T42 new HDD, new XP install II:HDD use fragmented. que?

[bobox]

Folks,

Thanks to this site and to contributions of its members this newbie has a fresh install of XP pro plus SP3 and 73 updates on a new WD1600BEVE in T42 2373 4WG. Feels like quite an achievement, especially as the wireless still works. Thanks all!

Next step is HDD partitioning strategy for dual boot Linux. The current use pattern of HDD as visualised using the XP defragger is unexpectedly fragmented; I kindof expected a new install would install everything up at the start of the disk. Instead I've got a ~4GB block at the start occupied, then ~20GB apparently entirely unused, then a ~9GB block including a couple of unmovable files.
Is this an expected pattern ?

[emeraldgirl08]

Hmmm... if you go into Disk Management (right click on my computer and choose manage... then choose Disk Management) what partitions does it show there?

I dual-boot all the time and usually zero out my hard drive and do a clean install first. The result is no extraneous data present on my hard drive and fresh install of the OS' I want to use. For future reference Killdisk or DBAN that hard drive and then proceed to install in partitions.

[bobox]

Hmmm... if you go into Disk Management (right click on my computer and choose manage... then choose Disk Management) what partitions does it show there?

I dual-boot all the time and usually zero out my hard drive and do a clean install first. The result is no extraneous data present on my hard drive and fresh install of the OS' I want to use. For future reference Killdisk or DBAN that hard drive and then proceed to install in partitions.

Hi EmeraldGirl,

Nice username you have there. Manage shows what I'd expect ... one big NTFS partition.

Re a clean install, that's exactly what I though I was doing (I'm new to this) by using a restore disk from the supplier. I realise now that the structure I've created simply reflects that of the original Ghosted HDD. What surprises me IS that structure i.e. why the heck were those blocks not all written to contiguous sectors! seems odd to this newbie.

What do you recommend for the partitions? Oops that's ambiguous (1) for creating them and (2) for designing them? There's a lot of outdated guidance out there relating to a time when Linux didn't do NTFS and Windows didn't do Ext2 or Ext3; now that both systems can read from both file systems ... the traditional FAT shared partition is history, but actually deciding how to partition is still no easier. Any good guides you'd recommend (I've read Radified's one ... )

[emeraldgirl08]

Hi bobox

I just got back in from class and have to run off on an errand so forgive me if this is a little short. I use Gparted or whatever partition manager is included on the LiveCD to make partitions. I have the separate /, /home, and swap files. I hear if you have more than one Linux partition you can share the swap space.

For the installation of Windows- that is the very first thing you must install! You can't install Windows after the Linux OS. It has to be first. I have also created an NTFS share partition so that I can share files between my Linux and Microsoft OS. I am not an expert with partitioning but if you need go to the Ubuntu Forums. They are just an awesome community and are superknowledgable about the questions you are asking.

That's where I learned how to use what I know of Linux

I wanted to get a picture of my partition but we're about to take off.. here is a text version of my fdisk -l

Code: Select all

Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0004506a

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1        2611    20972826    7  HPFS/NTFS
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sda2            2612        3526     7349737+  83  Linux
/dev/sda3            3527        4574     8418060    5  Extended
/dev/sda4            4575        5880    10490445    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda5            3527        4441     7349706   83  Linux
/dev/sda6            4442        4574     1068291   82  Linux swap / Solaris

Good luck