Partitioning

[Pyrot3k]

Hi! I am new to this system , but it look kinda cool... What do i have to do to install Sabayon ?

Here is the settings i have put till now...

I want to have automatic patitioning = Keep all partitions and use existing free space...Is that right ? Because i get an error ...It says Could not locate requested partition :S

I got win Xp and i am not gonna delete it...But how do i install ? : )

[DontPanic]

Welcome to Linux.

It sounds like you may have some misconceptions about partitioning. Partitioning is for dividing up your storage device into distinct sections with boundaries around them so other processes won't touch those sections unless you explicitly direct them to.

Typically, when you install linux on a previously Windows-only computer, you need to slice out a section of the hard disk as a separate partition that Windows can no longer meddle with easily. Unfortunately, it is more complicated that just having free space on your Windows file system.

In some cases, you may have a big un-used empty partition on your hard-disk that Windows has not set up to use yet. That is the kind of space that automatic partitioning is looking for. But most Windows computers are shipped with all the hard-disk space allocated to Windows (why wouldn't they?).

In general, you need to move all you Windows files to one side of you hard disk (Windows defrag should do this), then amputate off a section of your Windows partition and turn it into a linux partition (linux gparted should be able to do this).

I was looking around for a good tutorial on how to do this, but I apologize I couldn't put my (virtual) finger on one.

While I hate to discourage anyone who is enthusiastically seeking to install linux, you probably need to look into these topics further since there is a potential for damage to your existing Windows XP installation.

[Fitzcarraldo]

If you are going to partition your HDD and install SL onto the HDD to dual boot with Windows, first backup your data files. If you have no way of re-installing Windows then make a disk image too. I have installed SL to dual boot with Windows XP several times without any problems, but you should always make a backup of anything that you do not wish to lose in the event of an accident.

There is a full description of the installation process, including screen images of every stage, in the SL Wiki starting on the following page:

http://wiki.sabayonlinux.org/index.php? ... ayon_Linux

Make sure you run Update Installer first (double-click on the big downward-pointing arrow icon on the Desktop of the LiveDVD). You must be connected to the Internet. Then you can run Install to Disk (another icon on the Desktop). Install to Disk uses a GUI and leads you through the installation process, and is easy to use. If your laptop has switches on it for built-in Bluetooth and WiFi adapters, switch them on before running Install to Disk so that they are detected (I actually turned the WiFi switch on during the process when I reached the Network Configuration page, but it is easier just to switch them on at the start so you don’t forget).

The installer will ask you if you want it to automatically partition the HDD or whether you want to do it manually using Disk Manager. I prefer to partition the HDD before running Install to Disk, and then select the manual option in the installer to specify the Mount Point for each partition.

On the Boot Loader Configuration page, tick Use a boot loader password and Configure advanced boot loader options. The default GRUB is fine as the boot loader. Tick the box to install GRUB into /boot rather than the MBR (Master Boot Record, which is used by Windows and which I prefer to leave as it is).

In summary, the way I install from the LiveDVD is as follows:

1) Make sure the language, keyboard country, desktop acceleration, Beryl, Bluetooth keyboard etc. are all configured to your preferences. (You can change anything after installing to HDD if you forget, but you may as well do it all now so that, for example, when you press a key on your UK keyboard during the installation, the correct character appears on screen).

2) Run Update Installer.

3) Run GParted from the LiveDVD (the Partition Editor icon on the Desktop, or you can type gparted in a Terminal window) and define the partitions you want.

4) Run Install to Disk.

My laptop was delivered with a nominal 160 Gb HDD (149.05 Gb formatted), partitioned into three partitions: a hidden ‘factory restore’ partition (3.90 Gb) for Windows XP Professional; a C: drive (72.33 Gb) and a D: drive (72.82 Gb), with Windows XP Professional installed on the C: drive. I decided to leave the hidden factory partition and C: drive as they were so that I could dual-boot with Windows XP and restore Windows XP to its original state in future if necessary, and to use the D: drive for SL. I therefore used GParted to partition the HDD as follows:

Partition.......Filesystem.......Mountpoint..............Label........Size......................Flags
/dev/sda1.....fat32............/media/PQSERVICE.....................3.9 Gb
/dev/sda1.....fat32............/media/ACER..........................72.33 Gb................boot, lba
/dev/sda3.....ext3............./boot...................../boot.......101.98 Mb
/dev/sda4.....extended..................................................72.72 Gb
.../dev/sda5...ext3............./........................./..............23.38 Gb
.../dev/sda6...ext3............./home................../home........48.83 Gb
.../dev/sda7...linux-swap...............................................517.69 Mb

The first and second partitions are exactly as they were when I bought the PC. I simply used GParted to delete the third partition (which was the D: drive in Windows XP) and re-partitioned it as one primary partition for /boot and one extended partition with three logical partitions, for /home, / and swap. See my note further on about the size of the swap partition.

You can have a maximum of four primary partitions, of which one or more can be an extended partition containing logical partitions. Incidentally, Red Hat Linux 9 documentation states that there should be no more than 12 logical partitions per HDD in the case of Linux. I wanted /boot to be in a primary partition, so I had to create an extended partition to be able to fit in the other SL partitions (/, /home and swap). Note that /home is not mandatory: the recommended minimum number of Linux partitions is /boot, / and swap. However I wanted to have my data (word documents, pictures, music etc.) on a separate partition so that it would not be affected if I need to reinstall the other SL partitions for any reason (which I have had to do on a few occasions).

Note that the partition sizes are not exactly what I selected in GParted: I allowed GParted to round the sizes to the nearest sector.

I have read several contradictory guidelines for the size of the swap partition. The one I first adopted is from Red Hat Linux 9 documentation, which recommends that, if RAM size R <= 1 Gb then swap size S should be in the range R <= S <= 2R, and for R > 1 Gb, make S = 2 Gb. I have noticed over the last few months that SL uses hardly any of this 2 Gb swap partition, so perhaps the recommendation in Linux Format magazine would be better: 512 Mb maximum, and I have now changed to using this size of swap partition.

The Red Hat Linux 9 document recommends a /boot partition of 100 Mb. I made the root partition (/) bigger than 12 Gb because I read in these forums that SL 3.4f installed from the LiveDVD occupies around 12 Gb. So at least 12 Gb for this partition is needed, and I made it bigger to allow for future package installation; it is important to leave room for this. Finally, I created a separate /home partition for all my documents, pictures, music, videos etc. It is advantageous to have /home on a separate partition because you can reinstall SL without wiping all your files. If /home is in the same partition as / (root) then reinstalling SL will delete all your files and the hidden configuration directories for applications you have installed.

If your HDD is not already partitioned under Windows XP with two partitions (C: drive and D: drive) then you can use GParted or Norton Ghost or Partition Magic or similar partition manager to reduce the size of your Windows XP partition (the C: drive) in order to create unused space on the HDD for partitions to be used by SL. (N.B. If you have Vista, use Vista's own partition manager to resize a Vista partition. Do not resize a Vista partition using third party partition managers or you may end up trashing Vista.) Then you would use the partition manager to create the partitions and format them.

[ashley194]

I haven't got a problem, more of a how-to After getting permission from the boss (my wife), I'm about to get myself a 1 TB SATA HDD I noticed a while back, that there was a discussion on the merits of having seperate partions for the VAR, HOME, etc...now can't find any trace of it Any advice on my partioning strategy?

Many thanks

[the_heatherlys]

Ashley~

This link might be of interest to you: viewtopic.php?f=57&t=13299&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=home


Cheryl and Rob

[ashley194]

Hi the_heatherlys!
I've been searching ages for that topic

Many thanks for the pointer