Thanks for your help. Here is the info requested...

$sudo fdisk -l /dev/hda

Disk /dev/hda: 13.7 GB, 13701316608 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 26548 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes

Disk /dev/hda doesn't contain a valid partition table


$sudo cfdisk

Unknown partition table type
Do you wish to start with a zero table [y/N] ?

$sudo lspci -vv

0000:00:00.0 Host bridge: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 620 Host (rev 02)
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Step
ping- SERR- FastB2B-
Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort
- <MAbort+ >SERR- <PERR-
Latency: 64
Region 0: Memory at e0000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64M]
Capabilities: [c0] AGP version 2.0
Status: RQ=32 Iso- ArqSz=0 Cal=0 SBA+ ITACoh- GART64- HTrans- 64
bit- FW- AGP3- Rate=x1,x2
Command: RQ=1 ArqSz=0 Cal=0 SBA- AGP- GART64- 64bit- FW- Rate=<n
one>

0000:00:00.1 IDE interface: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 5513 [IDE] (rev d0)
(prog-if 80 [Master])
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Step
ping- SERR- FastB2B-
Status: Cap- 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort-
<MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
Latency: 16
Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 14
Region 0: I/O ports at <ignored>
Region 1: I/O ports at <ignored>
Region 2: I/O ports at <ignored>
Region 3: I/O ports at <ignored>
Region 4: I/O ports at 4000 [size=16]

0000:00:01.0 ISA bridge: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SiS85C503/5513 (LPC Br
idge) (rev b1)
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle+ MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Step
ping- SERR- FastB2B-
Status: Cap- 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort
- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
Latency: 0

0000:00:01.1 ff00: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] ACPI
Control: I/O- Mem- BusMaster- SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Step
ping- SERR- FastB2B-
Status: Cap- 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort
- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-

0000:00:01.2 USB Controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] USB 1.0 Controller
(rev 11) (prog-if 10 [OHCI])
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Step
ping- SERR- FastB2B-
Status: Cap- 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort
- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
Latency: 64 (20000ns max), Cache Line Size: 0x08 (32 bytes)
Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 3
Region 0: Memory at e5901000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4K]

0000:00:02.0 PCI bridge: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] Virtual PCI-to-PCI bri
dge (AGP) (prog-if 00 [Normal decode])
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Step
ping- SERR- FastB2B-
Status: Cap- 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort-
<MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
Latency: 0
Bus: primary=00, secondary=01, subordinate=01, sec-latency=0
I/O behind bridge: 0000d000-0000dfff
Memory behind bridge: e5800000-e58fffff
Prefetchable memory behind bridge: e5000000-e57fffff
BridgeCtl: Parity- SERR- NoISA- VGA+ MAbort- >Reset- FastB2B-

0000:00:09.0 Ethernet controller: Lite-On Communications Inc LNE100TX (rev 21)
Subsystem: Netgear FA310TX
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Step
ping- SERR- FastB2B-
Status: Cap- 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort
- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
Latency: 64
Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 11
Region 0: I/O ports at e000 [size=256]
Region 1: Memory at e5900000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
Expansion ROM at e4000000 [disabled] [size=256K]

0000:00:0f.0 Multimedia audio controller: C-Media Electronics Inc CM8738 (rev 10
)
Subsystem: C-Media Electronics Inc CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device
Control: I/O+ Mem- BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Step
ping- SERR- FastB2B-
Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort
- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
Latency: 64 (500ns min, 6000ns max)
Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 10
Region 0: I/O ports at e400 [size=256]
Capabilities: [c0] Power Management version 2
Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot
-,D3cold-)
Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-

0000:00:0f.1 Communication controller: C-Media Electronics Inc CM8738 (rev 10)
Subsystem: C-Media Electronics Inc CM8738
Control: I/O+ Mem- BusMaster- SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Step
ping- SERR- FastB2B-
Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort
- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
Interrupt: pin B routed to IRQ 3
Region 0: I/O ports at e800 [size=64]
Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 2
Flags: PMEClk+ DSI- D1- D2+ AuxCurrent=55mA PME(D0+,D1-,D2+,D3ho
t+,D3cold+)
Status: D3 PME-Enable+ DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-

0000:01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 530/620 PCI/AGP VGA Display Adapter (rev 2a) (prog-if 00 [VGA])
Subsystem: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SiS530,620 GUI Accelerator+3 D
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Step ping- SERR- FastB2B-
Status: Cap+ 66MHz+ UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort - <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
Latency: 64 (500ns min)
Region 0: Memory at e5000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=8M]
Region 1: Memory at e5800000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
Region 2: I/O ports at d000 [size=128]
Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 1
Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2+ AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot -,D3cold-)
Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
Capabilities: [50] AGP version 1.0
Status: RQ=2 Iso- ArqSz=0 Cal=0 SBA- ITACoh- GART64- HTrans- 64b it- FW- AGP3- Rate=x1,x2
Command: RQ=1 ArqSz=0 Cal=0 SBA- AGP- GART64- 64bit- FW- Rate=<n one>



I would like to run KNOPPIX on this machine eventually. But the way I want to run it is like WinPartition method except Windows partition. Here is how I would do it...

1. Create a small partition of around 700 MB and copy KNOPPIX ISO file on that partition.
2. Create swap partition.
3. Create additional data partition with ext3 file system for KNOPPIX use.
4. Create a FAT32 partition to share data between KNOPPIX and other OSes.

After partition creation, I normally install GRUB on that machine and ask it to boot off ISO file on first partition - just like what it does in case of WinPartition method.

The main reason to do this - I can easily upgrade version of KNOPPIX later just by repalcing the ISO file on first partition. Also by keeping ISO file on HDD, the speed of booting is much faster than booting off CD because I have got a very slow CD drive on this machine.

Does all this makes sense? Please suggest if there is any better way to do this. And yes, first we need to resolve these HDD issues.