Re: [Bug-ddrescue] ddrescue 1.3 - questions from a newbie

[DePriest, Jason R.]

On 2/4/07, Ariel wrote:
> On Wed, 10 Jan 2007, Matt Boge wrote:
>
> > PS.  I think I'd like to consider creating multiple partitions in my new
> > setup (two 400GB drives that I will be setting up with RAID0).
>
> Watch out with RAID0, if you do that, if either one of the drives die you
> lost the data from both. And recovery is much more complicated because
> half the data is on each drive.
>
> > I'd install Windows XP on one partition and I think I'd like to install a
> > Linux variant on the other to play around with and get more familiar
> > with this OS (hey, an old dog can ALWAYS learn new tricks, right?).  Any
> > suggestions on how I should do this and which variant of Linux I should
> > install?
>
> Create the partitions outside linux, first create the Windows partition
> (type doesn't matter, as you will see). Then create the Linux partition,
> and then finally delete the windows one.
>
> You are doing it in this strange order to make sure the second partition
> was also the second one created.
>
> Don't forget to create a swap partition if you will use one (you can also
> swap onto a data partition).
>
> Don't install linux yet (since potentially windows will erase it, and
> then you'll have wasted your time) boot windows setup, and ask to
> partition the drive - windows should complain about some mystery partition
> on the drive, but ignore that, and let window partition the free space
> on the drive.
>
> Finish windows install. Now install linux, first of all linux will not get
> confused about the extra partition, second the installer will
> (should) notice windows and create an entry for it. And finally linux will
> do the right thing in regard to making sure you can actual boot (window
> can't handle it).
>
> Anyway, as far as what variant (called a distribution) I like Debian, but
> try these pages:
> http://www.tuxs.org/chooser/
> http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/
>
>         -Ariel
>
> PS. Another option (if your chosen distib supports it), is to be dumb, and
> let windows own the whole drive, then have the distrib shrink the
> partition to make room for linux.
>
> If you use RAID on the drives you are complicating things, and I just
> don't know what linux will do. If it's hardware raid it should work, but
> if you use windows raid, I'm just not sure.

Just a success story with this sort of setup.

I have built a laptop and a desktop dual-booting Debian GNU/Linux and
Windows XP.

I ran the Windows install off of the boot CD.

When selecting where to install Windows, I create a partition on the
naked drive that leaves 20 GB or whatever for Linux to use later.

For example, if I was installing on a 60 GB drive, I would tell the
Windows install to create a 40 GB partition to install on and to
ignore the rest leaving it in the raw.

I then completely installed Windows.

After that, I boot from a Debian GNU/Linux boot CD.

I tell it to use all the free space on the disk to install itself and
let it handle the partitioning.

It uses the GRUB boot loader which picks up the Windows XP
installation with no problems.

There is a boot menu that lets me choose Linux or Windows.

It has worked effortlessly both times I have done it.

-Jason