Linux + Windows HOWTO

Linux + Windows HOWTO v0.1.0 1999-11-04 <menu >

Overview

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Intended Audience

How to Use This HOWTO

Concepts

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Procedure (uc)

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Reference

Backup

Catalog

Attach

Compact

Repartition

Format

Initial Program Load

Boot Manager

Mounting (uc)

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Windows partition visible from Linux (uc)

Linux partition visible from Windows (uc)

Permissions (uc)

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Choices (uc)

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Architecture

Filesystem

Linux

Windows (uc)

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Windows 3.1 (uc)

Windows 95 (uc)

Windows 98 (uc)

Windows 2000 (uc)

Windows NT (uc)

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Backup Tools

Compaction Tools

Repartitioning Tools

Boot Manager

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Actual Experience (uc)

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Adding linux to new computer preloaded with Windows 98 (uc)

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Appendices (uc)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Caveats (uc)

Tips and Tricks (uc)

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Reference (uc)

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Legend

Glossary

Bibliography

Index (uc)

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This HOWTO

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Copyright and Licensing

How to Report Errors or Omissions in This HOWTO

Future Work

Revision History

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Overview

Intended Audience This HOWTO is aimed at assisting those who wish to use the features of both Windows and Linux on the same host.

Nancy just bought a new computer. It came preloaded with Windows 98. Nancy wants to run accounting software supported by Windows 98 and mathematical research software. Nancy is an accountant and donates her time as the accountant for the local chapter of a charitable organization. The charitable organization requires the chapters to use standard software that they have chosen. This software is only supported on Windows 98, so Nancy must have Windows 98 to donate her accounting services. Nancy also teaches mathematics and personally pursues research mathematics. She is not a programmer amd doesn't want to waste unnecessary time doing system administration nor working with inflexible software. She believes that octave, c++ and the best research software is supported by unix. As a unix dialect she wants linux.

Lisa is shopping for a new computer to replace her aging host. Her computer will be preloaded with !RedHat 6.2 linux. Lisa is a professional programmer, who plans to run a server and firewall on her old computer. Lisa wants a low maintenance machine that reliability does her bidding. Occasionally she needs to read and write files for Macintosh and/or Windows users. She plans to remove Windows 95 from her old computer and run a dedicated server and firewall under linux. In accordance with her Microsoft End User License Agreement she will transfer Windows 95 to her new computer. Since she plans to spend most of her time in linux, it isn't worth buying a second Windows license to run Windows on both hosts.

Oscar is a system administrator for a large corporation that uses Windows NT and Irix workstations. One of the Windows NT workstations has just crashed and won't boot. Oscar has to recover critical data from the host which was not backed up. He needs tools to script searches and filter files. Oscar wants to use the panolpy of unix commands to low-level examine the hard disk in his search for the lost corporate assets. Last year Oscar configured a "dual booter" but he no longer remembers the details.

Tom is a graduate school teacher. Tom also teaches continuing education at the local community house. Nancy is a friend of Tom and asked for his help with her new computer. Tom is happy to oblige and this HOWTO is one of the consequences.

Table of Contents

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How to Use This HOWTO This HOWTO is focused on a general step-by-step procedure. You should first read which character among the intended audience that you most nearly match. Follow along as Tom helps each characters configure their systems. Before doing more than skimming, you should at least skim the critical concepts. Some of the words used may be unfamiliar, obsolete, or applied differently, so it is important to understand their usage in this HOWTO. Please write the maintainer with your experience good or bad.

Table of Contents

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Concepts Understanding this HOWTO depends on understanding its use of the following concepts.

* Disk and Format *

* Partition and Filesystem *

* Operating System *

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Procedure

Reference

#

Backup your software and data #

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Compile a catalog of hardware component models and software versions. #

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Attach new disks. #

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Compact the existing software and data. #

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Repartition the disk.. #

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Format the new partitions. #

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Load the new operating systems. #

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Install the boot manager (uc). #

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Cross mount the devices. #

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Backup

Installing linux on Nancy system will involve repartitioning. Any time you repartition a hard disk you run a significant risk of losing data on the disk. More precisely repartitioning does not actually cause data loss, but does tend to discover data that was lost piror.

Tom warned Nancy that she should backup everything before starting. Familiar with pluming repair, Tom knew that whey you shut off the water for 10min to replace a dripping faucet, you often find that the pipes in the floor were rusted and leaking. Nancy knew nothiing of plumbing, but she had a good book collection and had moved several times. She knew that bookshelves often break when you move them.

Since Lisa is buying a new computer, she has nothing yet to backup. When Oscar asked for the backups of the crashed computer he was met with the usual blank expressions. His job is essentially ot make a backup of the otherwise lost data.

This version of this HOWTO does not detail how to backup. If you wish to see more information on backing up or if you wish to provide information please contact the maintainer.

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Catalog During installation, the size of disks, and other accurate specifications will be necessary. Entry of slightly wrong values will result in subtle problems that may not show up immediately but will often be chronic, frustratingly difficult to diagnose, and maybe impossible to fix.

Windows and your linux distribution may not support the same hardware. You should see the Hardware Compatibility HOWTO for a list of what is known to be compatible or incompatible.

In general Windows is the more restrictive with exception of !WinModems?/!WinPrinters?/.... Any hardware supported by Windows will usually be supported by linux, though not necessarily included in your distribution. Much hardware, especially the old and the cutting edge, may be supported by linux but not by Windows. If not included in your distribution, you can usually download linux drivers and or modules from the Internet.

Winmodems, Winprinters, Winscanners, etc. are not supportable under linux. These devices are actually firmware that depend on proprietary Windows software. In the United States it is illegal to sell a linux distribution that supports these devices.

Lisa has dealt with software long enough to know the value of specifications. Even before purchasing a computer, Lisa has already created a log. For each computer being considered from each prospective vendor, Lisa has a list of each component, its model and capabilities.

Tom knows that one of the least expensive means to support reliability in any complex system (computer, airplane, car, etc.) is by keeping accurate maintenance records. Many (if not most) of the compatiblity problems reported by Tom's students would be prevented if accurate records were kept and consulted.

Tom usually recommends avoiding !WinModems?, etc. because their performance limitations are too severe for most people..

Oscar's company keeps records on the hardware components of each computer. Before trying to fix any problem, Oscar examines the log and often finds that intractible problems becomre easily solved when you know the model details.

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Attach One of the useful features of linux is the wide range of diagnostic and repair tools that it supports. The easy ability to write scripts also makes it easy to write worms and do other recovery operations.

Oscar has easy access to a spare hard drive. He checked the Hardware Compatibility HOWTO to select a hard drive model.

* Oscar grounds himself with a wrist strap to avoid accidental electrostatic damage. *

* He opens the case according to the service manual. *

* He slides the disk into the secondary drive slot and attaches an IDE cable. *

* Oscar closes the case and ungrounds himself. *

This version of this HOWTO does not detail how to attach new drives. If you wish to see more information on attaching or if you wish to provide information please contact the maintainer.

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Compact Most new computers preloaded with Windows are delivered with a single FAT32 partition that occupies the entire disk. Before loading a second operating system on a shared disk, it must be split into at least two partitions, since Windows and some linux distributions will not tolerate another operating system on the same partition.

Software is normally stored distributed across the disk partition. Before splitting a partition, all the data must be moved to the start of the partition, so that when the partition is split, the old software and data won't be lost. Tom warns Lisa, Nancy, and especially Oscar that compacting is not reversible. If the partition is error-free, no active files will be lost, but disconnected (deleted) files may be lost. If the partition has errors, tools exist that can often (but not always) recover disconnected files before compaction. After compacting , the disconnected files are probably unrecoverable.

The fips included in tomsrtbt-1.6.335 is 0.9e and Tom has used it directly with Windows 95. Windows98 requires fips-2.0 or later which (at press time) was not included in the archived tomsrtbt distributions.

Nancy is unafamiliar with open source code and the Internet, so Tom offers to create her fips disk.

# Download fips-2.0 and expand in the directory $FIPSROOT # (This may require privelege depending on Tom's linux configuration) (The address will probably change by the time you read this.) bash> FIPSROOT=/opt/packages/fips-2.0 bash> mkdir -p $FIPSROOT/original bash> cd $FIPSROOT/original bash> wget 'ftp://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/pub/Linux/sunsite.unc.edu/system/installl/fips-2.0.zip' bash> cd $PIPSROOT bash> unzip -d oritinal/fips-2.0.zip

# Insert and mount the startup disk from Nancy. # (This may require priveleges depending on Tom's linux configuration) bash> mkdir -p /floppy bash> mount -t vfat /dev/fd0 /floppy

# Follow the instructions for fips. At press time, this means copy 3 files to the startup disk. # bash> cp restorrb.exe fips.exe errors.txt /floppy

# Unmoun the floppy and return it to Nancy. # bash> umount /floppy

Nancy's new machine was delivered preloaded with Windows 98 on a single partition occupying the entire disk. The installation was already compact, but Nancy used scandisk and defrag anyway just to be safe. When splitting the partition with fips, it warns that the physical partition length does not equal the logical partitin length. Tom explains that this is expected since her disk has more than 1024 cylinders. Tom suggests that Nancy record the current partition info in case it is needed to recover from a disaster. Following Tom's suggestion, Nancy reduces the first partition to approximately 30% of the total disk size.

# Create a statup disk and give it to Tom. # [Start? [Settings...\Control Panel? [[[Add/Remove Programs?

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