Linux Dummies 9th

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Part I: Getting Your Feet Wet
Partitioning from scratch for a dual boot
If you plan to install both Windows and Linux on your hard drive, be sure to
install Windows first. While you’re going through the Windows installation,
you’re asked to partition your hard drive (use the software to divide one large
drive into smaller virtual drives). When you have your partitions ready, you
have a place to put Linux.
Three types of partitions are available: primary, extended, and logical. A hard
drive can have three primary partitions and one extended partition. Inside
the extended partition, you can have up to 12 logical partitions — think of an
extended partition as just a cardboard box that contains the logical partitions.
Logical partitions hold data; extended partitions hold logical partitions.
Because we can’t predict what software you want to install, we recommend
having at least 10GB of space available for your Linux installation. More is
always better because it gives you more room for downloads and even more
programs, and, at the very least, you can install everything from this book’s
companion DVD-ROM into that 10GB.
Make a note of the partition you dedicate to Windows and the one you
dedicate to Linux. Jot down which hard drive each partition is on (the first,
second, third, and so on) and the number of each partition on the disk (first,
second, and so on). You need this information when you’re installing Linux.
You are not limited to a dual boot. You can have three or more operating systems
on the computer if you have room.
Partitioning an existing hard
drive for a dual boot
If you aren’t starting from scratch for a dual boot, you probably need to
make changes to your current installation. Before you change anything, be
sure you collect some important information about your current setup — in
particular, these two major things: (a) whether you have any unpartitioned
space left on your hard drive(s) and (b) if you do, how much.
If you discover at least 10GB of unpartitioned space, you can skip straight to
the “Double-Checking Hardware Compatibility” section later in this chapter.
Otherwise, check out the “Making space” and “Defragmenting files” sections
to make space for Linux.