Ask the System Manager
(Frequently Asked Questions)
by Thomas Wallis

LINUX Help#2

How can I run LINUX on the same machine as DOS/Windows/Win95/XP?

In general, it is possible to run more than one operating system on your PC, assuming that you have enough hard disk space to install multiple operating systems. I (Tom Wallis) have done this on several machines in the CS Dept., as well as on my personal PC. However, you must know all about your hardware and configuration. You must be comfortable with disk drives and partitioning.

There are several ways to run LINUX on your machine. You could install LINUX into your DOS partition (look at the documentation sites and your CDROM for UMSDOS). You can run LINUX directly from a CDROM (look for live filesystems on CDROM (a version of LINUX called KNOPPIX is especially designed for this). You can also perform a traditional LINUX installation. This will give you maximum performance.

Here are some of the steps you will need to use to run multiple operating systems (DUAL-BOOT) your PC. This section deals with a traditional LINUX installation next to a DOS/Windows/Win95/XP installation.

• Have good backups. Installing LINUX on an existing hard disk with good data on it is tricky, so you should have good backups of important data (CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT, your applications including Windows, etc.). You should have a bootable DOS or Windows floppies or CDs available as well.

• Have several formatted floppies available. You will need them later.

• Make sure your disk is defragmented (there is a DOS utility for this). All your DOS/Win/Win95 data should be at the beginning of the drive.

• If you use Stacker or Doublespace or similar disk compression software , forget about using this disk for LINUX.

• Make boot and root floppies from the CDROM (see the documentation). Choose the images well to match your hardware.

• Investigate a program called FIPS. FIPS allows you to shrink your DOS partition to any size you want (assuming at least enough to hold your DOS data). FIPS will mark the rest of the drive as unallocated. You will want to run FIPS after booting from a bootable DOS floppy. FIPS is a DOS program that comes on your LINUX CDROM. Use great care with FIPS. Misuse can damage your data.
  Windows XP users will not be able to use FIPS to resize their partitions. Some versions of LINUX (like SUSE) can resize NTFS partitions, others cannot. For resizing NTFS partitions, you should investigate PARTITION MAGIC.

• Boot from the LINUX floppies or CD and CAREFULLY repartition your hard disk (either via FIPS, Partition Magic, or other program). Add at least one LINUX filesystem partition and one LINUX swap partition (the swap partition should be at least twice the RAM size of the machine, if possible). Don't use DOS FDISK (it is not up to the task).

• You are now ready to install LINUX. Carefully choose the LINUX parts you want (a complete install is 300M+). Some LINUX installs take several gigabytes, depending on your software selections.

• You will be given the chance to install LILO or GRUB ( LINUX boot managers). If everything goes well, you will be able to use LILO or GRUB to boot either DOS/Windows/Win95/XP or LINUX. The PC will ask you which to boot when you turn it on. You can also make a LINUX boot floppy for your PC, and not use LILO or GRUB. LILO or GRUB can be pests if not properly installed . You need to have boot floppies for DOS available in case the LILO or GRUB install doesn't work (it usually does). You can usually delete LILO from your hard disk by booting from your DOS floppy and using FDISK/MBR . I don't know what the Windows XP equivalent of this command is.

• READ, READ, READ! The key to a successful LINUX install is READING THE DOCUMENTATION!

• You will have trouble with strange hardware mixes.

• LINUX runs best with 64M of RAM or better. Memory is cheap, the more you have, the happier LINUX will be (as well as Windows XP). Realistically, a machine with 256M or better would be nice for a full LINUX with the KDE or GNOME desktop enviroment.
• Proper configuration of Xwindows is beyond the scope of this document, but I can give you a few hints:

  For Xwindows, you will need to know all about your video card and monitor (chipset information). Sometimes the Windows control panel can tell you some of this information (other times it lies or doesn't tell what it knows) . Most monitors come with a manual describing their characteristics, which you will need to know. If you know all about your video card and monitor, you can usually get Xwindows running, unless the card isn't supported under XFree86 (the LINUX Xwindows system). In that case, you have three choices:

  1. purchase a commercial Xwindows system such as Metro-X for LINUX

  2. wait until the next release of XFree86 (they add new video card support all the time)

  3. get a different video card. There are many good video cards that work very well under LINUX. Stay away from the brand-newest cards. The new "Super Great 4000+" may work fine under Windows, but LINUX drivers usually lag behind by at least six months. Check any potential card against the XFree86 website www.xfree86.org .

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Disclaimer: If you decide to use LINUX, please note that the Computer Science Department and this author (Tom Wallis) make NO WARRANTY about LINUX or any other software. If you need help with LINUX, we suggest the Air Capital Linux Users Group , a free club of LINUX users from the Wichita area.

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