251Chapter 7Installing LinuxInstalling Linux from scratch goes faster (Business web hosting)
251Chapter 7Installing LinuxInstalling Linux from scratch goes faster than an upgrade. It also results in acleaner Linux system. So if you have the choice of backing up your data or justerasing it if you don t need it, a fresh install is usually best. Some Linux distributions, most notably Gentoo, have taken the approach of ongoingupdates. Instead of taking a new release every few months, you simply continuouslygrab updated packages as they become available and install them on your system. Dual Booting with Windows or Just LinuxIt is possible to have multiple, bootable operating systems on the same computer(using multiple partitions on a hard disk and/or multiple hard disks). Setting up toboot more than one operating system, however, requires some thought. It alsoassumes some risks. While tools for resizing Windows partitions and setting up multiboot systems haveimproved in recent years, there is still considerable risk of losing data on Windows/ Linux dual-boot systems. Different operating systems often have different views ofpartition tables and master boot records that can cause your machine to becomeunbootable (at least temporarily) or lose data permanently. Always back up yourdata before you try to resize a Windows (NTFS or FAT) file system to make spacefor Linux. If you have a choice, install Linux on a machine of its own or at least ona separate hard disk. If the computer you are using already has a Windows system on it, it s likely thatthat the entire hard disk is devoted to Windows. While you can run a bootableLinux such as KNOPPIX or Damn Small Linux without touching the hard disk, to doa more permanent installation you ll want to find disk space outside the Windowsinstallation. There are a few ways to do this: .Add a hard disk Instead of messing with your Windows partition, you cansimply add a hard disk and devote it to Linux. .Resize your Windows partition If you have available space on yourWindows partition, you can shrink that partition so there is available freespace on the disk to devote to Linux. Commercial tools such as PartitionMagic (www.semantec.com/partitionmagic) or Acronis Disk Director(www.acronis.com) are available to resize your disk partitions and set upaworkable boot manager. Some Linux distributions (particularly bootableLinuxes used as rescue CDs) include a tool called QTParted that is an opensource clone of Partition Magic (which includes software from the Linux-NTFSproject for resizing Windows NTFS partitions). Before you try to resize your Windows partition, you might need to defragmentit. To defragmentyour disk on some Windows systems, so that all your usedspace is put in order on the disk, open My Computer, right-click your hard diskicon (typically C:), select Properties, click Tools, and select Defragment Now. CautionTip14_