SimplyMEPIS 6.0-4 Beta 2 Install defaulting to NTFS Partition
I decided to go ahead and overwrite a Kanotix Install I've got on a PC's hard disk with SimplyMEPIS 6.0-4 Beta 2.
It's in a tri-boot config right now with Windows XP Pro, SimplyMEPIS 6.0, and Kanotix 2006-04-RC4
XP is on sda1, SimplyMEPIS 6.0 on sda2, Linux Swap for sda3, Kanotix 2006-04-RC4 on sda4
I can't recall SimplyMEPIS ever defaulting to an NTFS Partition before if you have "custom install on existing partitions" selected (which I do).
I'm still on the same screen (in the middle of the install from the Live CD). I decided to stop long enough to grab an IP Address for my wireless adapter, load firefox, upload the screen shots and make this forum post.
I was capturing the screens while installing and uploaded them here. I'm still on the same install screen, getting ready to change it from my NTFS Partition to sda4.
Screen Captures from SimplyMEPIS install
Here is the one I'm currently on (it decided to use NTFS by default, even though there are LInux Partitions on the drive).
Quote:I can't recall
I don't think there's anything wrong here. [Unless one considers this to be a trick to wipe an existing Windoze partition - by default - and install Mepis there
. But I don't think so...]
Under "Choose Partitions" ALL available partitions are selectable (empty or not). It's just a list of possible install candidates. My guess is that, since Windoze wants to be installed on the first partition, it shows up first in your setup with Windoze. HPFS/NTFS has never shown up on this computer during any Mepis installation.....
Beware: your sda1 will NOT remain HPFS/NTFS if you DO select it as root for Mepis installation..
But you knew that already.
Regards, Ko
Ko Bros
The Mepis Install Changed
I finished my install of SimplyMEPIS 6.0-4 Beta 2 on sda4 (after making sure to select it versus sda1 where XP is installed).
Then, I double checked my findings by booting into a 6.0 Final CD and starting the install.
SimplyMEPIS 6.0 Final selects sda2 by default on my PC (which is the first Linux partition on the drive) when you select "custom install on existing partitions".
I then booted back into a SimplyMEPIS 6.0-4 Beta 2 Live CD and ran the install program again from it.
The new beta selects sda1 (my NTFS partition) by default when you choose "custom install on existing partitions".
So, the installation program has changed and is now choosing an NTFS partition instead of the first Linux partition it finds by default (maybe it's just selecting the first partition on the drive by default, versus the way it used to do it).
I didn't think my memory was failing me. I've never seen this behavior from SimplyMEPIS when installing it on this PC before.
I'd always thought it was a nice touch that the MEPIS install program did *not* default to an NTFS partition, and felt safer about recommending SimplyMEPIS because of it.
This additional safeguard is apparently gone in the beta version.
Jim C.