You have two
choices, a single Operating System (OS) or a multi-boot system.
Many desktop users
like to run Linux in addition to Windows on an existing PC. An additional hard
drive may be used for Linux or an existing drive may be sectioned into two or
more partitions. Linux may also reside as the only operating system on the
computer as is preferred by those creating a server. Using a separate drive for
Linux is the easiest and the preferred multi-boot configuration because it
allows the original Windows drive to remain intact.
Another dual boot
system option is to install the Linux boot loader on a floppy or CD. See the YoLinux.com
tutorial on creating a boot floppy The boot process will be controlled
by the MS/Windows boot loader. In order to boot the Linux drive, insert the
floppy or CD with the Linux boot loader (Lilo or Grub) and boot from the floppy
or CD. The Linux boot loader can be installed on the MBR of the floppy.
Note:
Re-partitioning a drive will destroy all data on the drive unless a tool such
as partition magic or fips is used. The Red Hat CD-ROM includes the
repartitioning tool "fips" in the dosutils directory. See /dosutils/fipsdocs.
This tool is unsupported. Partition Magic would be a wiser choice for those
pursuing this approach. For dual boot installations, MS/Windows can be
re-installed allowing the Microsoft installer to repartition the drive.
For those creating
a dual boot system with Microsoft Windows and versions of Fedora Core or Red
Hat Linux (8/9) with the GRUB boot loader, install Windows first and then let
the Linux installation handle the dual boot configuration. It's that easy.
Details: When
creating a dual boot system with Windows NT or Windows 2000, the NT loader
resides on the Master Boot Record (MBR). Upon boot-up, the NT loader is
activated and then it loads lilo or Grub to boot Linux. (Lilo is the older
Linux boot loader. Red Hat 7.2 introduced Grub as the default boot loader.) In
this instance, lilo (or Grub) does not reside on the Master Boot Record (MBR)
as it would for a Windows 95 or Linux only installation. Instead lilo (or Grub)
will install on the first sector of the root partition.
Upgrades: I have
been upgrading versions of Red Hat since 5.2. Each release can upgrade to the
next. Fedora Core is the upgrade path to Red Hat 9.0.
- Hardware considerations:
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