Dual booting with Vista issues.

[Zorbonk]

Hey,

I downloaded Daryna Main and tried to do a dual boot install on a friend's new notebook.

I followed the APC Mag guide, but the install guide doesn't have the same partition manager as Ubuntu 7.10/Mint Daryna - the version I have doesn't display "use largest continual free space" option.

So I booted into the (as yet unused beyond installation) Vista to run the Disk Manager only to find that (a) there's no 'My computer' icon, (b) nothing anywhere I looked [though by this stage I was running out of patience] in System Config that seemed applicable, or (c) nothing turned up in 'search' for Disk Manager [this didn't particularly surprise me].

So I thought I'd use GPartEd to get the job done. There's two partitions! C and a D, nor room for the three I use with Linux. So I made Logical partitions for /, swap and /home and tried to write it and it returned an unspecified error. Literally, it had no error other than a 'write error' that popped up and the GPartEd log revealed no errors.

So now I feel really confused.

I never use Windows and have no idea whatsoever how to do anything but swear at it, log out and install Linux on it. Can anyone give me some help? I had a sniff around for similar topics, but couldn't find anything quite like this.

PS - My friend bought matching notebooks with his partner (cute, eh?) and we installed Daryna singly on the other. Worked fine. Totally painless and minty fresh.

[Boo]

what I would do and have done is install vista to just part of the disk, say a 100MB partition and leave the rest free.
then install mint on the free disk space.

Boo

[Fred]

Boo,

Install Vista into 100 MB? Yeah, right! Good luck with that.

That was a joke wasn't it?

Fred

[Boo]

oh yes 100GB sounds better.

ROFL
Boo

[McLovin]

What kind of laptop is it? Toshiba has a "deal" with Microsoft to lock the bios into using Vista.
As for the disk tool in Vista it can be accessed by going into the Start menu, all programs, administrative tools, computer management, then find the entry on the left that says "storage" and you will find the Disk Management. I know it's a long wacked out way to get to it, but that's how Microsoft is "protecting you from yourself"

[Guest]

It's a HP/Compaq. Apparently the second partition is a 'backup' partition of 6 or so gig, or so a friend who is somewhat experienced in this told me.

His suggestion was blowing away the second partition and hoping Vista doesn't crash and that is doesn't check the 'backup' partition is there in day-to-day operation.

Quite frankly, I'm thinking I might do this and hope it does crash, then I can tell my friend's their harddrive suddenly grew by 20gig...

[atlef]

1. Make sure that the restore dvd that the user is supposed to make when receiving the machine have been made.

2. If you decide to repartition the drive, remember that using the restore dvd will erase those if used.

3. And if you delete the backup partition, he is not necessarily eligible to support from HP/Compaq.

Make sure these things have been considered before you proseed.

Now to the partitioning, which in it self should be no problem when installing from the Live CD. But you could try PartedMagic, which I find to be better then the GParted one, but taste is individual.

Just resize the vista partition, and let the empty space be just that, empty. Then see if you can't install from the LinuxMint Live CD.

atlef.