From: Kenn Humborg (kenn at domain bluetree.ie)
Date: Wed 19 May 1999 - 15:04:48 IST
Michael Conry wrote:
>
> I am considering installing Linux as a boot option onto an existing Windows NT
> system.
> From what I have read about Linux, both on this list and elsewhere, it seems
> that there is a certain amount of risk involved in adding a Linux boot to an
> existing system (e.g. NT). As I understand it, this risk is mostly due to the need
> to re-partition disks.
> How real is the risk of losing files in doing a Linux installation? Also, if a
> hard drive was installed specifically to run Linux on (with no Windows/NT partitions
> on it at all) would this make things easier? (would there be any danger of damaging
> the other disks' file systems?).
Adding a separate disk is the easiest way to do it. If you
choose to make a boot floppy (or configure your 'normal' boot
loader to boot linux) and don't tell Linux where your
other partitions are, it will quite happily leave them alone.
Later, you can configure Linux to 'mount' (i.e. access) your
other partitions (if they are supported types, such as FAT, FAT32,
etc). You can make them read-only to Linux and it won't allow
anybody to modify them.
> One other ignorant question: if a video card is not supported (as I think is the
> case with the Intergraph Intense 3D Pro 3410 (AGP)), is it possible to use it at all
> under a Linux system?
As long as the card does basic VGA text mode (which I believe
every card has to do, or the BIOS won't boot), you'll be able
to use Linux's text-mode consoles. You may be able to use
the X Window System in 16-color VGA, but it will look sh*t.
Alternatively, commercial X Servers (such as MetroX and
Accelerated X) might support it. Does anyone know if
MetroX still comes with Official Red Hat 5.2/6.0?
Later,
Kenn
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.6 : Thu 06 Feb 2003 - 13:04:13 GMT