How to install to already partitioned HD

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05-28-2006, 09:31 PM
Harry Kuhman

Quote:

Originally Posted by garrincha

Just in case, how do I actually remove the Debian-Sarge on my HD, just so that I could install Debian-Etch?

I expect that there is more than one good way. I personally would just delete the Linux partition and the Linux swap partition and then Net-install Debian and tell it to use the now free space on the diak.

Quote:

Originally Posted by garrincha

I do not recall coming up to the 'desktop install' (i.e. gnome) during the Debian-sarge install process.

It may have been worded different in Sarge, I just don't remember, I've done a lot of different installs since then, but I'm certain it was there and that it wasn't too hard to come across (since I did).

Quote:

Originally Posted by garrincha

Anyway, I tried the apt-get in the debian [root] shell by typing:

atp-get install gnome

after pressing <enter>, I get this:

"package gnome is not available, but ......

I would have expected the name to be gnome, but maybe the name is something different. I have not had reason to track down the exact package name since Etch installed it for me. You could try searching through the Debian package list, be sure that you use the right list for Sarge or Etch.

I understand a bit more of the confusion on the cable modem now. What Windows calls something can be confusing, but in this case I think it is included here because you have a USB driver for the device in Windows. I strongly discourage any networking done over USB and if you can also attach that modem by ethernet I suggest that you do so and remove the USB support completely from Windows, it will run much better. This is also essential before you can add a routerm, as the USB connection stops you from attaching the router or otherwise having a proper network. You should not see this cable modem as a device under Linux, you should simply see you NIC or NICs and a NIC should connect to the cable modem or, better yet, to a router that connects to the modem.
05-29-2006, 12:17 AM
garrincha

Harry, I was just checking documention on deleting the linux partition using FDISK. Apparently, you're supposed to delete only the Non-DOS partitions? I checked using FDISK and this is what I have:

Part---Status---Type--------MB---Sys
C: 1---A--------PRI DOS---2408---FAT32
2----------------Non-DOS---620
3----------------EXT DOS---1090

The EXT DOS partition contains logical DOS drives. when I displayed the logical drive info, it showed, 'No logical drive defined'.

FYI: Un-Doing Dual-Boot Using FDISK on Windows 98.
05-29-2006, 12:55 AM
Harry Kuhman

Quote:

Originally Posted by garrincha

Apparently, you're supposed to delete only the Non-DOS partitions?

No, Fdisk can delete any partition, DOS or non-DOS. Actually, some old versions of Fdisk refused to delete the non-DOS partitions (over agressive safety on Microsoft's part as far as I'm concerned), but the version that you have seems to have grown out of that. Of course, deleting DOS partitions means that you could delete your data or even the entire OS if you don't know what you are doing, so do it when you have a very good idea of what you are doing and be careful.

It sounds like you now have an extended partition but there are no logical drives defined it it. Great, as you can only delete an extended partition when using Fdisk if it is completely empty (another safety issue, there is no real reason why a prorgam couldn't detelt an extended partition no matter what was in it). So you should be able to use Fdisk to delete the extended partition just fine. I'm assuming that windows sees only a C drive and no other hard disk partition is available to it (unlike before when D could be seen but was not formatted). Just be sure that you delete the extended partition and not the primary partition.

As to undoing a dual boot install, I think it covers what I already said. You remove the Linux partitions (or just leave them there and ignore them if you want). You get the program that starts the multi-booting out of the Master Boot Record (I told you how to do this with Fdisk). The Windows partition should be marked active, but I believe that it will still be marked active and this is not changed by the Linux install, but if you somehow find that you need to mark it active again you can do this with Fdisk also.
05-29-2006, 11:10 PM
garrincha

:roll: O.k. Harry. I spend all evening removing the debian linux (sarge) partition and installing the debian-etch CD #1.

Everything went smoothly with the debian-etch installer until I reached the 'select and install software' part, the install was about 95% (just after preparing x-window-system-core portion) completed before an error came up:

'installation step failed - you can try run the failing item again from the menu or skip it and choose something else'

I tried running the failing step again several times but it didnt works. So I skipped to the next step which was the GRUB install but I got:

'unable to install GRUB in (hd0), executing 'grub-install (hd0)' failed' 'This is fatal error'

After seeing the fatal error message, I knew that I'm scr&wed!! The PC failed to re-boot - blank screen. So I had the miserable job of re-installing Win98 and network.

FYI, the partition info before the installation failed:
IDE 1 master (hda) ----4.3GB---Maxtor
#1 primary-------------2.4GB---fat32
#2 primary-------------1.8GB---B f---ext3----/
#5 logical---------------115.1MB--f swap-----swap
05-29-2006, 11:32 PM
Harry Kuhman

Quote:

Originally Posted by garrincha

So I had the miserable job of re-installing Win98 and network.

No, you did not have to do that!!!!

I told you many times that you could remove grub from the MBR with the copy of fdisk that comes with Win98 (and advised you to bave a bootable copy of DOS with fdisk on it before you did anything) just by typing " fdisk /mbr ".

I do not know the cause of your errors, I don't even have much of an idea of what you selected, but the Windows reinstall was completely unneeded, you just had to remove grub and restore the MBR to a MBR that Windows expects!
05-29-2006, 11:53 PM
garrincha

O.k. Harry. I should have used the the Win98 boot floppy with fdisk. Anyway, that's in the past. So I had to remove the GRUB bootloader BEFORE I do the debian-etch installation?

The Debian-Etch install actually went well so far until the failure. I started from beginning with about 1.8G of free space in C drive, installed the Debian-Etch boot CD #1 and went thru the installation steps. When it come to the partition step, I let Debian-install do it automatically and the partition table was as I posted in my last message. After about 30-40 mins, when the the installation was about 95% completed, I received the install failure message as described in the above post.

When I installed the Debian-Sarge CD, somehow the step where I choose the 'desktop install' didn't came up, otherwise the whole installation including GRUB install went o.k.
05-30-2006, 12:27 AM
Harry Kuhman

Quote:

Originally Posted by garrincha

O.k. Harry. I should have used the the Win98 boot floppy with fdisk. Anyway, that's in the past. So I had to remove the GRUB bootloader BEFORE I do the debian-etch installation?

That is a good question and I'm not sure of the answer to it. I would expect that Debian could install Etach to a system that already had grub in the disk's mbr and would just replace that grub with the new grub form this install, but I guess there is a very small chance that it could confuse Debian or at least bring up a question that I have never seen. I really don't know because as I mentioned I almost always use XOSL in the MBR (and XOSL has never confused Debian, it gladly over writes it if you let it). So unless I learn otherwise I think there is no need to remove grub, other than to get Windows back to it's normal Windows only boot mode.

Quote:

Originally Posted by garrincha

After about 30-40 mins, when the the installation was about 95% completed, I received the install failure message as described in the above post.

I'm not at all clear about what the problem you hit is. Perhaps someone who knows Debian better (I'm very much just starting to learn myself) will join in and provide some answers or at least ask the right questions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by garrincha

When I installed the Debian-Sarge CD, somehow the step where I choose the 'desktop install' didn't came up, otherwise the whole installation including GRUB install went o.k.

I take it then that you got far enough in the Etch install to see that desktop install question? I do know that the Sarge install dialog is different, they have made it much more user friendly in Etch, but I'm sure that the offer was made in some form in Sarge as well. If I remember correctly it was a list of things that you wanted and you checked of things you want or unselected things you did not, but I could be remembering a completely different Linux install there.
05-31-2006, 07:48 PM
garrincha

:D

Harry, I would like to say thanks for all the help. I hope that you didn´t indigested too many coffee!8)

I decided to install Debian-Etch onto a separate HDD. Apparently, when I tried to install Debian-Etch to the 2nd HDD partition alongside Win98, it keep failing to complete the software install near the end, just before GRub/Lilo bootloader config setup. The same thing happened with Debian-Sarge install. Must be some software bugs, though I´m not too sure.

Anyway, the Debian-Etch with Gnome desktop worked like charm on the old pentium machine, much better than Win98.

Do you know of an alternative to MSN messenger? I noticed that in the Knoppix LiveCD that there is app called ´Minicom´ - do you have any idea about it? I´m wondering if it is the same kind of thing as the text service for deaf/hard-of-hearing people. In the UK, there is a text-phone service for the deaf/hoh also called ´Minicom´.
05-31-2006, 08:02 PM
Harry Kuhman

Congratulations. I don't use messanger or the other software that you ask about, but I would suggest starting new threads in the General forum and asking there.
12-24-2006, 04:29 PM
garrincha

Hey Harry, just sending you a Christmas greeting and all the best for the new year!

I haven't forgetten and thanks for the all the help. FYI, I'm running Debian/Etch (soon to become 'stable') on a slightly souped up PII machine, I added an extra 8 G of space. After experimenting with desktop environments Gnome, and KDE (briefly) I tried other window managers like window maker, icewm, xfce, fvvm etc before settling on fluxbox whiich is light and very fast and enlightenment (E16) also fast but slight more 'eye-candy'. I briefly tried out other linux distros but I eventually stick with Debian, which I supposed is the 'original' and still the best. I still keep the knoppix LiveCD as a handily backup.

And oh, I completely threw away the Windows platform. :)

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