Installing Linux Partition Issue.

[Mebster]

I've currently got 3 Primary Partitions on hard drive which are the following OS's which boot using Acronis:

XP, OS X, Vista

 

I'm also looking to install Ubuntu and it seems to need two Primary Partitions also. One for the Main Install and a Swap partition. Problem is from what I've read you can only have 4 primary partitions on a single hard drive which seems to be the case as Ubuntu doesn't let me create the swap partition after I've created the installation partition because otherwise I would have five.

 

I've looked and it seem one way may be to create an Extended Partition and then create logical partitions in it.

 

So my question is

1. Can Linux be installed and be run successfully on a extended/logical partition along with the other operating systems I have i.e. can I have the main install partition and the swap partition be logical drives.

2. Is it possible to create one more primary partition and install the main Linux OS on it and then create a extended/logical partition and install the swap partition on that?

3. Any other ideas?

 

 

[Side Help: I've got 1GB memory and i've read the swap area should be ideally 1.5x the memory you have. So whould I assign 1.5GB for my swap or more?]

[asap18]

No need for swap.

[erbic]

Ubuntu will run fine without a swap partition. If it bugs you that much, you can create a "swap file" on your root partition and tell Ubuntu to use that. I can't remember the exact steps to do so, but look around and you can find out.

[Mebster]

No need for swap.

Ubuntu will run fine without a swap partition. If it bugs you that much, you can create a "swap file" on your root partition and tell Ubuntu to use that. I can't remember the exact steps to do so, but look around and you can find out.

Thanks guys for the quick and helpful response. I think as I'm only testing it I'll leave the swap for the moment. And btw ERBIC while i was trying to google a solution yesterday I did come across a guide to use a file as a swap. Wasn't exactly sure what they mean but it did say speed-wise using a file or a partition were more or less the same. So I might later try and dig that up.

 

But just to know can anything be done if I wanted a swap partition? Could I use one of the methods?

[xyzzy]

I've currently got 3 Primary Partitions on hard drive which are the following OS's which boot using Acronis:

XP, OS X, Vista

I have a quad-boot system running off of a single hard drive, which is exactly what you're trying to accomplish:

XP, OS X, Vista, Ubuntu

The only difference with your setup is that I'm using Vista bootloader as default (GRUB is installed in Ubuntu's partition, not on the MBR)

 

So my question is

1. Can Linux be installed and be run successfully on a extended/logical partition along with the other operating systems I have i.e. can I have the main install partition and the swap partition be logical drives.

2. Is it possible to create one more primary partition and install the main Linux OS on it and then create a extended/logical partition and install the swap partition on that?

3. Any other ideas?

Actually, I only have 2 primary partitions, the rest is extended/logical:

1. Primary (NTFS/Windows XP)

2. Primary (HFS+/OS X)

3. Extended (NTFS/Data)

4. Extended (NTFS/Windows Vista)

5. Extended (EXT3/Ubuntu)

6. Extended (SWAP/Ubuntu)

 

Hope it helps.

[BlueAvenue]

I would not own a computer without TWO hard drives.

FIFTY STINKING DOLLARS FOR A 100GIG HARD DRIVE.

[lord_muad_dib]

you need only one primary partition: /boot, both root and swap can be logical