Hi

Newbie to all things Linux.  I have XP installed on my hard drive (a single partition/volume).  I wish to install ZenWalk but am wary of wiping off XP!  I fear this is what auto partition will do.  How do I install ZenWalk using the manual partition option?  The ZenWalk manual does not explain this.  Do I use fdisk and how?  I really do not want to erase windows just now!

Many thanks.

Yes, you are right, autopartition will wipe your hard drive.

You should first create some empty space on your hardrive by resizing your windows partition. This can't be done with the Zenwalk installation CD but can be done with the Zenwalk LiveCD or the gparted LiveCD using gparted.

If you create some empty space then you can do manual partitioning while installing zenwalk and never touch your windows partition.

If you don't understand something, just ask. 

Or much easyer and more secure would be to add another hardrive to the system and install Zenwalk on it But you'd still have to manually partition. And tell the installer to mount partitions from the new drive.

The first time I installed linux I made the partitions from windows using partition magic but there are also freeware solutions (I think)

Are there some specific instructions for the manual partition option?  I too am having the same problem.  I have 3 partitions with 2 different Linux distros installed, 1 empty partition and have unpartitioned space available.  DoI created the partitions using Gparted and am quite comfortable with using Gparted.

Here are my partitions (ALL on the same hard drive):
/dev/hda1   ext3     9.82 GB
/dev/hda3   ext3   19.61 GB   boot ------> I want to keep this as boot
/dev/hda4   ext3   14.70 GB   ------> I want Zenwalk to get installed on this partition
and there is some unpartitioned space

dev/hda2                      extended                 5.22 GB
       dev/hda6               linux-swap               2.14 GB
       dev/hda5               linux-swap               3.08 GB

I know that Ubuntu is on hda1(which I will wipe IF the Zenwalk installation goes successfully) and Xubuntu is on hda3(which I want to keep)
Also, judging from their sizes, hda6 might be connected with Xubuntu since it is smaller than Ubuntu just like the space taken up by the OS is smaller for Xubuntu than for Ubuntu.  So hda5 would be associated with Ubuntu.

Do I have to select Target Partitions?  And what do I select for the Swap partitions?  When I go to select target partition, the first screen shows me the 2 swap partitions and asks for me to select one or keep the defaulty which is BOTH.  BOTH is a bit scary for me!!!!  If I incorrectly select all the available Swap partitions, could my other Operating systems be wiped out?  Why doesn't it just create a new swap partition for Zenwalk?

I've got a previously unsuccessful LILO installation to ALSO worry about(which I have discussed in another thread in the 'Problems' forum) once I get past this step so I am really frustrated that this step is taking me so long.

If you need me to provide you with some further information, let me know.  Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Here is my current configuration on a 80GB hdd:

sda1 - windows (I might need it. Better safe than sorry) - primary + boot
sda2 - extended
    sda5 - / for first linux distro
    sda6 - /home for first linux distro
    sda7 - / for second linux distro
    sda8 - swap for both of them. I can't run them at the same time so no problem
    sda9 - storage
    sda10 - storage

I have another hdd sdb with a swap partition (deprecated, will be removed) and when installing it asked to choose swap partitions and I just deselected (space key) the one I don't want and left just one. If you rewrite a swap partition it doesn't wipe the OS so don't worry (even thow I don't know how it manages running with 2 swap partitions)

BTW, why do you have 2 swap partitions? Even if you are running more than one linux distro 1 swap partition is enough. And 5.22 GB for swap ?!? I have 509MB and I never use more than 20MB (I have 384 MB RAM).

Yes, a single swap partition for all distros should be absolutely fine. 

Well I am not a guru but I think you are mixing partitioning with mounting. I mean if you say you have

that shows that the disk IS partitioned. /dev/hda2 IS partitioned and it cannot be mounted because it is an extended one: it is a container for other (sub)partitions: /dev/hda5 and /dev/hda6. Those cannot be mounted (into the normal file system - that is) because they are swap partitions. But again that does not mean the are not partitioned.

(In order to make a part of the disk to be usable you have to do 2 things:
1. partition the disk (HDD)
2. tell the OS through with path of the fs (file system) the partitions will be reached.)

I think that you do not need to have 2 swap partitions. I don't see why you have 2 of them. I'd say one of them could serve any number of distro you may have on a computer. But I think your partitions are very strange: I have never seen an extended partition between primary partitions :-? I didn't even think this is possible huh.

In theory there are two possibilities:
- one uses 4 or less partitions and all of those can (should) be primary partitions;
- one uses more than 4 partitions in which case the first 3 should be primary partitions and the last should be an extended partition: the last (extended) one can than be divided (partitioned) further into (sub) partitions.

Also - no matter what of the above you choose - it is recommended (by others/some) that the first primary partition to be the swap partition and the second to be the boot partition. After that it is a matter of personal preference (not that the first two cannot be). I think this is the way Zenwalk divides (partitions) too when set to automatic: first swap partition, than boot partition than home partition.

Finally, to give the answer to your question, when you set up Zenwalk all you have to do is to tell it to use /dev/hda5 or /dev/hda6 as swap partitions and /dev/hda4 as the root partition (mounted in "/"). That's all. I see no problems here. You don't need any kind of partitioning.
Another clarification: partitioning with tools or manually is the same thing. The difference is in the ease not in the result or the process.
I would also avoid using extended partitions: if the partition table is screwed the possibility to recover sub-partitions is lower than to recover primary partitions (I think). At least in your case the partitions on the extended partition don't contain data grin.

I would re-partition the whole disk in one of the two ways shown above grin. But that of course is a lot of work, and you may have better use for that time and effort. Again, you could have one swap partition (= ~ 3 x physical RAM) used by all distros you ma have installed. in fact you may also have a common home partition for all distros. That way you could share user data between different distros. But be warned that could also lead to numerous problems

I had the same problem with partitions. Not that i don't understand the tools and concepts of partitioning hard drives. I had the same question, but had the tools (internet) to find the answers.

There is no guide for people who already have another operating system on their hard drive. The Zenwalk manual, has the principle that a person has a computer with no other operating system and ready to receive a Zenwalk installation. That's no good. If a windows user wants to install Zenwalk, will always come to the same questions.

Further more, I think there should be help during installation. Explaining the most common questions that newbies have. What happens to the people who have no way to ask those questions? There it goes, the Zenwalk copy they got from a friend will be put a side, because the most basic and common questions where not given with the distribution. 

The lack of documentation is due to the fact that there is no str8forward universally valid answer to such situations .
The problem with putting Zenwalk besides Windows generally is that mostly Windows occupies the whole HDD. And there is no secure and easy way to correct that Of course there are professional or less professional tools to resize the Windows partition to be smaller but such operations will always carry some risk . The easiest way is to get a hold of an additional HDD, copy over any data that you want to not loose (want to back up), than re-partition the original HDD so that this time you will use only part of it for Windows. Than install Windows. Than set up Zenwalk on partitions created on the spare space left after installing Windows. I think that is the safest way around. So only one primary partition for Windows (no matter how large or small) and the rest for Zenwalk. Partition the Windows part with Windows partitioning tools and continue the Zenwalk part with Linux tools.