The message XFMail.051107174527.Ted.Harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk from (Ted Harding) Ted.Harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk contains these words:
On 07-Nov-05 Anthony Anson wrote:
The message 54874100511070258u5ab67f31oc05ef67f9f817b4@mail.gmail.com from Tim Green timothy.j.green@gmail.com contains these words:
On 11/7/05, Anthony Anson tony.anson@zetnet.co.uk wrote:
I've just cleared a 24 gig partition on hda (E:). Win 2000 Pro on C: - some progs and saved stuff on F:. For some reason, Windows allocated D: to the zip drive... I might re-allocate drive numbers sometime to coincide with the Linux list. How will Debian do it? I might also fit a SCSI CD ROM so I can copy CDs at least. I haven't got a SCSI CD/DVD drive.
If you have an IDE one, then you can get the kernel to "fake" a SCSI interface for software (like xcdroast) which expects SCSI.
Uh-huh...
There is a module ide-scsi which does this. You need to modify /etc/lilo.conf (if using a LILO booter; get someone else to tell you how to do it for GRUB!) like the following (excerpted from one of my machines):
(Saved for deep contemplation.)
Q: when cfdisking it for Sarge, how will I know (for *CERTAIN*) which one to write to?
Linux doesn't know the drive letter assignments because Windows NT4 and beyond actually store this information in the registry.
Yes, I know this.
Sarge will write to the partitions assigned to it because you tell it which partition is boot, which is root, which is swap, and then optionally which will be home, var, etc.
What I need to know is how I can be certain that I'm writing to the partition I think I am. There are things I don't want to overwrite.
Here can I remond you of my suggestion of tomsrtvt (Linux on a floppy)? This is the sort of situation where it comes into its own, because it lets you run a Linux "without strings" -- you can inspect a machine from the Linux point of view, but before you have installed linux on it, and without making any changes to the hard drive.
I've noted the URL for a session sometime tonight.
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(I've been busy today, went out for an amble with the bag, and came back with what you might be interested enough to look at (or not) at:
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/fungi/dinner4.jpg
There are only a few I shall not be eating: 3, 9 & 10: 3 & 9 because I can't identify them, and 10 because it is easily confused with poisonous species and I'm not 100% certain of my identification.
The rest will be cooked, and a lot of them frozen.)
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If you have your partitions set up but not written to (or even if you don't have them set up), let's assume that you are able to recognise which Windows partition is which by virtue of knowing some files which should be visisble in each.
If the Linux partitions are set up but not written to, boot the machine from the floppy. You have (I think) only 1 hard drive (/dev/hda) but it doesn't matter if you have more -- just do the same for each.
In fact, I have six.
Then. once booted into Linux on a Floppy, run
fdisk /dev/hdc
and then enter "p". This will give you a list of the partitions, their sizes, their beginning and ending cylinders, and their types. The Windows partitions will be recognisable as such from their types, whether or not you have set types for the future Linux partitions.
Right. The partition I have set for Linux will either be on the existing 61 gig drive, shared with Win 2000 (but in another partition of course!) or on a 3·5 gig drive, in which case the Windows HD will come out on its tray and the Linux one will go in.
This would make things a lot easier, but 3·5 gig isn't very large (nowadays).
It will look something like the following:
(Saved for even more contemplation)
Now you know which partitions you can write to for Linux, since you will know which to avoid because they're Windows.
If you've only designated the extent of the Linux area (by shrinking the Windows partitions), then you'll only see detail on the Windows lines. Now you could use the "Linux on a Floppy" fdisk to make the Linux partitions and assign their types if you want to; but the Linux installer should do this OK anyway (just make sure it avoids /dev/hda1, /dev/hda2 or whatever has the Windows stuff on).
Good luck!
Thanks - it might make up for lack of know-how...