From: rick@ee.uwm.edu (Rick Miller, Linux Device Registrar) Subject: Re: [Q] Linux fdisk DOS compatible? Date: 27 Dec 1992 10:30:45 GMT
mrhoten@cs.stanford.edu (Matt Rhoten) writes:
>okir@monad.swb.de (Olaf Kirch) writes:
>
>> Since DOS fdisk refused to make more than one primary partition, I
>> used Linux fdisk. However, I left one partition for later use with
>> DOS. But now, DOS won't recognize my disk at all!
>
>I ran into this as well. DOS breaks if you have more than one primary
>partition. Since you don't need any of your linux partitions to be
>primary partitions, you could simply remove the "bootable" or primary
>bit from them with linux fdisk, leaving only your DOS partition marked
>primary.
WHOA-THERE! I think you guys mean "BOOT" partition, not "primary".
A "primary" partition is not a certain partition, but a certain *kind* of
partition. A "primary" partition is, itself, a single partition... as
opposed to an "extended" partition which may be divided into several sub-
partitions or "logical" partitions.
You can have up to four physical partitions (Primary/Extended) on any one
hard drive, but the number of partitions you'll see will depend upon how
many logical divisions each (if any) Extended partition is split into.
Now... As for marking a physical (Primary/Extended) partition as a "boot"
partition (a single-bit flag), you may only do this with *one* physical
partition at a time under DOS. It only makes sense, since your machine
doesn't come with a built-in boot-selector. If you use Linux's fdisk to
flag more than one partition as "boot", your machine won't know which to
use (for DOS or for Linux, you're not even in any operating system yet),
and it will crash.
The best option I've seen is LILO... put it on a Primary partition where
some of your Linux is (I've heard that can even sit on the swap partition)
and tell LILO where to find your DOS stuff. It works for me...
Rick Miller <rick@ee.uwm.edu> | <rick@discus.mil.wi.us> Ricxjo Muelisto
Occupation: Husband, Father, WEPCo. WAN Mgr., Discus Sys0p, and Linux fan