Partitioning - general tool

petike · #1 January 2nd, 2009, 19:01

Hi,
I have a little problem.

Story:
"Let's say that I have just bought the new "clear" computer. Let's say it has one hard-disk, for simplicity.
Ok, I have bought computer, but it is empty. What now? Ahaaa, let's install to it some operating system.
Wait, but I don't want there to be installed only 1 operating system. I want, let's say 2 - "FreeBSD" and "Windows (let's say XP)".
So what is the next step - ahaa, I want to make 2 stand-alone partitions for each operating system.
Yeah true, "but how"?"

Is there any general tool for partitioning any hard-disk, with any file-system, to any operating system, which could be run on just the clean, new computer?
I mean some boot-able "FLOPPY/CD/DVD/USB" with that tool (software) which I just insert to the computer and I could partition the disk with it?
In other words, I don't want to do it from some already installed operating system (e.g. "Partition Magic" from Windows) but "from scratch".

Thanks.

ale · #2 January 2nd, 2009, 19:35

I think that you start installing xp, you can create a partition, which doesn't span the whole hd, for it directly from the xp setup and install it in that partition.
So you shouldn't need any other tool.
If you are interested, you can try the gparted livecd. You can find it at sf dot net.

gilinko · #3 January 2nd, 2009, 19:37

The best tool that I have found so far is the LiveDVD distribution Knopplix, and in there run the GParted software. It's close to the PQMagic in layout and function, however I haven't tested it with UFS system but my guess would be that it does support it.

Also you have the benefit of a complete desktop enviroment. My personal use is first to partition a disk, then "flash" it with a pached vanilla installation and change the files that need to be changed(hostname etc) then remount the drive in the computer it should go and boot it up. Knopplix is more or less the sysadmin's swiss army knife for almost any situation.

petike · #4 January 2nd, 2009, 20:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by ale

If you are interested, you can try the gparted livecd

I have just visited the home page of "Gnome Partition Editor" (GParted) and in their features there was an "interesting" table with supported "file-systems".
There were 13 mentioned file-systems and 12 of them could be created with GParted. Concretely: "ext2, ext3, fat16, fat32, hfs, hfs+, jfs, linux-swap, ntfs, reiser4, reiserfs and xfs". And astonishingly, the only one that was not supported (for creation with GParted) was "ufs" = "Unix File System", and right that I need.

And it moves me to the next question:
Which file-system is supported for FreeBSD system? Or, which is the best for it, because I have heard something about "BSD Fast File System" (ffs), isn't it better for FreeBSD than "ufs"?

Thanks.

ale · #5 January 2nd, 2009, 20:30

You don't need to create a filesystem from gparted (or any other tool).
Just create it with the OS setup tools, and so you can do for partitions.
Gparted comes handy when you want, for example shrink a ntfs partition without destroying it.
But it's not needed if you want to install one or more OS from scratch.

Start installing xp and when asked create a partition smaller then the whole hd and install xp in that partition.
When xp is done, start installing FreeBSD and from it create bsd partitions in the unallocated slice (dos partition).

petike · #6 January 2nd, 2009, 20:47

Thanks "ale",
you've got my thanks.

ale · #7 January 2nd, 2009, 23:29

No problem!
I hope that everything went fine.

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The Following User Says Thank You to ale For This Useful Post:
petike (January 2nd, 2009)