Randy Fowler wrote:

On Fri, 8 Aug 2003 15:20:19 EST5EDT4,M4.1,M10.5, Orest Skrypuch wrote:

 

But, unfortunately I no longer have any space left at the beginning of the disk, and the data partition is JFS, so I can't do the Partition Magic thing.
   

How about creating an extended/logical partition at the end of your disk to hold the data from your JFS partition?  Copy your data over, then delete that first partition, then you can install Win98 as the first, primary partition.  Then you can copy your data back when you set up your OS/2 partition.
 

The JFS partition takes up the rest of the space, it is like this:

a) eCS primary 2Gb
b) free space 2Gb
c) JFS data 25Gb

Unfortunately the first partition is the boot partition, so I may have trouble fully copying it while it is still active. I could certainly backup it up through the network, but how would I restore with no active partition. I'd have to reinstall eCS at some point anyway, so that doesn't really save much.

The basic problem is that brain-dead Win98 will only install to the first primary partition. I can't run Partition Magic as there is no floppy boot. Same problem with DFsee, and you can't move the active partition while it is active. And PM will not run from a CDR even if I could get it bootable, as it needs to write out temporary data somewhere.


But, I think I may have a solution, without having to blow it all away again and start over.
[Insert "Eureka!" <here>] :-)

1)  With LVM create a tiny (two cluster) 15Mb primary partition (let's call it d) at the end of the (b) free space, like so:

    a) eCS primary 2Gb
    b) free space 1.985Gb
    d) empty non formatted primary 0.015Gb
    c) JFS data 25Gb


2)  Use LVM to hide (a), and set (d) startable, and then shut down.
3)  Boot with the Win98 CD to a DOS prompt
4)  Format (d), this will become a tiny FAT C: drive, and the only partition recognized on the drive by DOS at the moment.
5)  Having burned the Partition Magic "boot"  diskette contents to a CDR, now insert that CDR and copy those PM files to the 15Mb C: partition.
6) Log into the PM directory on C:, run PM and slide the (a) partition down, now giving:

    b) free space 1.985Gb
    a) eCS primary 2Gb      d) C: containing minimal Partition Magic  0.015Gb
    c) JFS data 25Gb

7) Reboot to the eCS console from eCS CD1, start LVM
8) Hide partition (d)
9) Create a new primary with the (b) free space, and set it startable
10) Save the LVM changes, this also "fixes up" the special LVM partition info
11) Now you have:

    b) C: primary, empty 1.985Gb
    a) eCS primary 2Gb      d) primary, minimal Partition Magic  0.015Gb
    c) JFS data 25Gb

12) Now install Lose98 into (b)
13) Boot to the eCS console from the eCS CD1, start LVM
14) delete (d) FAT partition, install Boot Manger in (d) space
15) Put (b) windows and (a) eCS primaries in BM menu:

    b) Win98 1.985Gb
    a) C: eCS primary 2Gb      d) Boot Manager 0.0075Gb
    e) free space 0.0075Gb
    c) JFS data 25Gb

Done! I feel like I've just solved Rubik's Cube!


I've left the 7.5Mb free space just to leave me wiggle room for any future shuffling, it allows for the proverbial "foot in the door" here, although now I can install Partition Magic in the windows partition and do everything non-JFS from there.

This is the first non-floppy bootable computer I've fiddled with. Next time I'll be a little more careful in planning. I've always been used to just squeezing the Windows partition down to 2 or 3Gb, and then installed OS/2, then BM and a data partition. Partition Magic was always available to shuffle/tune things later.

With the squeezed down preinstalled XPee partition taking up 6.5 Gb of space I couldn't get a bootable eCS 2Gb partition in the remaining below 8Gb space, so I erased XP. I should then have installed Win98, that would have avoided all this.


I have VPC for OS/2, and it works very well for most all the Windows apps I have to run, but there are problems with the audio support, and DragonDictate just won't work, I didn't discover that until the Windows partition was gone.

And of course I would now have that FAT partition for hibernation support and the ThinkPad utilities, which was the original matter begin discussed.

* Orest


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