[Techtalk] Linux on NTFS? - digest reply

[mgmonza at sdf.lonestar.org]

Thanks for all the very prompt replies.

One of the few things I find frustrating in command line linux is the 
inability to concurrently open and cut and paste email.  So I've just 
responded directly to Carla's and exported, cut and pasted the rest to 
keep from sending six or so new emails on the same topic.

Hope this "digest reply" format is okay -


On Wed, 11 Jan 2006, Carla Schroder wrote:

> Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 00:06:27 -0800
> From: Carla Schroder <carla at bratgrrl.com>
> Reply-To: techtalk at linuxchix.org
> To: techtalk at linuxchix.org
> Subject: Re: [Techtalk] Linux on NTFS?
> 
>> Can Linux be loaded on an NTFS formatted drive?  I'm pretty sure RedHat
>> can't, but I wanted to try Debian anyway.
>
> 'Fraid not. Linux can read NTFS, and with some risk, write to it, but it won't
> run on it. You have lots of other good choices- ext2/3, XFS, JFS, and
> ReiserFS. But not NTFS.
>

Negative news is progress, in that I won't be banging my head against that 
particular wall.

>>
>From kat_lists at katspace.homelinux.org Wed Jan 11 12:46:03 2006
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 19:45:09 +1100
From: Kathryn Andersen <kat_lists at katspace.homelinux.org>
To: techtalk at linuxchix.org
Subject: Re: [Techtalk] Linux on NTFS?

Is there any particular reason why you have to keep the whole drive as 
NTFS?
Can't you just allocate one NTFS partition for MS-Windows XP, and format
the others to be something more Linux-native, like ext3 or ReiserFS?

Kathryn Andersen
<<


I was given a used computer as my desktop box, with Windows XP 
installed and configured for the installation here.  The whole disk was 
already formatted as NTFS and partitioned into a system and data drives.

>>>
>From lawgon at thenilgiris.com Wed Jan 11 17:14:38 2006
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 18:54:37 +0530
From: Kenneth Gonsalves <lawgon at thenilgiris.com>
To: techtalk at linuxchix.org
Subject: Re: [Techtalk] Linux on NTFS?
><
its possible (probable) that winxp did this on installing. Mandrake
for example can shrink your xp partition and create other linux
friendly partitions while installing through a neat gui - i am sure
other distros have similar utilities
--
regards
kg
<<<<


I'm hoping Debian can do this, and with NTFS.  If I can't get that to 
work, it's good to know there are alternatives.



>>>
I suggest Reiserfs. I feel it is superior to ext3. I have my lappy using
ext3 and it has to check itself every 21 starts or so and it is annoying 
and
always seems to happen at inopportune times.
  Mike
<<<


Reiserfs?  Is this named after a twelve step group for folks enslaved to 
their Pacific Northwest hiking habit? I've been wondering where to go...


>>>
Is there any particular reason why you have to keep the whole drive as 
NTFS?
Can't you just allocate one NTFS partition for MS-Windows XP, and format
the others to be something more Linux-native, like ext3 or ReiserFS?
Kathryn Andersen
<<<<


I didn't know you could do this.  Looks like its the way to go, if the 
Debian partition shrinker will let me do it.


>>>>
Mandrake's disk partitioning manager is wonderful. It's easy to use and
stable. Mepis, which is Debian based, uses QTParted during the installer
to manage partitions. It is also easy to use and stable.
-- 
Tracey Clark
<<<

And it looks like it will!  With a backup in case it foozles...

>>>>
I've been using  SystemRescueCd -  http://www.sysresccd.org/  to deal
with partitioning and
reparing disks.  I came across it when I got into trouble trying to
use qtparted to resize a NTFS partition.
Best,
--
Marize Pommot-Maia
marize at gmail.com
<<<<


>>>>>
Most distros by default set it where an ext3 filesystem will get
checked sometimes, but you can reset it.  :-)
--
Travis S. Casey           efindel at earthlink.net
I am an evil kitten!  Mew-ha-ha!
<<<<

I'd like to steal that signature for this - http://mgmonza.freeshell.org


Thanks, everyone!  I'll send an update when - not if - it works.

Kathleen