Hello! I'm new here.

I need a little help with partitioning, two OS's etc. basic stuff. Please read it through.

I just bought a new Seagate 7200.10 500GB SATA-II hard drive. My two older Seagate Barracuda IDE hard drives (80GB and 120 GB) had been running out of space for some time now.

I'm planning to install both Linux (Ubuntu 7.04) and Windows Vista on the new HDD. I've partitioned a hard drive and installed Windows XP before, but I haven't installed or ever used Linux.

I read some stuff about partitioning and linux and SATA-II hard drives from the net, and ran to the Radified Partitioning Strategies, which was good info about how to plan your partitions. There's still some things I need answers to, and I'd like a few opinions on what I plan to do.

Firstly, this is how I plan to partition my new drive so far:

1st partition: Linux partition, 10 gb
2nd partition: Linux swap, 1-2 gb
3rd partition: Windows partition, 20-25gb
4th partition: Games etc. large programs, ~90gb (don't know how much of that will actually be ever used, but it doesn't hurt to have extra space there)
5th partition: Stuff, 70gb (random stuff that doesn't fit the other categories)
6th partition: Media files, ~220gb
7th partition: Downloads, 80gb

+ the older 120GB Seagate as a backup drive (I plan to learn to use Norton Ghost too)

Total ~620gb

So.. the questions.
What is the correct order for all this - I mean, do I first partition the new HDD, then move there all the files I want to keep from the older drives (but leave Linux and Windows partitions untouched), then install Linux and then Windows, or should I install Windows first? I guess I'm going to have to move there all the files I want to keep BEFORE installing windows or linux... because I don't want it to get difficult moving files from these HDD's to the new one while having an OS installed in both drives.
What do you suggest I do?

Also, I've downloaded the Ubuntu 7.04, and apparently I have to burn it to CD. That I know how to do, but once I install the linux, does the installation automatically create the proper file system to the partition I want to install it in? Is it possible to partition the whole drive with the Ubuntu 7.04 installation thing, or do I have to do that in advance from this Windows?

I read in the partition strategy guide that Linux doesn't cooperate well with other partitions that are NTFS. But I reckon NTFS is better than FAT32, so naturally, I'd like all my other partitions besides Linux to be NTFS. Is there really a problem with using Linux and NTFS file system in other partitions? If there is, what do I actually lose if I decide to use FAT32?

Finally, is there anything I should know about having both a SATA-II drive and an IDE drive installed? With two IDE drives the other one is master and the other slave, but what about one SATA-II and one IDE?

Thanks in advance.

I don't have any experience with Linux, so I can't help you on any of those questions.

However, I do have some experience with Vista now. I would recommend at least 25GB for Vista. That's what I'm using now on a 36GB Raptor drive. I've got a dual-boot setup there for XP and Vista b/c a lot of my older Windows 2000 era software isn't compatible with Vista (kinda a downer really ).

Anyhow, 20GB probably won't be enough if you have any large software applications -- Office, Acrobat, and Photoshop for example take up about 2GB without caching the installer files! So since you've got such a big drive, you'll probably want to go with a little bit larger partition for Windows just to be safe.

A final note, if you plan to resize partitions at a later date, Partition Magic 8 isn't compatible with Windows Vista... There might be a newer version, but I know 8.0 isn't compatible.

Thanks for the replies.

I guess there's no point in partitioning from the Linux install CD, since I'm going to install Windows first anyway. I guess I'll have to read a guide about FDisk too. There's one here at radified.com I think..

I'll skip the linux swap partition then, if it really isn't needed. I only have a gig of 400MHz DDR though, and I guess 2 gigs is the standard nowadays, preferably DDR2. Do you think I'll manage with that?
I don't know how to make Windows use a partition as a pagefile, but that's probably nothing complicated, not that complicated would discourage me .

I think I'll try to make Linux work with writing to NTFS - after I've read some more on the subject somewhere to get a picture how it's done etc. And I'll read your guide too Mr. Magoo, and look if there's something there I want to comment or ask about.

Ok. I'm pretty close to actually beginning formatting, partitioning, moving files and installing operating systems - I think. There's still some things I need to ask. The order in which I do everything isn't entirely clear to me.

Currently I have two hard disks (all NTFS):

120 GB - Ultra ATA/100 as primary master (Location 0: primary ATA channel)
C: Windows     [Primary partition]
F: Games     [Logical DOS drive in Extended partition]
E: Stuff     [Logical DOS drive in Extended partition]

80 GB - Ultra ATA/100 as primary slave (Location 1: primary ATA channel)
D: Media     [Logical DOS drive in Extended partition OR Primary partition ; unsure]
G: Downloads     [Logical DOS drive in Extended partition]

EDIT: I just checked into Disk Management in WXP, and it says in the Status details that D: Media is "active", and C: is "system". Isn't only the system folder supposed to be active, or does D: being active mean that it's a Primary partition?

And then I have the new 500gb SATA-II hard disk.

First I want to know if it's possible to partition from the Windows Vista installation DVD.

Anyway, I have two different theories about the order in which the formatting/partitioning/installing is best done. In short, the first one is 'copy files from old hard disks to new one under the old WinXP', while the second one is 'get rid of WinXP, install Windows Vista to new drive, then copy files from old drives to new one'.
Here they are in full:

First theory

1. Connect SATA hard disk while other drives are still connected

2. Boot to FDISK floppy, and partition the SATA hard disk like this:
- One Primary partition for Windows Vista
- Four Logical DOS drives in an Extended partition
- Leave ~10gb unpartitioned for Linux

3. Format all partitions created to NTFS from WindowsXP DiskManagement

4. Copy everything I need from old drives to newly formatted SATA drive, leaving the partition where Vista will be installed empty
(at this point the drive letters will probably be messed up in Windows - I'm a bit confused)

5. Disconnect old drives, leave SATA drive connected

6. Boot to Vista installation DVD, install Vista to Primary partition (drive letter?), test Vista to see that everything works and the files I copied are there

7. Boot to Ubuntu installation CD, partition the unpartitioned ~10gb to one single partition (Primary or not...?) OR one partition for / and one for /home
(I'm still a bit unsure about this partitioning Linux part)

8. Format Linux partition(s) to Ext3

9. Install Ubuntu

10. See if the dual booting works as it should etc.

11. Connect the old 80gb hard disk, boot to FDISK, delete all partitions, disconnect the hard disk (will be unused as of then)

12. Connect the old 120gb hard disk, boot to FDISK, delete all partitions

13. Make one Logical DOS drive in an Extended partition, which takes up all space

14. Format it to NTFS with Vista (there's probably a DiskManagement tool too)


Second theory

1. Disconnect both old hard disks, and then connect the new SATA hard disk

2. Boot to FDISK floppy, and partition the SATA hard disk like this:
- One Primary partition for Windows Vista
- Four Logical DOS drives in an Extended partition
- Leave ~10gb unpartitioned for Linux

3. Boot to Windows Vista installation DVD

4. Format all SATA drives to NTFS and install Windows Vista to C:

5. Connect both old hard disks back

6. Boot to FDISK Floppy, and delete partition C: from the old 120gb hard disk

7. Boot to Windows Vista, and copy all needed files from the old drives to the new one

8. Boot back to FDISK Floppy, and delete all partitions from both hard disks

9. Create one Logical DOS drive in an Extended partition in the 120gb hard disk (the one Logical drive will use all 120gb space)

10. Disconnect 80gb hard drive (will be unused as of then)

11. Format 120gb hard drive into NTFS from Vista

12. Boot to Ubuntu installation CD, partition the unpartitioned ~10gb to one single partition (Primary or not...?) OR one partition for / and one for /home
(I'm still a bit unsure about this partitioning Linux part)

13. Format Linux partition(s) to ext3

14. Install Ubuntu

15. See if the dual booting works as it should

--

As you can see, I haven't got everything figured out, but I'll be looking here for replies.   

Yeah, I get the big picture about the order in which everything has to be done, but the details are a bit unclear. I guess things will be clearer once I get to installing the hard drive. Actually I would've began already - unless I hadn't just found out that the net store I ordered the Seagate 7200.10, 8.5ms avg seek time, 5 year warranty HDD from, had sent me a different hard disk than the one I ordered. They sent me a Samsung Spinpoint T166, which is otherwise similar in its features except for lower price, 8.9ms avg seek time and only 3 year warranty.
It's probably just some human mistake on their part, but I can't call them and inform about it until monday, because the internet sales telephone is closed at weekends. 

vpleht

Quote:

There seems to be a strong correlation with the drive not showing up and the deleting and re-partitioning and re-formatting of the HDD using the UBCD Super FDISK program.

Quote:

It appears the the HDD *shows up* when booted to the UBCD environment--so it would seem that the HDD is being mounted by the system in the BIOS correctly.  So, have to think there's some type of issue with whether the UBCD Super FDISK program is functioning correctly as far as re-partitioning the old HDD and creating a Master Boot Record (MBR) and a Master Partition Table that Vista is willing to recognize!

At this point, I would try to use a program that wipes or zeros the boot region (the first 63 sectors of the HDD) of that old HDD so the drive is in a *virgin* state--has no memory of any former partitioning or formatting--this is how a drive is when it's purchased off the shelf.

This free program, when booted to DOS, has the needed function to wipe the boot region--be very careful that you know which HDD that the program is working with--some will disconnect all other HDD's so one can not make an error in choosing--or you want to mess around with the *list* feature until you are sure which HDD is which--the program requires a command line that specifies the correct HDD # when telling it what to do:  MBRWizard - The MBR utility you've been looking for!

Quote:

Once wiped, re-boot to Vista and it should be seen as a *new device*, and you should be advised that it needs to be prepared for use because it's in a *virgin* state.

Does Vista have the *Disk Management* function similar to WinXP?  I presume you have already been there and that's where the HDD is not showing up--as well as in Windows Explorer, etc.--correct?

vpleht wrote on Jul 27^th, 2007 at 9:25am:

Can you see the HD in Vista Disk Management?

If you disconnect your IDE drive, can you boot into Ubuntu?  Maybe there is an issue with this drive at this point.