fedora question

[hungrygoose]

ok, i have fedora core 2 installedd and running with default partitioning.....i want to install another distribution (probably debian or suse) on the same hard drive, and dual boot the two........what is the best and easiest way to go from my one linux distro install, to a dual setup, without losing my current fedora install and configuration?....thnx in advance

 

[ColKurtz]

There is no "best" way, other than needing a seperate partition for each distro. The good news is that it's very simple, and actually difficult to screw anything up.

I'm assuming there's no Windows installed, since you didn't mention it. This really only affects your bootloader setup.

If you have freespace, just install your new distro on the spare partition (logical is preferable). You can either reinstall whatever bootloader you're using now --grub or lilo, presumably-- to get the new entry, or else skip the booloader config during install and add it manually afterwards.

If you parititoned your whole drive and don't have any freespace, you'll want to repartition using Partition Magic (my preference, but costs $$$) or an open source clone like qtparted (never tried but heard good things). Of course, back up any critical data before mucking around with repartitioning.

You do NOT need a seperate swap partition for each distro, btw... use your existing one when installing your new OS.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

EDIT - Partition Magic, not Partition Manager. doh!

 

[cbrookerd]

thnx....that helps......one question......when you talk about reinstalling my bootloader, would that step be taken after the install of the second distro?........or would i need to do that before?.....also, does it matter which distro i am in when installing and configuring the bootloader?.....which bootloader is better?......btw, there is no windows in the picture

 

[ColKurtz]

when you talk about reinstalling my bootloader, would that step be taken after the install of the second distro?

You install a bootloader during install. A bootloader is just a small file that tells the system where to find the OS(s) boot files. You already installed either Grub or LILO when you installed FC2. You'll need to add your new distro to the Grub/LILO list... so that you may select which to boot. It's possible to do so afterwards, but it's just as easy to reinstall it - it will pick up FC2. Just keep an eye out for it during install and choose to install to the MBR.

which bootloader is better?

Probably Grub, thought it's a bit of a religious debate. For most users it really doesn't matter. Google "grub vs. lilo" if you want to read lots of opinions, but I would just stick with whatever you're currently using.