[ale] Format C in linux

[Jeff Hubbs]

> It seems my son installed Linux without partitioning and lost 
> Windows 98.

Wait...is that really a "loss?" :-)  Don't be too hard on your son; he
intuitively had your best interests at heart.

> Can anyone tell us how format the hard drive from Linux so we 
> can install 98
> again and then re-install Linux on a partition.

Well, okay, if you must...

First, you need to get rid of LILO, so, using a DOS or Win98 setup or boot
floppy, type the command

	fdisk /mbr

to overwrite the master boot record.  

Then, begin a Linux installation via floppy/CD or just CD and go as far as
the disk partitioning part (fdisk, Disk Druid, DiskDrake, etc.).
Alternatively, if you have one of those Linux-on-a-floppy things
(http://www.toms.net/rb/), you can pop it in, reboot, and just run fdisk off
of it to save yourself some time/trouble.  Use whatever utility to blow away
your Linux partitions and, if you like, create one or more new FAT16 or
FAT32 partitions for Win98's use.  You can then carry out your Win98
install, leaving part of the drive unpartitioned.  

Before you do, though, consider that, IIRC, up until the very most recent
version(s) of LILO (i.e., so new that it won't appear right away in
distributions), LILO can't boot Linux (or any other OS?) in a partition that
extends past or exists totally beyond the 1024th cylinder, so I believe that
you have to limit how big you make that first partition.  

Then, begin a Linux installation via floppy/CD or just CD and go as far as
the disk partitioning part (fdisk, Disk Druid, DiskDrake, etc.).  Use
whichever utility to add partitions for Linux (minimum:  one Linux native
{i.e., ext2} and one Linux swap).  You might want to create a FAT16 or FAT32
partition on which Win98 and Linux can share data files; under Win98, your
Linux paritions will not be available.

In lieu of all this, you may want to carefully investigate VMware
(www.vmware.com).  If you use VMware instead, you'll avoid a reboot-o-rama
and you can set things up so that Win98 and Linux can access your entire
drive (via Samba if need be).  The big gotcha with VMware is that the
"virtual PC" it provides for you to install Win98 in is not a tricked-out
one, so don't expect all your peripherals to work from Win98 (some will,
esp. printers).  I'm going to be taking that route in the near future.

- Jeff
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