Installing FC5 on pre-partitioned /dev/hdb

[Sjoerd Mullender]

Tim wrote:
> On Sun, 2006-04-02 at 18:35 -0400, Gene Heskett wrote:
> 
>>Howinhell do I use it to do absolutely nothing more to /dev/hdb, which
>>I have already partitioned the way *I* want it, based on the useage 
>>pattern I already have on /dev/hda, but to simply remember the mount 
>>points name for the construction of /etc/fstab?
> 
> 
> I know what you mean.  Over the last several versions I've tried,
> there's options to:
> 
>   Reuse and repartition an entire drive.
>   Reuse and repartition Linux partitions.
>   Use spare space.
> 
> But no option to take an already partitioned drive, and use the
> partitions as you see fit.  It's this tomfoolery that makes it next to
> impossible to keep a /home partition when doing a fresh install.  A
> fresh install ought to let you just format some partitions, leave others
> alone, and install where you want.  Your idea about upgrading from FCx
> to FCy might well be to format the existing /, /usr/ & /var/ partitions,
> keep /home/ as-is, but the installation routine makes it damn difficult.
> You have to create some partitions to keep the routine happy, and if you
> have nothing free to begin with, you're hosed.
> 
> I've not struck this problem installing other OS.  It's my choice
> whether to repartition, or not.  It's my choice whether to format, or
> not.  It's my choice what goes onto what partition.
> 

This is nonsense.

When I installed FC5 at home I booted the first CD with "linux
askmethod" and I was given the opportunity to reuse already formatted
partitions, just reformat partitions without repartitioning (which is
what I did), or repartition.  For the latter choice I could have chosen
to let anaconda do the partitioning or I could have done it myself.  And
it was also possible to do combinations of reformatting existing
partitions and just reusing them (e.g. leave /home allone and reformat /
and /boot).

It's all there.

It may be true that you don't get the choice by default (I don't know, I
didn't try the default), but in at least some of the boot options from
the install CD, you do have the possibility.

-- 
Sjoerd Mullender
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