108 lines
5.4 KiB
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108 lines
5.4 KiB
HTML
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<TITLE>The Linux ``Linux-DOS-Win95-OS2'' mini-HOWTO: Introduction</TITLE>
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<LINK HREF="Linux+DOS+Win95+OS2-2.html" REL=next>
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<A HREF="Linux+DOS+Win95+OS2-2.html">Next</A>
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Previous
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<A HREF="Linux+DOS+Win95+OS2.html#toc1">Contents</A>
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<HR>
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<H2><A NAME="s1">1. Introduction</A></H2>
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<P>After many days of struggle and frustration,
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I finally figured out how to accomplish what I wanted.
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I have a 1.2GB HD and 16MB RAM PC. I wanted to have 4 operating systems
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on my system: MSDOS v6.22, Windows 95, OS/2, and Linux.
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Until now, I have found no Linux HOWTO to perform the task of getting
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each and every one of these operating systems on one machine and still
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have the ability to boot each (it is possible to write the OSs to different
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partitions, but getting them to boot and not hang at the ``Starting MSDOS''
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message, for example, is something that I had to figure out.
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Well, after much trial and error,
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I have come up with the following recipe to perform this feat:
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<P>Before I begin going through the procedure step-by-step,
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let me first clue you in on what I eventually wish to accomplish:
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<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE>
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<PRE>
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<NAME> <SIZE> <LABEL> <PARTITION NUMBER>
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---------------------------------------------------------------------
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MSDOS v6.22 11MB P1 Primary Partition 1
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---------------------------------------------------------------------
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Windows '95 350MB P2 Primary Partition 2
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---------------------------------------------------------------------
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OS/2 Boot Manager 2MB P3 Primary Partition 3
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---------------------------------------------------------------------
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DOS/Win Data 511MB E1 Primary Partition 4
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OS/2 Warp 3.0 127MB E2 Extended into 4 logical
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Linux Slakware 3.2 Swap XMB E3 drives (sub-partitions)
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Linux Slakware 3.2 Native 219-XMB E4 labeled E1-E4
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---------------------------------------------------------------------
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</PRE>
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</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE>
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What does all of this mean? Well, let me talk you through it.
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First, we need to use up all 4 partitions on our 1 harddrive.
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Partitions 1 through 3 are PRIMARY partitions.
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We will store MSDOS, Win95 and the OS/2 Boot Manager
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(which inefficiently requires its OWN partition) on these partitions,
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respectively. We then have 1 partition left.
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But, we want to have a drive just for DOS/Win95 data
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(this gives us a large place to dump all of those ZIP files
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we so often download from the Internet as well as a place to store
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Win95 programs and data that we don't have enough room for
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on the Win95 partition),
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OS/2, and Linux (both a Linux native as well as Linux swap partition).
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<P>Now, I've been getting a lot of grief through e-mail lately about
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why I have a separate partition for Win95 and one for DOS
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and one for Win95/DOS data.
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Here's my answer: having separate Win95 and DOS partitions isn't for everyone.
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Perhaps you don't even use DOS anymore.
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Perhaps Windows '95 is your answer for any software written for a Microsoft
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platform. Well, there are some people out there who still use DOS and
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can't live without it. Whether it's because DOS can run 16-bit applications
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faster and more efficient, or because the certain DOS program
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that you may use won't run under a Windows environment
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(the Gravis Ultrasound soundcard setup program comes to mind),
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you simply MUST be able to boot into DOS from time to time.
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This HOWTO was written with those people in mind.
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If you still have difficulty swallowing the fact that the word
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``MSDOS'' is included in this HOWTO, then feel free to sit down and write
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a Linux-Win95-OS/2-only HOWTO. :)
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<P>Now, back to the diagram above.
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Like I said, we have 1 partition to cram 4 things onto:
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DOS/Win data, OS/2, and Linux native & swap.
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This can be done by creating what are called logical drives
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(or logical partitions, depending on which book you read)
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within the 1 primary partition.
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When we create these logical drives within a primary partition,
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we refer to this primary partition as an EXTENDED PARTITION
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(because it is extended beyond the scope of a single,
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primary partition and instead contains up to 3 subpartitions
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(logical drives)). Confused? If so, you might want to read the OS/2 manual
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about this topic. It will explain it better than I have here.
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<P>Now, you might be scratching your head saying
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``he wants to cram 4 things onto that extended partition,
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but he just got done saying we can only have 3 subpartitions to put them on!''
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This is true, at least in MS-DOS's and OS/2's reasoning.
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But, here one of the many powerful advantages to Linux comes to save the day.
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Linux can create more than 3 subpartitions on an extended drive.
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Just how many, I don't know. But, I know it can create at LEAST 4
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(what we need). So, when we go through the steps of the installation
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procedure below, keep in mind that when we create partitions using an MSDOS
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or OS/2 program, we will only create 3 logical drives.
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Then, when we go to Linux, we will split one of them into two.
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Essentially, you can think of it as ``tricking'' MSDOS and OS/2
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into seeing only 3 logical drives, but in reality (and to Linux),
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there will be 4.
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<HR>
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<A HREF="Linux+DOS+Win95+OS2-2.html">Next</A>
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Previous
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<A HREF="Linux+DOS+Win95+OS2.html#toc1">Contents</A>
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