[ILUG] Switching to Linux from Wins98

[Ross Lynch]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jak [mailto:rfjak at eircom.net]
> Sent: 19 November 2000 12:58
> To: Ross Lynch; ilug at linux.ie
> Subject: Re: [ILUG] Switching to Linux from Wins98

> > Buh? It takes learning to understand moving between boot menu options?
>
> Yes actually, and until he figures it out, he would be thrown in Linux
> without having figured out how to login/do anything/shutdown.
> That's why I recommend not letting the install process overwrite his
> hard disk bootsector, but use a floppy instead ( assuming the
> installer has this lunatic option ).

Sorry, I can only assume that he _wants_ to install linux so that he _can_
log in. "Yeah sure, install linux... but, um, go read a book before you try
to log in"? I don't think so... not a very hands-on approach that. As a
matter of interest, supposing he doesn't know how to log in or shutdown, how
is a boot disk going to provide such tech support?

> > More lunatic soup! Anyway, you can always just fdisk /mbr from
> a boot disk
> > if your bootloader goes belly-up and Windows will reappear.
>
> After he does "just fdisk/mbr", he can do "just re-install Linux
> from scratch
> and hope the same shit doesn't happen again". This is not very encouraging
> for a beginner, and tends to send them elsewhere. Separating the 2 boot
> sequences gives him a failsafe option.

Um, no. fdisk /mbr wipes the _bootsector_ - not any partitions, linux or
otherwise. So, all he need do after that is boot linux from a disk and
reinstall the loader. Anyway, it's more likely that the bootdisk would get
fscked, rather than the loader, in my experience.

> > Buy a new hard disk just to dual boot 2 operating systems...
> this just gets
> > weirder and weirder.

> I'm not saying it is a necessity, just a means of safeguarding
> the existing
> installation. Having said that, I know someone who choose this route, and
> then re-partitioned the wrong disk, so it's not human-proof.

The best means of safeguarding your installation is to figure out what
paritions you've got stuff on _before_ you start repartitioning 'em. Write
them down oposite the device names if necessary and just check that you're
not gonna wipe a partition with stuff on it.

Ross.

--

              [  R o s s  L y n c h  ]

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