FYI, I have two different releases of Solaris 10, three different releases of Solaris Express, Windows XP and a couple of Linux distros (Kaella and Centos) on a single computer, with one IDE and 2 SATA disks.
If you read my reply, none of the 6 above would work.
How do you connect to the Internet without a network ?
If you read my posts, you'll see that this is unsupported, and won't work ...
You got them
You need to remove this hda5 thing, and create a primary partition before going any further.

Jlliagre
Thank you very much for providing me with a lengthy reply.

This is like playing with fire. Remove the 'hda5' partition and creates a new primary partition. I could do this on Windows side. There I have installed Partiton Magic. I am familiar with Partition Magic. It can erase, create , merge harddrives.
It is a cracked Partition Magic program; it works.

However, this is playing with fire. I am running the risk of loosing beautifully working Mandriva and Windows XP.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

You asked how I connect to the Internet without a network? You misunderstood me. I meant that I don't have a network of computers at home. Some people have a small network at home.

Like the other people I connect to the Internet through my ISP. I have two network cards. One is built-in network and the other one is a separte card. I disabled the built-in card.

[Do you want me to erase this 'hda5' extended partition and make a 75GB primary partition? These are dangerous exercises. The risk is great that I will lose everything. That is why I say this is playing with fire.]

How did you install so many operating systems on a single computer? How did you partition the different partitions? Is it LILO or GRUB helps you to select the operating system?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[nissanka@c83-250-100-230 ~]$ df -k
Filesystem 1K-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/hda6 77996388 5363808 68670552 8% /
/dev/hda1 36636200 8469316 28166884 24% /mnt/win_c
/dev/hda5 77901248 288 77900960 1% /mnt/win_d
[nissanka@c83-250-100-230 ~]$

The hda6 is the Mandriva Linux.

The hda1 is Windows Xp

The hda5 is the empty one.

-----------------

[nissanka@c83-250-100-230 ~]$ df -h
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/hda6 75G 5.2G 66G 8% /
/dev/hda1 35G 8.1G 27G 24% /mnt/win_c
/dev/hda5 75G 288K 75G 1% /mnt/win_d
[nissanka@c83-250-100-230 ~]$

Do you want to kill the hda5 using Partition Magic and makes a primary prtition?

Hey, you run a cracked S/W on a cracked O/S, not that much symbolic .
I know that, the reason why I wrote earlier you should backup your partitions before doing this rearrangment. With a backup, there is not risk to loose any data.
You do, you have a PC and a router, that makes a network.
One after the other.
I'm using linux and Solaris partition tools.
This has already been discussed in this thread, grub is the way to go. Lilo is too linux centric.
I want nothing, but I suggest you to do the partition removal and creation using whatever tool you are confortable with.
The issue here is that given you haven't a second computer at home, I don't know how you are going to backup the Windows and Mandriva partitions berfore that ...
Have you an external USB disk ?

Jlligare

Thanks again for taking time to provide with me a lengthy reply. You had the time and patience to write a lengthy reply. I appreciate it very much.

So GRUB is a better program than LILO. I don't know these aspects. I can't find so many people who work with open source. There are 2 persons around me who use Linux.

Yes, I do have a USB disk. The backing up of data is not a worry for me.
I have nothing to backup on the Windows XP. I told you it is a symbolic operating system for me.

I rarely look at it. There are a couple of beautiful programs made only for Windows. I must go to the Windows if I want to look at those programs. Those programs are router simulators. They are beautiful programs. I got them from one of my teachers.

For some funny reason Cisco makes those programs only for Windows platform. You know everybody in the world respects to Bill Gates.

You can train everything on Cisco routers using those programs. They are beautifully made programs. They are not for open source.

I don't know how to execute the Solaris installation. The risk and the job is too much for me. I am studying Russian and French this term. So I can't survive without a properly working computer more than 24 hours.

I have two old computers at home. They are working. I just put them in my cellar.

It may be the case that I buy a new computer. It is difficult to judge what is the best. If you have all the operating systems on a single computer, life will be easy for you. Switching computers to run different operating systems is a cumbersome exercise, as far as I am concerned.

To figure out what Solaris is, and if your cellar H/W is supported without the risk of installation mistakes, you can download a live-distro like Belenix and run it from the CD.

Jlliagre

I know Solaris. When I studied networking, it was Solaris. I have installed it as a part of the course. I know the file system and other relevant details.

Now I am trying to do something else. To cohabit Solaris with two other operating systems. I am begging your help on this.

I have never ever heard about Belenix. Thank you very much for telling me about it. It seems you all know more about Solaris than me.

You see at school, they must taught us UNIX. They selected Solaris. The reason was Solaris is the most spread UNIX version in this country. Not IBM AIX or HP-UX. All the computers were Sun Sparc at school.

I will try Belenix. I am very glad you told me about this Belenix

Almost a year ago, I had a Linux distribution to run using the CD. I don't remember the name now. I threw it away. It is not the same as using a real Linux.

So I know how those programs work.

Now I am downloading 'belenix0.5.iso'. Is it the version you recommend to me? It is 691.3MB.

I didn't know even Solaris has different flavours like Linux.
I thought Sun is the sole authority to release Solaris.

Those days Solaris was not free. Sun decided to give it away free. This must be the reason for people to create different flavours.

Okay, so what O/Ses on what machine ?

Knoppix ?
What wasn't the same ?

Jlliagre

You have extrasensory perception; it was Knoppix. I think I got it free from a Linux journal. Sometimes I buy Linux journals.

I tried it almost a year ago.
There were some problems which you could never solve.
The following were the problems:

1. Printer configuration
2. Connection to the Internet

This computer has Mandriva Linux and Windows XP. So I would like to install Solaris too. This is a 64bit computer. My Mandriva 2006 is a 64bit program.

In any case, now I am downloading Belenix version of Solaris. I am grateful to you.
The downloading is still going on. I will try this and come back to you later on.
My downloading speed is damn slow. It is about 55KB/Sec.

, I'm afraid I haven't any ...
Knoppix was an easy guess given it's a well known Linux live distro, and it comes from Germany ...
That's weird, The knoppix I tried were connecting fine.
Okay, waiting for news ...

Jlliagre

The downloading is complete now. I wouldn't do anything at the moment. It is almost one o'clock in the middle of the night. I must sleep now.

By the way, I don't live in Germany. I live in the EU. I had problems in the past when I disclosed my proper identity. Dirty and filthy emails were rained in.

Now I am forced to use fictitious names. I use funny names for different forums. For the DShield lists I am using another name. I have another name for the Russian forum.

I could send you my real identity if you give me one of your email addresses. I mean there is no reason for me to hide my identity to you. I am glad to tell you my bonafide identity.

Jlliagre
This Belenix might create problems for me. It will install GRUB. I have LILO. If the LILO goes to hell, I won't be able to run my computer.

It seems Belenix supports only GRUB.
It will go and sit on the MBR. This might corrupt the LILO.

The reason I chose LILO, when I installed, for Mandriva Linux was that I am familiar with it. I had a SuSE Linux version some 7 or 8 years ago. I had LILO then too.

Jlliagre

I burnt the belenix onto a CD. It worked fine. I could go to the Internet too. It is a bit slow than your harddrive based programs. It should be the case. Harddrive is always the fastest device.

I must seriously consider the best way of installing Solaris. I must be able to do the installation without much ado.

Probably I should connect the SATA drive to begin with. It has 180MB. Now I found a driver for it. The question is whether it will work smoothly. I can't spent hours and hours on those things.

By the way, I can install GRUB. Would you think it works? I mean a simple transfer from LILO to GRUB. I could easily download GRUB and install.

You will know if your SATA drive can work smoothly only after testing it. The mainboard hardware is probably more important that the drives themselves.
For what it worth, I have been running SATA drives under Solaris for a couple of years with no issue.

I don't understand your concern about grub. Grub is certainly able to replace lilo for all its use. I don't know if a migration program (one that will convert your configuration automatically) exists but setting it up should be easy anyway.

Jlliagre

The mainboard hardware doesn't support at all. This is the core problem. I am forced to look at the drivers all over the world. Different motherboards have different aspects. You and I can't help.

Today I looked at the Partition Magic program on the Windows XP side. I can beautifully make a primary partiton.

The question is whether it will recognize by the Solaris installation. You never know those funny problems.

It may be that I fix the SATA harddrive first.

Yes, GRUB transition worked smoothly. I made it today with some trepidation.