[TaNkZ101]

Hi, I'm going to make a partition with partition magic and install suse on the new partition. will i have to install my drivers onto suse? what else do i have to do? any checklist somewhere? thanks guys

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I am not sure of what you mean by "install my drivers onto suse". The answer is yes, but I think that will give you the wrong impression. Linux has different drivers, not the same as from XP.

Also, in my opinion it is best to have multiiple partitions. It is nice to have a separate boot partition (/boot, 100Mb), around 4-6Gb for the root (/) partition, 512MB-1Gb for swap, depending on what you do it could be larger, then the rest split up for user data. For a dual boot system I like to have a FAT32 partition so that you can transfer files there from Linux (there are packages which allow for Linux to write NTFS partitions, but I am not sure of how stable it is and I would not want to write to a system partiition).

[Kemasa]

I am not sure of what you mean by "install my drivers onto suse". The answer is yes, but I think that will give you the wrong impression. Linux has different drivers, not the same as from XP.

Also, in my opinion it is best to have multiiple partitions. It is nice to have a separate boot partition (/boot, 100Mb), around 4-6Gb for the root (/) partition, 512MB-1Gb for swap, depending on what you do it could be larger, then the rest split up for user data. For a dual boot system I like to have a FAT32 partition so that you can transfer files there from Linux (there are packages which allow for Linux to write NTFS partitions, but I am not sure of how stable it is and I would not want to write to a system partiition).

[TaNkZ101]

For example, i will probably have to reinstall my modem. And, will my cd drives work as soon as i install linux? or will i have to do something?

[TaNkZ101]

My Local Disc C (where xp is installed, and is my only local disc partition) is NTSF; can i make a fat32 partition as you suggest?

[Kemasa]

The modem can be an issue if it is a softmodem. There are drivers for some, but not all modems. If it is a real hardware modem (which work better and faster), then it would not be an issue.

Most CD drives should work without a problem.

Sometimes you need to find the Linux drivers for devices, especially if you have something not very common.

If you can reduce the size of your current partition, then you can split the freed space any way you want (within limits, of course). You could also add a second disk, if there is space in the machine. A lot depends on how much space you have in use, but make sure you make a backup before you try to change the size of the partition, then defrag it, then resize.

You don't want to change the type of your XP filesystem from NTFS.

[TaNkZ101]

I definately do not want to. I want to make a new partition with the free space I have (30 gb, so i'll probably make a partition of 15-20 gb). The only devices that I can think of that I use are the printer (which I don't use often) and my Siemens ADSL modem (it's external, so i guess hardware). my modem comes with an installation cd if i remember... so i hope it works in linux? i think i can find on my own how to set up the actual connection, it's just the hardware that idk how to set up. my speaker jack has been destroyed for years (i use headphones anyway), so i don't need that (although i suppose that's an ez setup as well). so i installed partition magic. and i have the suse dvd. i haven't started partition magic yet; what options should i select/change if i want a 15gb partition? (options=file type (fat or 32 or ntsf), idonno if anything else). i have space in my box for another hd, but i don't really feel like purchasing a new one (they don't make them under 80gigs anymore, maybe i can find one on an auction) because 1) i'm spending money on a lot more than i actually need, 2) i don't feel like making hardware changes (opening box etc).

[Kemasa]

You want to only shrink the existing partition, as part of the install the filesystems will be created as needed.

Your printer should not be a problem as most versions of Linux have drivers for common printers.

How does the ADSL modem connect? If it is through a USB connection, you might have a problem. If it connects through an ethernet port, you should have no problem. Many modems that have an ethernet connection also have a means of configuring the modem through a web page internal to the modem.

The filesystem type is 82, but you should not have to deal with that.

[TaNkZ101]

not sure now, possibly ethernet OR usb, i'll tell you tomorrow when i take a look.
a question about losing files when using partitionmagic: how often is it? i have norton goback (aka roxio revert); COULD this help me if i lost some files (possibly including system files)? my only really data-loss issue is if i lose xp files; i left all my MicroSoft cds in America when we moved here, they're probably on staten island (dump lol).

[Kemasa]

I don't know how often you can lose files, but as the saying goes: who cares if it is one in a million if you are the one. Yes, you might be able to get away with not doing a backup, but if anything goes wrong with the partition or the install, then you will be out your data perhaps.

[TaNkZ101]

someone told me linux usually can't install on ntsf... should the new partition be fat32? do i have a choice

[Kemasa]

Neither. The normal partition number for Linux is 82, but the filesystem can be ext2, ext3, reiserfs or perhaps another one. You don't want to create the partition yourself, let the install program create the filesystem.

[TaNkZ101]

okay thanks a lot, i think that's it!