[plug] dual boot - Windows reinstall

[clare at cyllene.uwa.edu.au]

On Thu, 27 Feb 2003, Cameron Patrick wrote:
  On Thu, Feb 27, 2003 at 11:06:13AM +0800, Leon Brooks wrote:
> | If there's nothing you treasure on there, safest approach is to install 
> | Windows first, then (re)install Linux, FreeBSD, whatever afterwards.
> 
> Yes.  I'm not sure whether all versions of Windows allow you to choose the
> size of the partitions it creates, though... urgh.
> 

I doubt if any does. After getting windows on, and degfragged if it has
been there any length of time, you then shorten the Windows partition and
that makes room for your linux.
However in addition to shortening the partition, the FAT tables have to
be edited to match, as Windows will regard those as more useful than the
actual partitions I believe (and plough through your new partitions
regardless.)

I have been told that Partition Magic can do this (early version I had
would not). But fips20 which comes a part of Debian and probably others
does it very well. Fips20 was even able to slot partitions in between the
shortened windows and a Hibernate which I didn't want to alter.
It is near the top of the Debian mirror, 
mirrors/linux/debian/tools

clare