Re: Using Linux with Win95
On Aug 20, Alistair Phillips wrote:
> Hi there.
>
> I am a VERY new user, and need some help with Linux. I have got a copy of
> the Debian Linux from a friend, and can boot up from the disk fine. Before
> I install it though, there are a few things that I really would like to
> ask.
Welcome! it is very good that you asked, before you grabaged your hard disk
or so. So you will certainly enjoy the power of Debian.
> 1. Will it overwrite my execisting boot sector?
It will, if it is allowed to. You can specify how to boot Linux:
a) From DOS with the program "loadlin". Your boot sector will not be
touched.
b) From the boot sector on the partition, if you have another boot manager
(then you have to install LILO on the partition where linux is on, for
example /dev/hda3, and point your boot manager to it).
c) Or you can use LILO to boot Linux or Win95, as you like. This is the way
I recommend, because it works just fine for me. Put Lilo on the hard disk in
the boot sector (e.g. first ide drive is /dev/hda), and configure it to boot
either linux (e.g. from /dev/hda3) or windoze (e.g from /dev/hda1).
The numbers appended are the numbers of the partitons.
> 2. How can I get my computer to boot up to Win95 as default, but to Linux
> if I want to? I need Win95 to boot up first, as my familiy needs to use
> it, and they don't know what to do if it does not boot to Windows.
You can configure LILO to boot normally win95, so yu have to enter "linux"
or sim. at boot time to get linux. The other way round, you can boot linux
normally and win95 only if told.
> 3. Can I access my DOS side from Linux?
You can mount partitions n various formats (CD's, OS/2, Un*x,..., Windows),
and access them like linux files - this is really powerful.
For diskettes, I would recommend mtools, a package for direct MS DOS floppy
disk access (then you have commands like "mcopy", "mdir",...)
You can even install dosemu, the dos emulator, and start your favourite dos
program (although dosemu is not complete by now), and a few win3.1 programs
will run under linux with wine, the windows emulator.
> 4. Where can I get the documentation from? I think that I will really need
> it ;-)
If you install Debian, there will be an horrible amount of documentation
under /usr/doc/, especially under /usr/doc/HOWTO are many. There are lots of
Megs on the net, and you are invited to complain on this list for every
little problem you encounter installing and running Debian GNU/Linux!
> I hope that someone will be able to help me!
Hope to hear from you soon (as a lucky debian user)!
Ciao,
Marcus
--
"Rhubarb is no Egyptian god."
Marcus Brinkmann
Marcus.Brinkmann@rz.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
http://homepage.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/Marcus.Brinkmann/
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