Can Linex co-exist with Windows98 on one PC?

[LarryChao]

Hi everyone,

My current PC runs Win98. Can I simply install a version of Linux on the same PC after downloading it?

If my only access to the Linux installation package from that PC is to use the current Win98 environment first, how is the Linux installation physically done? Should the Linux package be saved onto a CD first before installing?

Please let me know how to physically convert my current Win98 system into a Linux system; or add Linux to the existing Win98 environment. Thanks very much,

[Sam Hobbs]

This question does not belong here (in the C++ (Non Visual C++ Issues) forum).

When I wanted to know the answer to this question, I searched the internet and such and found the answers myself. I admit that some things were difficult to find, but I did find answers. If you do just a little bit of searching, you will find other forums to ask questions such as this.

There is huge variety of Linux distributions, so there are many possibilities. If your system is capable of booting from CD-ROM (many are) then you could get a version of Linux that can be booted tehn installed that way. There are many that are like tomsrtbt. Just get out and look around.

[Mick]

not that I'd done it, but I'd just get a thrid party app like partition magic

http://www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic/

[Yves M]

[mod: moved the thread to here]

[Tom Frohman]

Originally posted by Mick
not that I'd done it, but I'd just get a thrid party app like partition magic

http://www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic/

This is how I did it.

[Mick]

Originally posted by Tom Frohman
This is how I did it.

yea haven't played with partition magic, sys admins get that dirty work But I thought it might work....

[Sam Hobbs]

For the benefit of others, this question is similar to Linux Beginner created by the same person and that already has many answers.

[Yves M]

Many distributions also come with utility that lets you resize FAT(32) partitions, so with Windows 98 you should be OK.

[Sam Hobbs]

There are many solutions.

I forget what utility it is, but there is at least one utility that provides a multi-boot capability and that elimiantes the need to purchase partition utilities.

There are some distributions that can use a copy of Linux existing in a FAT32 partition, so that it can co-exist in a partition with win98 and such.

There is even a version that executes under Windows and that emulate Linux, but that probably would not help if the purpose is to study the kernel and such. Just be aware that many of the experts familiar with it that you might want help from are among the rudest I have encountered.

[MrViggy]

If you're only interested in playing around with Linux, you can also use the UMSDOS driver with the install (I know that Slackware has one, most other distros prolly do, too). Basically, this allows you to install Linux into a folder on your FAT16/FAT32 dirve, eliminating the need to re-partition the drive (this is the driver that Sam was reffering to).

The only disadvantage is that the FAT filesystem is rather inefficient, compared to ext2 and the newer ext3 and rieserFS systems.

Another suggestion would be the "zip slack" distro (http://www.slackware.org/zipslack/). The advantage to this is that you don't even need hard drive space. However, it is rather smallish (but if all you want to do is play with the kernel, it might be sufficient).

Viggy

[Sam Hobbs]

I think zipslack also uses UMSDOS. I had zipslack installed in a FAT partition and it took two or three times more space just because of FAT innefficiencies. That is why I said to installl it into a FAT32 partition.

I don't know what the ext3 and rieserFS file systems are but I assume they are not supported by Windows and therefore not relevant to the subject of distributions of Linux that can be installed into a partition containing Windows 98.

There is one difficulty installing zipslack. If the system has multiple physical drives with multiple partitions, it might be difficult to convert the drive/partition to the values that Linux needs yet we need to do that to allow zipslack to boot.

[abc_coder]

Originally posted by MrViggy
If you're only interested in playing around with Linux, you can also use the UMSDOS driver with the install (I know that Slackware has one, most other distros prolly do, too). Basically, this allows you to install Linux into a folder on your FAT16/FAT32 dirve, eliminating the need to re-partition the drive (this is the driver that Sam was reffering to).

actually, if you're interested in playing around with Linux use a 'live cd'. the most popular choice is Knoppix, but SuSe and Mandrake also offer a live-cd version of their distros (SuSe Live and MandrakeMove respectively).

For the unknowing: a live-cd distribution is a Linux distribution that runs off a CD. obviously, the more RAM you have the better in this case.

[pinku]

Knoppix is really great really wonderful hardware detection and even at a later time if you decide to install to hdd it is really easy. As for partitioning there is a really nice tool that comes with Knoppix called qtparted it works like a wonder atleast for FAT32.

And, once on debian package updating and new application installation is a breeze especially if you get urself synaptic package manager.

All this coming from a person who till about two weeks back had never installed Linux.

[Deniz]

Originally posted by LarryChao
Hi everyone,

My current PC runs Win98. Can I simply install a version of Linux on the same PC after downloading it?

If my only access to the Linux installation package from that PC is to use the current Win98 environment first, how is the Linux installation physically done? Should the Linux package be saved onto a CD first before installing?

Please let me know how to physically convert my current Win98 system into a Linux system; or add Linux to the existing Win98 environment. Thanks very much,

It is possible, nut you need to get the two OS's to sign a good behaivior agreement, you know, no fighting over CPU, play nicely etc