fwd: hello and perhaps some help

[Paul O'Malley]

Regina Woodard wrote:

>Hi there. I actually signed up for the sounder list and the listmaster said
>I should probably address my question here, so I'm going to go ahead and
>paste it here -
>
>THe gist is this - I would like to install SOME form of linux (at this
>point, it doesn't even matter which one) on a second hard drive. THough my
>primary master drive is 80GB, I really don't want to have two OS on that
>drive, hence the second.
>
>
>  
>
>>As for the specs of my computer, I would like this placed on a second
>>hard drive NOT the master (so basically the slave) The slave is a
>>Fujitsu limited with 1.96GB; I am using an internal NIC which is Belkin
>>2003; NTFS; nVidia sound card with Hercules drivers....again, I want
>>this to be on the second drive and theoretically, when I boot from the
>>CD, shouldn't it do what Windows does and ask which drive I want it on?
>>My computer is set to boot from the CD, but at least with Suse, it
>>didn't even pick up that I had two hard drives.
>>    
>>
>
> Okay, so sorry about this very long post, but I truly am hoping to make
>  
>
>>this work. Any suggestions are appreciated and even though I am a BIT,
>>please take the time if possible to explain this as though I'm a five
>>year old. All the searches I've done for this problem either are too
>>confusing or don't address my problem and there doesn't seem to be a
>>solution.
>>    
>>
>
>
>As it stands, I got another reply that said I wouldn't have enough room on
>the 1.96GB drive, but again, I only want to test Linux to see if I would
>like it or not. THe screenshots I've seen makes me want to, but I don't want
>to try it if it means going out and buying another hard drive or worse,
>re-partitioning the 80GB and deleting everything on that drive.
>
>Any help?
>
>Gina
>
>  
>
Use the live CD that is what it is there for.  Use several of them if 
you want. :-) The choice is yours.
Three other ones are Kubuntu live :) from the ubuntu family and kanotix, 
or knoppix.

If you have a second drive and no Linux is picking it up I would suggest 
that you check the disk settings.
Disks can be attached to your hardware in several ways but judging by 
the size of the drives your most likely set up with what is called and 
IDE cable.
In general there are three settings available to you with a hard drive.
Master
Slave
Cable Select.

The cable is called an IDE Ribbon Cable.

Where there is one drive on the cable it should be master.
Where there are two drives on the cable one should be master (that would 
be your Windows Drive) and the other one should be slave.

This setting is achived by moving jumpers on the drive.  The jumper is 
rather small so I suggest that you get a piece of clear table surface 
and put the drive over it, before you change the position of the jumper.

Or if you have not bought a second drive ask nicely in the store before 
buying the disk could they fit it as a slave for you and make the 
existing drive master.

These are beside the socket on the drive and unfortunatley without the 
drive models we can't research the settings.
However all is not lost usually on the top of the drive the letters M,C, 
and S are on the top of the drive over the jumper to be moved.

I hope your still with me, cos the next step is the hard one install 
Linux and yes it should spot the second drive. :-)

Regards,

Paul O'Malley