How to install Linux

[Mic Q]

When I installed Linux (SUSE/Mandrake), it automatically installs itself into the existing C: drive and auto-partition.

Now that i got a new HD as my D: drive , how could I :

1. Uninstall Linux from my C:
(good to learn even if putting it there is of no harm)

2. How to install Linux into D:

3. If after installing into D: and after sometime (weeks/months) if the D: drive crash. Will the computer have a problem booting from C: (which is running WinME) as I understand that Linux installs grub/lilo that somehow manages the booting.

4. Can we installed multiple flavours of Linux into ONE HD e.g. SUSE/Mandrake/Debain (we are passing the disk around and can hold on to it only for a short time )

[HomerCube]

First, I'd like to point out: C:, D:, ... are Windows-specific concepts only; they're logical names given to partitions. Given this:

1. Uninstall Linux from my C:
(good to learn even if putting it there is of no harm)

Linux has not to be uninstalled. Simply formatting partitions containing it will do the trick. You don't need anything else, do you?

2. How to install Linux into D:

You can install Linux wherever you want to. Choose partitions you want to use, and use them. Older LILO versions had troubles with partitions past 1024th cylinder, but it's all over...

3. If after installing into D: and after sometime (weeks/months) if the D: drive crash. Will the computer have a problem booting from C: (which is running WinME) as I understand that Linux installs grub/lilo that somehow manages the booting.

You shouldn't have problems. Provided that you used LILO, it's placed into the MBR. Of course, boot manager sections referring lost Linux boot partitions won't work, but Windows ones will, since your C: (as you refer to as) is still there.
If you use Grub, however, you could have some trouble. Grub installs only some info into the MBR, but menu.lst should be read dinamically at bootup; so, if you crash the partition containing it, it could be lost. Unfortunately , I never experienced such a disaster myself, so that I can't be 100% sure about what I told you.

4. Can we installed multiple flavours of Linux into ONE HD e.g. SUSE/Mandrake/Debain (we are passing the disk around and can hold on to it only for a short time )

Of course you can. You can also share same /home partition (or even others) among different Linux installations, by conveniently setting /etc/fstab. You'll only have to pay attention to /etc/passwd: different versions should be coherent as UID and GID. There're lots of docs about multiple Linux installations throughout the Web, please have a look at them to know all needed details.

[Mic Q]

Thanks for advise.

When we install Linux, it will automatically select the C:drive and install.

Is there a way that I could install it (maybe by some form of selection, but how) into the D: drive and a specific partition.

[HomerCube]

When we install Linux, it will automatically select the C:drive and install.

Are we talking about knoppix-installer? If it's the case, you can:

• start the script
• configure your installation
• when you're done, save and exit (don't start installation yet!)
• edit your .knofig file in order to use the partitions you want; syntax is easy to understand, and well commented
• restart the script and start real installation; it will use edited .knofig file

You can use same method to force use of partitions (such as /home, /tmp, and so on) and swap ones, if you've already set them up.

[firebyrd10]

If you use Grub, however, you could have some trouble. Grub installs only some info into the MBR, but menu.lst should be read dinamically at bootup; so, if you crash the partition containing it, it could be lost. Unfortunately , I never experienced such a disaster myself, so that I can't be 100% sure about what I told you.

Not only does it load menu.lst but it also loads its other stages. But if something does go wrong you can make a boot disk to boot and fix it. (you need to know the kernel name, but hey, you got knoppix for that)