What's prodecure for putting 2 OS's (MEPIS & Win98) on 1 wiped HDD?

Submitted by stan_p on Wed, 02/08/2006 - 16:07. Other
Posts: 52

I'm getting a used, *wiped* IBM xSeries 205 computer soon. I'd like to put Win98 (1st Edition) and MEPIS 3.3.1-1 on the single HDD in this computer and have the MEPIS occupy the larger part of the HDD. [I have a CD of MEPIS 3.3.1-1 and a Microsoft COA CD of Win98 1st Ed.]

For a dual OS boot to work properly, I know that Windows will have to be installed on the HDD first, then the MEPIS. But since I've never done anything like this before (and I'm no computer guru), I'd like to know if the following thoughts I have are correct.

1) Fiddle with/adjust the BIOS of the IBM so that it will boot first from a boot disk diskette holding files for Windows 98. [One or more of these files will make the CD drive work.]

2) Since I have Win98 1st Edition on an old, 1999 computer, I have the official Microsoft COA CD for Win98 1st Edition, which was supplied to me in 1999 by the maker of the Windows computer. [In a Windows forum I found out recently that my Win98 CD should be the kind that will indeed install Win98 1st Ed. on the HDD of the IBM. I was told it would work for me since it's an older CD (from 1999).]

3) The Windows-prepared boot diskette will allow the Win98 CD to work in the CD-ROM and let me install Win98 on the IBM.

4) I don't know how to make a partition on the single, 40 GB HDD so that Windows occupies a smaller part of the capacity of the HDD and so that MEPIS occupies the major part of it. [Tell me how to do this.]

5) Then fiddle with/adjust the BIOS so that it boots from the CD drive first, allowing me to insert the MEPIS CD and install MEPIS.

Is this the way to go about doing this? Kindly post corrections or the way to do this.

Thanks,

Stan

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Re: What's prodecure for putting 2 OS's (MEPIS & Win98) on 1 wip

Submitted by Bad Dog on Wed, 02/08/2006 - 20:27.
Posts: 565

stan_p wrote:

4) I don't know how to make a partition on the single, 40 GB HDD so that Windows occupies a smaller part of the capacity of the HDD and so that MEPIS occupies the major part of it. [Tell me how to do this.]

========================================
Start by booting the MEPIS cd and click the install me icon, click install, click QTParted, delete what ever is on the drive, create fat32 6, 8, 10 GB what ever you want, click commit, on the free space click create and choose linux swap 500MB and commit, on the free space click create Linux ext3 4 GB, this will be used for root and then commit, on the rest of the free space click create Linux ext3 and this will be used for home, click commit, close QTParted, close install, shut down and install win98 using the fat32 part you made, then install MEPIS and choose the 4 GB part for root and the larger part for home, home is where all of your downloads will go, personal settings, e-mail and you will need all the space you can give to home, MEPIS will find the swap and start using it, so no need to worry about that. Good Luck and welcome to MEPIS.

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Got it

Submitted by stan_p on Thu, 02/09/2006 - 02:17.
Posts: 52

Thanks Bad Dog- that was a big help. I'll do what you said soon after getting my new, used computer.

Stan

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Re: Got it

Submitted by Bad Dog on Thu, 02/09/2006 - 02:29.
Posts: 565

stan_p wrote:

Thanks Bad Dog- that was a big help. I'll do what you said soon after getting my new, used computer.
Stan

=====================================================
Here's a link that may come in handy when it comes time to install win98, http://www.62nds.com/pg/e21.php

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Something's wrong

Submitted by stan_p on Fri, 02/10/2006 - 00:31.
Posts: 52

Bad Dog wrote:

Here's a link that may come in handy when it comes time to install win98, http://www.62nds.com/pg/e21.php

Thanks again-- I'm saving that URL to be visited once I get Windows on the computer. But I'm running into some problem. I followed your instructions precisely making only the Linux partitions and another one in fat32 for Windows/DOS. All seemed OK: I had 3 partitions for Linux and 1 for Win98/DOS.

When I took out my MEPIS CD and had the computer boot from a Windows prepared boot disk (holding various DOS apps and utilites), some DOS utility (probably FDISK) told me there were 4 partitions and that one was in fat32. But when trying to set the partition as either a primary or an extended DOS partition, I get "No space to create a DOS partition".

Early on in the use of the Windows-prepared DOS boot diskette, a DOS utility detects something about the partitions I made and tells me that Windows might not install because some other, 3rd party software created a partition in fat32. From readings here I understood the MEPIS live CD should be used just to create the partitions and so that later, after both OSs were on the HDD, I could pick MEPIS. I read somewhere here in mepis.org that if Windows is the first OS to be installed, it wouldn't be possible to have a choice in GRUB to pick MEPIS. Is that right? Do any of you remember enough of Windows and DOS to know what might be wrong in what I was trying to do?
[Incidentally, I think it was the 1st time I turned on the computer to boot from the DOS diskette when I somehow saw a Windows NT logo full screen and log-in. I somehow erased the HDD which must have had some amount of WinNT probably still present as the OS (or a remainder of it).]

Any ideas on what's wrong and what I should try now?

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Re: Something's wrong

Submitted by Bad Dog on Fri, 02/10/2006 - 01:14.
Posts: 565

stan_p wrote:
Bad Dog wrote:

Here's a link that may come in handy when it comes time to install win98, http://www.62nds.com/pg/e21.php

Thanks again-- I'm saving that URL to be visited once I get Windows on the computer. But I'm running into some problem. I followed your instructions precisely making only the Linux partitions and another one in fat32 for Windows/DOS. All seemed OK: I had 3 partitions for Linux and 1 for Win98/DOS.

When I took out my MEPIS CD and had the computer boot from a Windows prepared boot disk (holding various DOS apps and utilites), some DOS utility (probably FDISK) told me there were 4 partitions and that one was in fat32. But when trying to set the partition as either a primary or an extended DOS partition, I get "No space to create a DOS partition".

Early on in the use of the Windows-prepared DOS boot diskette, a DOS utility detects something about the partitions I made and tells me that Windows might not install because some other, 3rd party software created a partition in fat32. From readings here I understood the MEPIS live CD should be used just to create the partitions and so that later, after both OSs were on the HDD, I could pick MEPIS. I read somewhere here in mepis.org that if Windows is the first OS to be installed, it wouldn't be possible to have a choice in GRUB to pick MEPIS. Is that right? Do any of you remember enough of Windows and DOS to know what might be wrong in what I was trying to do?
[Incidentally, I think it was the 1st time I turned on the computer to boot from the DOS diskette when I somehow saw a Windows NT logo full screen and log-in. I somehow erased the HDD which must have had some amount of WinNT probably still present as the OS (or a remainder of it).]

Any ideas on what's wrong and what I should try now?

=================================================
Have you tried to boot the win98 cd, the ones I have boot just like a linux cd. If you can't boot the win98 cd then boot with you dos disk and at a: promt type d: or what ever drive your win98 cd is in, then type setup, and choose the fat32 part to install on. I don't know why you are trying to use fdisk and your DOS utilitys after all you are not trying to install DOS are you?

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Re: Something's wrong

Submitted by stan_p on Fri, 02/10/2006 - 02:07.
Posts: 52

Bad Dog wrote:

Have you tried to boot the win98 cd, the ones I have boot just like a linux cd. If you can't boot the win98 cd then boot with you dos disk and at a: promt type d: or what ever drive your win98 cd is in, then type setup, and choose the fat32 part to install on. I don't know why you are trying to use fdisk and your DOS utilitys after all you are not trying to install DOS are you?

Well I believe I did try that and something didn't work out. I'll try again tomorrow or on the weekend.
Before I returned here with this problem, I'd found out from an experienced Win98 guy that I'd have to use the DOS boot diskette in order to get Win98 on my wiped HDD. Maybe his advice only led me into confusion-- I don't know, I never had to do anything like this before.

I'll return to this install matter another day soon. Thanks Bad Dog for the tips and help.

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Windows 1st, then Linux, according to this guy

Submitted by stan_p on Fri, 02/10/2006 - 12:42.
Posts: 52

Bad Dog wrote:

=================================================
Have you tried to boot the win98 cd, the ones I have boot just like a linux cd. If you can't boot the win98 cd then boot with you dos disk and at a: promt type d: or what ever drive your win98 cd is in, then type setup, and choose the fat32 part to install on. I don't know why you are trying to use fdisk and your DOS utilitys after all you are not trying to install DOS are you?

Yes, I found that when I set the BIOS to boot from the CD drive and when the Win98 disc is in the CD drive, I'm able to start the Win98 Setup process. But the Win98 Setup process quickly discovers that C:\ is not formatted and tells me it will format C:\ . Something's wrong though, and it won't install. I get the simple Win98 Startup error message: "Error. An error was detected while formatting your primary hard disk partition. Press Enter to quit Setup."

I had also been writing about this problem in a Win98 forum and a knowledgeable guy wrote this which I'll soon try-- it's found at http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=51398 :

"Boot into Linux and run its Fdisk program and make the partition for 98 a Primary FAT32 partition and then format it, also make the partiton Active. Note: the partition must be Primary. I think who ever told you to install Linux first was wrong. When linux is installed it would see the 98 OS and create the correct boot loader.

After you install 98 you will need to redo Linux boot loader.

Trying to use Win98 fdisk will not work. It will make only one primary partiton be it a DOS or Non-DOS.

I'm not sure just what partitions you now have, made a guess, but if you still have problems post the results from fdisk (linux or win) so we can see the partition info."

Following that guy's instructions I now wonder how is MEPIS going to format and make active the partition made in fat32 and reserved for Win98? Is this possible?

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Re: Windows 1st, then Linux, according to this guy

Submitted by Bad Dog on Fri, 02/10/2006 - 15:48.
Posts: 565

stan_p wrote:
Bad Dog wrote:

Yes, I found that when I set the BIOS to boot from the CD drive and when the Win98 disc is in the CD drive, I'm able to start the Win98 Setup process. But the Win98 Setup process quickly discovers that C:\ is not formatted and tells me it will format C:\ . Something's wrong though, and it won't install. I get the simple Win98 Startup error message: "Error. An error was detected while formatting your primary hard disk partition. Press Enter to quit Setup."

Following that guy's instructions I now wonder how is MEPIS going to format and make active the partition made in fat32 and reserved for Win98? Is this possible?

========================================
OK, now I uderstand that you have all ready installed MEPIS. Did you make the fat32 part first? If you did then you are ok. In the instructions I gave you in the first post, do the same thing to get to QTParted, this time select the fat32 part and choose format, select the fat32 part again and tick the box to make active and then click commit. Close all. Boot the wi98 cd and install. Let me know if win98 installs ok and then we will get MEPIS going again after that. Good Luck.

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Re: Windows 1st, then Linux, according to this guy

Submitted by stan_p on Fri, 02/10/2006 - 17:57.
Posts: 52

Bad Dog wrote:

========================================
OK, now I uderstand that you have all ready installed MEPIS. Did you make the fat32 part first? If you did then you are ok. In the instructions I gave you in the first post, do the same thing to get to QTParted, this time select the fat32 part and choose format, select the fat32 part again and tick the box to make active and then click commit. Close all. Boot the wi98 cd and install. Let me know if win98 installs ok and then we will get MEPIS going again after that. Good Luck.

No, I haven't yet installed MEPIS-- I only did what you told me to do: I just used the MEPIS live CD to make the partitions.

I'm in a public library at the moment so I'll have to check later at home about what partition I made first. But since I followed your original instructions exactly, then the partition for Win98 was made first and must be OK for your new instructions. I'll return to this later and report back on what I hope is success.

Thanks for helping one who's not so clever about these sorts of installations.

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Ready (finally) to re-size 2 partitions in FAT32

Submitted by stan_p on Fri, 02/24/2006 - 03:03.
Posts: 52

Bad Dog wrote:

========================================
OK, now I uderstand that you have all ready installed MEPIS. Did you make the fat32 part first? If you did then you are ok. In the instructions I gave you in the first post, do the same thing to get to QTParted, this time select the fat32 part and choose format, select the fat32 part again and tick the box to make active and then click commit. Close all. Boot the wi98 cd and install. Let me know if win98 installs ok and then we will get MEPIS going again after that. Good Luck.

On my single, 40 GB HDD, I installed Win98 1st Ed. I used the entire HDD for 2 FAT 32 partitions: one is C:\ and the other an *extended* partition (part of C:\ and I think called a logical partition) called D:\ . I now want to use QTParted to re-size these 2 partitions so that MEPIS (3.4-3) occupies the major part of the HDD. I really don't want to screw up the re-sizing and ruin the two Windows partitions so I'd like to know if my following plan and thoughts are OK and will work.

After installing some, but not all of the software I'll use in Windows, I defragged the C and D partitions. Then I shut down Windows and used the MEPIS live CD, to run QTParted.

Using my new MEPIS live CD, QTParted says this about the two partitions:

[The Win98 "C:\ " --> ] /dev/hda1 starts at 0.0307617 and ends at 32443.8. It can grow left 0.0307617 and right 32443.8.

[The Win98 "D:\ " --> ] /dev/hda5 starts at 32443.8 and ends at 38162.2. It can grow left 32443.8 and right 38162.2.

Having a 40 GB HDD, if I want the C (/dev/hda1) to be 5 GB and the D (/dev/hda5) to be 3 GB, would I want to re-size /dev/hda1 so it still begins at 0.0307617 and ends at 5.0307617?
And for the entended partition D (/dev/hda5), would it be re-sized to start at 5.0307617 and ends at 8.0307617?

If I'm right just above, then I have the rest "free" for MEPIS.

There's presently 1.27 to 1.3 GB occupied by files in C and only 12 kb in D. The tiny bit in D is behind-the-scenes structural stuff put there by Windows during the creation of D. Since I ran Windows Defrag, are the files in C right-up or packed-up against the start at 0.0307617? Will any C files be lost with the re-sizing?

Will shifting D over toward the end of C cause any problem for Windows seeing and using it?

Thanks,

Stan

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What's prodecure for putting 2 OS's (MEPIS & Win98) on 1 wiped HDD?

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