Get help on partitioning here [Part 1]

jmbsvicetto · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 3:55 am Post subject:

If you use the x86 cds on a Pentium IV it will be the same as running the SuSE or anyother binary distribution on your hardware.
It's best if you first install Gentoo with the Stage3 + GRP (networkless install) and then configure your wireless card.
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Jorge.

Your twisted, but hopefully friendly daemon.
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Saketh · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 9:21 pm Post subject:

I am still confused about creating new partitions. I'm supposed to delete the 8E and the 83 partitions, correct?

And in creating a new one, I use 'n', then 'p'. It chooses 3 for me, but where's my start and end?

Also, I am confused about the Logical partition that I have. What should I do with it?

So far it looks like this for what I should do

d 3
d 5
n p enter +32M a 3
n p enter enter

But aren't my first few sectors already used up, so I have to specify things differently? I am confused.
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jmbsvicetto · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 9:30 pm Post subject:

If you're confused by fdisk, you can try cfdisk or avoid deleting and recreating partitions by using the exiting ones. In this last case, you just need to change the partition type from 8E to 83 and then to create the filesystems. However, this way you can' create a SWAP partition nor additional partitions for /home, /usr, etc.
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Jorge.

Your twisted, but hopefully friendly daemon.
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Saketh · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 9:57 pm Post subject:

I will use fdisk, but I am confused what to type in for the boot sector length.

Here's what I needed to find: It's the equivalent of fdisk -l in PartitionMagic. Now you can help me with the boot sectors.

PartitionMagic partition lister
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tesuo · n00b Joined: 21 Sep 2005 Posts: 15 Location: WV

I am installing gentoo Linux. Everything was going smoothly until I got to partitioning. When I put in "mac-fdisk /dev/hda" To open the partioing tool.It came up with the error "-/bin/bash: mac-fdisk: command not found". Not sure what to do here. Im sure one of you could be nice enough to help.. ty..
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Tesuo

jmbsvicetto · Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 7:54 pm Post subject:

Hi and welcome to the forums.

We need a bit more info. What arch are you installing into? What Handbook are you following?
For the x86 and x86_64 arches, you should use fdisk. You don't know how your disks are called, you should do fdisk -l. Are you doing the install in a PowerPC system? Is there any mac-fidsk tool?
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Jorge.

Your twisted, but hopefully friendly daemon.
AMD64 / x86 / Sparc Gentoo
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tesuo · n00b Joined: 21 Sep 2005 Posts: 15 Location: WV

Sorry about my lamer past post. This is my first attempt at insalling a linux system. I was rather in a panic when i wrote that. I was follow the installer guide form the gentoo site. And putting it 0nto a X86 system. Well I think the error was partial my fault. I think i added a word that was suppose to be just read to the code that was suppose to be typed.. anyway I went onto the cd and found the read me. and printed off a page about just the partioning... Which fixed that problem.. well I now have another problem but it doesnt fit inot this post so ill reply about that in another post.ty for you help. I am greatfull for your promp reply... Something Ive never seen from a certian company that likes to monoplimize the industry.
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Tesuo

Saketh · Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 9:20 pm Post subject:

Continuing with my problems:

Here is my partition table, so that you can help me better.

I'm trying to use fdisk, but it's not creating the final partition for some reason.

I deleted the last three partitions (/dev/hda3, /dev/hda4, /dev/hda5). I then proceeded to create new partitions, but it stopped me after the fourth primary partition was made. I already have two primary partitions from my Windows installation.

So I tried to make an extended, but then it tells me to delete a partition before I can make an extended one. When I deleted the swap partition, however, it only let the extended partition be 512MB. I don't know why this is, but when I tried to make it larger, it says "value out of range".

I got the boot partition listed correctly, and the swap partition, but the ROOT partition is not working right. The handbook tells me to hit enter twice, but this results in a very small partition. I did 'v', and it says that there are a lot of sectors left (like 50 million or something). I want to use them up in the root partition, but it's not working - I already have 4 primary partitions. There is no way that I'm deleting any Windows partitions.

Help! I am very confused

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tesuo · n00b Joined: 21 Sep 2005 Posts: 15 Location: WV

Ok when I did my partition I did it as one partition... Would that be my mistake? If so Is there anyway good how tos that just use 2 partitions the only one i have is showing to use 3...
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Tesuo

jmbsvicetto · Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:12 pm Post subject:

Saketh,

your disk can only have four primary partitions. If one of them is an extended partition, then you can create logical partitions inside it.
Therefore, start by creating a 3rd primary partition and then create an extended partition. Your swap partition should be a logical partition. I would advice you to use the 3rd primary partition for /home, if you plan to have a separate partiiton, and to create everything else as logical partiitions.
_________________
Jorge.

Your twisted, but hopefully friendly daemon.
AMD64 / x86 / Sparc Gentoo
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Saketh · Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:26 pm Post subject:

I'm trying it out from PartitionMagic, so I don't end up destroying my computer my accident.

Here is my partition table.

What should I do for the installation now? I'm confused where to begin.
_________________
Men of genius do not excel in any profession because they labor in it, but they labor in it because they excel.
William Hazlitt (1778 - 1830)

jmbsvicetto · Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:42 pm Post subject:

Saketh.

you should delete all partitions after the NTFS partition, assuming you don't need or want the ext3 partition. You should then create the 3rd primary partition, followed by the extended partition that has to occupy the remaining space of the disk. The logical disks will use the space available on the extended partition.
_________________
Jorge.

Your twisted, but hopefully friendly daemon.
AMD64 / x86 / Sparc Gentoo
Help answer || emwrap.sh

Saketh · Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 11:23 pm Post subject:

tesuo · n00b Joined: 21 Sep 2005 Posts: 15 Location: WV

I decided to redo the partioning when i type in:

fdisk /dev/hda

It responds

The Number of cylindersfor this disk are set to 2432.
There is nothing wrong with that, but this is larger than 1024,
and could in certain setups cause problems with:
1) software that runs at boot time (e.g., old versions of LILO)
2) Booting and partitioning softeare from other OSs
(e.g., DO FDISK, OS/2FDISK)

Could this be a reason for my problem earlier?
_________________
Tesuo

Saketh · Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 7:52 pm Post subject:

Jmbsvicetto:

When I did tar -xvjpf /mnt/cdrom/stages/stage2-pentium4.bz2 (that's not the file name, but you get the idea), it extracts to a point, then says that the disk is full and could not write. I think either I didn't do the partitions right, or I'm not extracting to the right partition or something. Help! This is really confusing.
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Men of genius do not excel in any profession because they labor in it, but they labor in it because they excel.
William Hazlitt (1778 - 1830)

jmbsvicetto · Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:09 pm Post subject:

Saketh,

it seems that you may have forgotten to mount the /mnt/gentoo partition. If that's the case you're extracting the file to RAM.
You can check that with

jmbsvicetto · Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:12 pm Post subject:

tesuo,

I'm not sure but I don't think so. I think that you didn't created the extended partition properly.
_________________
Jorge.

Your twisted, but hopefully friendly daemon.
AMD64 / x86 / Sparc Gentoo
Help answer || emwrap.sh

Tarquareion · n00b Joined: 04 May 2005 Posts: 13

Please help me, for I may lose some data

I was trying to move a partition (/dev/hda12, which is my /usr) to a different position on hda (renumbering it to /dev/hda9). So I created a new logical partition at that location and told it to be 8388608K (That's 8GB). The new partition would be /dev/hda13. So I used the "fix partition order" from the expert command menu to make it /dev/hda9 (I didn't care that hda9 thru hda12 would be renumbered along). Still, nothing appeared to be wrong. I then had fdisk save my partition table, and started fdisk again just to make sure.

This is how the partition table should have been:

Tarquareion · n00b Joined: 04 May 2005 Posts: 13

Anyone?

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Duminas · n00b Joined: 07 Sep 2005 Posts: 68

So, I'm trying to install Gentoo, and want to nuke a 4 GB partition at the very start of the drive to split it in two-- /boot and /.

My current partition setup is as folllows:

Tarquareion · n00b Joined: 04 May 2005 Posts: 13

Duminas, I'm not sure whether or not you still want to use the data that is on hda1 right now. If so, I'd suggest backing it up to another partition or another drive. (I guess it would be best to backup all data on the drive anyway, after some personal experiences mentioned above :roll:

)

In either case, the best way to split up hda1 is to just delete it using fdisk. You'll see that hda2 has become hda1 (which is not what you want, but we'll fix that later).

Then add two primary partitions as you have done already, and use the "fix partition order" option from the expert command menu ('x' 'f' 'r'). Boot will then be hda1, root will be hda2 and the extended partition will be hda3 (the logical partitions won't change in your case).

Use 'p' to check before writing the partition table to disk!
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Registered Linux User #400299

dspirito · n00b Joined: 19 Oct 2005 Posts: 13

Ok so... to start. I just finished installing gentoo. it does not work because im way too new at this.. what are suggested partitions for a newb... i have a dell laptop 800mhz. 10 GIG hdd
-i know i need a /boot and swap 512Mb.
-what others do i need. /, /usr, /home. whats /var do i need that?
very confused what would you reccomend?
say i did use a /usr and /home.. how do i mount things to these drives when i install..
when i was installing i followed along the whole handbook and i was sure i did everything right...
Any help will be greatly appreciated.. i need all i can get.. :cry:

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dspirito · n00b Joined: 19 Oct 2005 Posts: 13

scratch that! i started over :lol:

.... 3 partitions now /boot /swap and / now i get error 15 see my other post https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-393329.html

THANKS
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Dave Spirito
Linux N00B

shrndegruv · l33t Joined: 18 Sep 2005 Posts: 658

I put gentoo on my laptop and liked it so much I am planning on making my desktop exclusively gentoo. I do occasionally need to run windows applications, however I plan on handling that with wine/vmware if possible. The question is, how should I partition my drive such that if I need to install windows because wine/vmware are not sufficient I can?

If I were to just leave ~20GB free, could I later give the 20 GB to Gentoo / (or whatever) if it turns out I dont need to install windows? Or do I need to create a new partition with a new mount point?

Finally, what are some recommendation for a partitioning scheme just for gentoo? /boot swap and / need to have their own parts, but should I make other partitions if I want to "do it right"? /home?

thanx

southpaw · Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 7:17 pm Post subject:

Hello people,
Ok, I just finished installing 2005.1 on my laptop, heres partition scheme: