computer components & hardware - Linux on Presario 5000T?

Ok, after installing the second HD in your Presario as a SLAVE drive
you will need to format and Partition it. The best utility for this
(IMHO) is Partition Magic. Although any Windows or Linux install disk
will create and format partitions for you and there are several GNU
disk partitioning programs available. For example, your origional Hard
Drive will have your NTFS or Fat32 Windows partition and most likely a
FAT32 Compaq restore Partition. Your new drive will then need to be
partitioned for your backup and for Linux. Assuming you have a 80 gig
drive and you want to use 40 for a windows back-up and 40 for Linux
you would use PM to create the 2 Logical 40 gig partitions. Format
the first one Fat32 or NTFS and leave the second partition
unformatted. Then when you install Linux the distro will format the
unformatted space (make sure you choose the unformatted space) and
will create the Swap partition.

Advanced Linux users reccomend different partitions for your /home dir
and /root dir, but I dont think that you need to worry about that.

I strongly recomend creating 3 partitions on the second HD. The first
partition will be your Windows back-up, the second partition format as
FAT32 so that you have storage space that is read/write from Linux and
Windows, and a third partition for your Linux install.

During your install of Linux it will ask you to configure your MBR.
When you do this you can set any OS as default, from any partition.

I run Mandrake 9.1 on 3 different Compaq's and have never had any
trouble, the install process was very painless. If you want to see
how Linux runs on your own Presario, Try KNOPPIX first.

The only other thing I have to mention is my Presario 5000 (AMD DURON
750) had no case fan stock. With 2 HD's inside the case, and very
close togather, it was overheating hardcore. I added 3 case fans and
it runs nice and cool now. 1 is on the back exhaust ports, I cut a
hole in the side of the case for the second, and I have one bolted to
the hard drive cage drawing heat off the HD towards the exhaust.

Ken Knecht wrote in message 6.10...
I am adding a second HD (I hope) to my Compaq Presario 5000T
desktop so I can back up the original HD. I'll have some room
left over for Linux, if it will run on this machine. Anyone
successfully done so? Which distribution?

If so, to boot from Linux I assume the Linux partition must be
first on the added HD? Can the HD be set as a slave?

I tried an unsuccessful Google search for this info.

TIA

Ken