Installing FC5 on pre-partitioned /dev/hdb

[Sjoerd Mullender]

Gene Heskett wrote:
-- 
Sjoerd Mullender
> On Monday 03 April 2006 08:01, Sjoerd Mullender wrote:
>> 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.
>>
> Bullshit.  Not available in the text screen install when booted to the 
> dvd.  If there is an 'askmethod' then I suggest if be suitably 
> documented in the help available from the Fkeys.  It is not.  I was 
> able to work around it in the gui except for its insane insistance 
> that /root cannot be a partition, but MUST be a dir on /.

I don't have a DVD, I just have a CD, but I assume that it works the
same way.

When you boot off your DVD, you'll see on the screen something about
booting with "linux text", but at the bottom of the screen there is
something about hitting F2 to get options.  If you were to do that, you
would see the "askmethod" option.  So, perhaps try "linux text
askmethod"?  It works.  You get the option to do whatever you wa

1. Boot off your DVD.
2. Read screen.  In particular the message about F2 and Options.
3. Hit F2.
4. Read screen.  Notice the "askmethod" option.
5. Boot with "linux text askmethod".
6. You'll get the option to do whatever you want with your partitions.
In text mode.

I maintain, it's all there.

> FWIW, I had this same problem when I installed RH8, which got upgraded 
> to the FC2 I'm running ATM.  The first thing I did was put a line in 
> the fstab to mount it, and copied everything from the directory to it 
> before rebooting.  So I dual mounted /, cleaned up the wasted space, 
> rebooted and never looked back.
>> 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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