[Novices] Hard Drive Partitioning

[Mike Williams]

>
>
>From: Brock Inglehart <brocki1 at sbcglobal.net>
>Subject: Re: [Novices] Hard Drive Partitioning
>To: A list for Linux beginners to ask questions
>	<novices at kalamazoolinux.org>
>Message-ID: <1108831428.5561.29.camel at linux.site>
>Content-Type: text/plain
>
>What is the difference between a logical partition and a primary
>partition?  And does it apply to Windows only or to both Windows and
>Linux?
>Brock
>  
>
In practice, there's very little difference.  Older OS's run better (or 
only) from primary partitions, but most new ones don't care.  Windows 
NT, 2000, and XP occasionally make the system drive a strange letter, 
but other than that have no problems. 

Primary / logical partitions are a holdover from very old BIOS's, but 
nobody has managed to get the major players to agree on a replacement to 
it, although many are trying.  A hard drive in a PC can only have 4 true 
partitions.  (The reasons are probably technical and definitely 
irrelevant.)  All of them can be primary as long as you don't need more 
than four, but one of them is usually set up as an "extended" 
partition.  This Extended can hold as many "logical" partitions as I've 
ever heard of a machine needing.

[snip]

>>
>>    
>>
>>>> > C)  I'd like to have 3 partitions for the windows side; an OS partition,
>>>> > a programs partition and a data partition.  I was going to make the
>>>> > program and data logical partitions.  If I do this would Linux be able
>>>> > to read the data partition?
>>>      
>>>
Yes, with no problems.  If you're going to only run Win98 occasionally, 
I would give it just one primary partition.  Install it first, then give 
Linux the rest.  If you're worried about overflowing the Win98 
partition, you could always leave some space at the end of the logical 
partition.  It's easy to add a drive later.

>>> 
>>> Linux can read and write to FAT/VFAT/FAT32 partitions perfectly.
>>> And Linux doesn't care if the partitions are primary or secondary.
>>> 
>>>  - BS
>>    
>>
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I'm looking for someone.
Looking!  Found someone you have, I should say, hmm?
-Mark Hamill, Yoda:  The Empire Strikes Back
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