireless)
20 gig HD
40 gig HD

Thanks for any help

 

[horndude]

Not a Suse expert, explained that before but here's how it works, when dual booting, linux uses grub or LILO instead of autoexec.bat(what windows uses), however it can be set up to give you a choice at boot time as to which OS to choose.I have zero experience with doing this with windows XP, but ive done it with windows 98.At this point why dont you have Suse put the grub or LILO, whichever it uses on a floppy.That way if you want to boot linux, boot from the floppy. if you want windows, leave the floppy out and let it boot to windows.This eliminates grub or lilo being installed to your windows drive and partition, and makes the systems completely separate.

Linux needs a primary linux partition and a linux swap partition, the swap partition doesnt need to be bigger than 256mb usually, and its my understanding Suse will do this for you.You just need to tell it which drive to use.

Also, go to Suse's site and poke around and read everything, more than likely its got lots of info on how to do what you want.Linux isnt always point and click, its not complicated really, but there are some basic commands you will need to learn to get things done, like how to use some of the text editors and some basic command line skills.

 

[horndude]

Ok reread your post, that boot sector for suse needs to be on the WINDOWS drive, when your system boots it looks at the primary ide drive FIRST, if grub is on another drive the system wont even get the chance to look for grub cause youve got it on another drive.

 

[U-Toast]

so what u are saying is i hafta install it on MBR, or just choose the option to install in dev/hda1? And when u say windows drive, u mean partition? hda1 and hda 3 is the same drive but different partitions

 

[horndude]

Linux goes on its own partition just like you did before, but grub goes on the windows drive or partition, otherwise when you boot up, the system will see the windows boot file and use that, and it wont ever even get the chance to see grub.MBR is risky, first boot sector is better if it gives you that option.

linux on hda3, linux swap on hda2, grub on hda1(which is your windows parttiton)........putting grub on a floppy too would be a real good idea as a backup.Windows does not like this kind of a setup to be honest, microsoft has made the ntfs file system prettymuch incompatible with anything else available today.

 

[U-Toast]

haha, ok il try and reinstall windows, if all else fails, il buy a new hd,

 

[horndude]

You dont have to reinstall windows, unless it wont boot up now after all the things youve done, you just need to understand how a computer boots up, that way you understand what your doing here.You can boot as many OS's as you want, heck you can 10-20 if you want, but the bootloader for ALL of them has to be on the the first drive the system reads,PERIOD.

 

[horndude]

Oh ya, its essential windows gets installed FIRST, windows will NOT let you install it if you do linux first.

 

[U-Toast]

ahh i meant linux not xp.
also lil prob in the installation of suse, for the grub options, i have master boot record, boot sector on root (hda3) and diskette ( i dont want this, only last resort.) and i can choose other
I chose dev/hda and whn i hit apply, it shows hda (MBR) meaning it will install on master boot? And installing in hda1, taht windows, isnt that mbr..?

 

[horndude]

Ok, try MBR on primary drive /hda1 , but it is a little risky, it can wipe out evrything making you reinstall everything.Ive had it work, Ive also seen it not work.Slackware gives another option suse doesnt, first boot sector of ANY drive or partition, not just the drive with the linux partition. Still, make a floppy backup anyway, its cheap insurance.