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Re: Install Linux with Windows on new Dell
Hello,
> The issue apparently is that the BIOS possibly needs both partitions to be
> completely below the 1023 cylinder.
Not necessarily. If you can get to the system BIOS (usually by pressing DEL
or ESC when your computer boots up) and find an option to enable LBA mode on
your hard drive, you are not restricted to the 1024 cylinder limit. As a
result, your first partition could be for Windows, and your second partition
could be for Linux (optionally, you can also have a swap partition).
However, if your BIOS doesn't support LBA (unlikely, since your computer is
new), or if you can't find the option, then you will have to setup your
partitions like this:
1st partition (less than 10 MB) - linux /boot partition
2nd partition (as big as you need) - Windows partition
3rd partition (as big as you want) - linux / partition
4th partition (optional) - linux swap
> - Does Windows need to be in the first partition?
No.
> - If all 4 gigabytes of the Windows O/S doesn't fit below the 1023
cylinder
> isn't it kind of difficult to break the O/S up into 2 different
partitions?
> How come there isn't a problem now with the computer as shipped from Dell?
> Windows presently resides in 1 partition which obviously extends past the
> 1023 cylinder.
Linux can be broken up into 2 partitions, see above. However, I try to
enable LBA mode first; it makes things a lot easiser.
> - One last question, RedHat gives me the choice of installing LILO or
GRUB
> as the bootloader. Is there an advantage to one over the other? / Which
is
> preferable?
I would probably use GRUB; I think it is more flexible and has more features
than LILO.
I hope this info can point you in the right direction.
References: