Linux Configuration and Installation:Installing Linux

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Using the DOS FDISK Utility

Now that you’ve created the system backup and a boot diskette, it’s time to destroy the data on your hard drive with the FDISK utility. Destroy? Yup. The act of creating new partitions is by definition a destructive act. You must destroy the existing partitions and the records of the data contained therein in order to create the new partitions.

NOTE: You can use FDISK if your system has more than one hard drive. In this case, you’ll want to make sure that you’re working on the correct hard drive. FDISK does not use the normal DOS drive representations (C:, D:, E:, etc.); rather, FDISK uses numerals, such as 1 or 2.

Begin by booting your PC from the floppy disk you created in the previous section. This “vanilla” boot will ask for today’s date and time (ignore both; they don’t matter) and then give you the following command line:

A>

You’re now ready to run the DOS FDISK utility:


     A> fdisk

There are no command-line parameters to FDISK.

The program loads and displays something like the screen shown in Figure 2.1.


     MS-DOS Version 5.00

     Fixed Disk Setup Program

     (C) Copyright Microsoft 1983 - 1991



     FDISK OPTIONS



     Current fixed disk drive: 1



     Choose one of the following:



     1. Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive

     2. Set active partition

     3. Delete partition or Logical DOS Drive

     4. Display partition information



     Enter choice: [1]



     Press Esc to exit FDISK

Figure 2.1 The opening screen to the FDISK utility.

NOTE: The figures is this section are for a specific version of MS-DOS, 5.00. However, most versions of MS-DOS follow the conventions shown and explained here. If the choices on your system aren’t exactly like the choices here, read through them carefully and use the similar choice. Remember: You are essentially deleting a partition and creating a new one in this procedure.

At this point you’ll need to delete the existing partition, so you’ll choose 3. (If you’re not sure about the existing partitions on your disk—or whether you’re even working on the correct disk if you have more than one—select 4.)

NOTE:  When using the FDISK utility, you’ll see references to primary and extended partitions, as well as to logical drives. Here an explanation:

•  The primary partition is the partition containing the files (IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, and COMMAND.COM) needed to boot MS-DOS. In essence, this is your C: drive. The primary partition cannot be divided into other logical drives.
•  The extended partition or partitions do not contain these boot files. An extended partition can exist as its own logical drive (such as D: or E:) or be divided into additional logical drives.
•  The logical drive is the portion of a partition assigned a drive letter. For example, an extended partition can be divided into up to 23 logical drives (A: and B: are reserved for floppies, and C: is reserved for the primary partition, leaving 23 letters).

Additionally, the non-DOS partition is for another operating system, such as Linux.

Chances are that you won’t need to deal with more than a primary drive or an extended drive.

After selecting 3, you’ll see the screen shown in Figure 2.2.


             Delete DOS Partition or Logical DOS Drive



     Current fixed disk drive: 1



     Choose one of the following:



     1. Delete Primary DOS Partition

     2. Delete Extended DOS Partition

     3. Delete Logical DOS Drive(s) in the Extended DOS Partition

     4. Delete Non-DOS Partition



     Enter choice: [ ]

     

     Press Esc to return to FDISK Options

Figure 2.2 The delete screen for FDISK.

What you do at this point depends on how your hard drive has been configured. If you have primary and extended partitions, delete them. If you have only a primary drive, delete it. FDISK will confirm that you do indeed want to delete a partition. This is your last chance to chicken out and check the DOS partition one more time before actually wiping it out.

After deleting a partition, you’ll need to create a new DOS partition—a choice that’s listed in Figure 2.1 as option 1. After choosing 1, you’ll be shown a screen like that in Figure 2.3.


             Create DOS Partition or Logical DOS Drive



     Current fixed disk drive: 1



     Choose one of the following:



     1. Create Primary DOS Partition

     2. Create Extended DOS Partition

     3. Create Logical DOS Drive(s) in the Extended DOS Partition



     Enter choice: [1]



     Press Esc to return to FDISK Options

Figure 2.3 Creating a new partition with FDISK.

Of course, you’ll want to create a new primary partition; this is the partition that will be used for DOS.

The next thing you’ll need to decide is how much of the hard drive to devote to DOS. There are no hard-and-fast rules concerning partition sizes. Obviously, you’ll first need to think about how much of a priority Linux is—if you plan on running Linux a lot, you should give it a lot of hard disk space. If you plan on using it as much as DOS, you should equalize the two installations somewhat, keeping in mind that Linux will require far more hard disk space than DOS. And if you plan on using Microsoft Windows along with DOS and Linux, you should assume that Windows will take up as much hard disk space as it can get.

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