Re: FAT 32

[Torsten Hilbrich <Torsten.Hilbrich@bln.de>]

Paul McCarthy <pablito@LanMinds.Com> writes:

> I want to install debian linux on a partition on a hard disk.  The hard
> disk has windows 95 (actually 98) on it.  OSR2 release of 95, and 98,
> allow for formatting windows partitions using FAT 32.  It is ok if the
> Linux cannot read the Fat 32 partitions.

There is a driver that enables Linux to read FAT 32.

> Will enabling Fat 32 for any partition make it impossible to Boot Linux
> if the linux partition comes after the Fat 32 partition?  Will Linux
> jump from the boot partition to the Linux partition without caring
> what's in between, or will it say "I don't know what these screwy
> partitions are in between the boot parition and me?"

You will get no problem.  The disk is partitioned in 2 parts for
example, the Win95 FAT 32 partition and the Linux partition usally
formated with ext2.  Win95 needs a primary partition for booting,
Linux will boot from any type of partition.

For booting you should have LILO in the Master Boot Record (MBR) of
the hard disc.  You will have the choice to boot Win95 or Linux.

The only thing that LILO needs to know for booting Linux is the
position of the kernel to boot and it needs to be able to access this
partition (some BIOS have problems with more than 1024 cylinders).

For booting Win95 it just gives control to the boot loader located
(aka boot record) in the Win95 partition and let it does its work of
finding io.sys or whatever this file is called in Windows.

I hope that all above is true for Win98 (formerly known as Win97 :-)
too.

        Torsten

-- 
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