Provide space for linux on dual boot without repartition

**Chulbul Pandey** · 26-12-2010

I am new to Linux operating system but currently I am using Windows XP operating system on my machine. Now I want to install the Linux OS on this machine by using the Bootcamp but the condition is I don't want to repartition the hard drive for getting the spaced for installing the new operating system. Can anybody tell me that how can I make the space for Linux without repartitioning the hard drive.

**Zhankana_n** · 26-12-2010

Actually it would be possible to install the Linux operating system on your windows machine without making any separate partition on your hard disk only if there is enough space available in any one of the drives of your hard disk. I suggest you to check that best drive to install the new operating system on it as the data installed on that particular drive can be moved to some other drive as it would be better to keep two operating system on different drives without having any software installed along with it on the same space.

**Dolsy_bendal** · 26-12-2010

Mounting the windows operating system with the fat32 partition /dev/hdax (/dev/hda1 is your c in /mnt/y by using mount -t msdos /dev/hdax /mnt/y does not seems to be better as long file names are not supported by it. You can make some TXT files for testing it. I think you have one way by which you can install both the operating system for which you need to install the Linux by using the Loop file system.

**mesterio** · 26-12-2010

A loop filesystem is a the file that has been created in the partition with same file system. This means that you are creating the file in your mounted dos partiton where you have to make a ext2 filesystem. You have to mount this file as a partition and then use that space for installing the Linux data. As you would be using the DOS space for running the Linux operating system on your machine and hence they won't be showing any problems.

**Enriquee** · 26-12-2010

Here I have given you the steps by following which you can install the Linux on your windows machine. First of all mount your dos partition /dev/hdax in existing path /mnt/y by following command.

Code:

mount -t msdos /dev/hdax /mnt/y

Now create a file named as fedora.img which could be of 100 mb and it would be acting as a loop filesystem where bs is a blocksize.

Code:

dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/y/fedora.img bs=1024 count=102400

Now create a ext2 filesystem in it as follows and then press Y.

Code:

mkfs -t ext2 /mnt/y/fedora.img

Now create this filesystem in a newly created directory by :

Code:

mount in existing paths like /usr or /root etc !

and then "mkdir /root/test" and Add following lines

Code:

/dev/hdax /mnt/y msdos defaults

/mnt/y/fedora.img /root/test ext2 loop 0 0

to your /etc/fstab file. You can use the disk management tool in order to mount loop filesystem in /root/test. Hence your folder /root/test would be using windows partition instead of Linux space that you have to use for saving files of Linux.