Installation

Get a good list of your hardware from the preinstalled version of XP. Use the start button and go: Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Information. There you will find a nice GUI guiding you thru the system. My system summary is as follows:

• System Model PCG-FRV28(UC)
• System Type X86-based PC
• Processor x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 9 GenuineIntel 2791 Mhz
• BIOS Version/Date Phoenix Technologies LTD R0108K7, 8/13/2003
• SMBIOS Version 2.3
• Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
• CD-RW/DVD : MATSHITA UJ-810
• Sound : SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio
• Video : RADEON IGP 345M ; 64M RAM, set to 024 x 768 x 60 hertz

A detailed list of my Vaio system info as XP presented it is here.

Next you need to repartition your hard drive to make room for Linux, if you don't want Windows at all you can skip this and use fdisk a little later on. I used Partition Magic 8.0, and it worked like a charm. Resized both the original partitions, and put a FAT32 for swapping between OS's and some unpartitioned space at the end. To add the Linux partitions I went ahead and used the Slackware insitlation disk (disk1). Put disk1 in the cd drive and reboot, and the installation disk should boot fine. NOTE : unplug all your peripheral devices at this step as the Slackware version that loads into ram to run the instillation may hang on externals (my usb mouse for instance). At this point you can run fdsik and add you Linux partitions. My partitions look like this:

Fdisk Output

Disk /dev/hda: 40.0 GB, 40007761920 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4864 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1               1         608     4883728+  12  Compaq diagnostics
/dev/hda2   *         609        1914    10490445    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda3            1915        4863    23687842+   f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda5            1915        3189    10241406    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda6            3190        3316     1020096    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/hda7            3317        4209     7172991   83  Linux
/dev/hda8            4210        4719     4096543+  83  Linux
/dev/hda9            4720        4863     1156648+  82  Linux swap

After the repartition I started the setup program and began the normal Slackware install. Nothing spectacular here, I chose the full install and the bareacpi.i kernel, and everything went fine. I used lilo and wrote to the MBR and had the lilo menu with both OS's after reboot. Here is my lilo.conf.

Lilo Config

# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
boot = /dev/hda
#compact        # faster, but won't work on all systems.
prompt
timeout = 300
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x256
vga = 771
# Normal VGA console
# vga = normal
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x64k
# vga=791
		|
		|
		~
		|
		|
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x256
# vga=769
# ramdisk = 0     # paranoia setting
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/hda7
  label = Slackware
  read-only # Non-UMSDOS filesystems should be mounted read-only for checking
# Linux bootable partition config ends
# DOS bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/hda2
label = XP
  table = /dev/hda
# DOS bootable partition config ends
# DOS bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/hda1
  label = Recovery
  table = /dev/hda
# DOS bootable partition config ends

Here endeth the instillation.