Take the tour ×

I would like to try out Linux but I did not find how to format c while installing.

There are 3 requirements at the beginning:

  • 2.6 (?) GB storage
  • Internet - this is ok
  • And something else I have forgotten

Could somebody help me?

share|improve this question
add comment

1 Answer

Quick educational lesson in disk formats for you: under linux (and many other unices) the file system is virtual in the sense that you have several block devices (partitions on your hard disk) and these are all mounted into a tree. For example, on my system I have:

/dev/sda1 -> /
/dev/sda2 -> /home

Most distribution's installers won't present information to you in terms of a C: drive because they have no such concept - they're just partitions that can be mounted into the tree.

Windows itself has a different take on partitions - each partition it can read it assigns a drive letter - starting with C: (historically because A: and B: were for two floppy drives).

So, from the perspective of installing Linux, most linux installers will offer you the chance to alter partitions via something like gparted (I think the Ubuntu/Fedora installers hide this under a "custom" option) and then decide where you want to "mount" them - that is, what folder in the VFS tree that partition will store data for.

You can install Linux and Windows alongside each other. Many installers should offer you the option to do this; alternatively, you can manually set this up yourself.

On a side note - it sounds like you're about to destroy a Windows install. You might prefer to try Linux via a Live CD for a bit before hand just to see what it is like - other alternatives include virtual machine software for trying Linux on Windows.

share|improve this answer
+1 for LiveCD recommendation. Also make sure to check out Gparted LiveCD. –  Herman Torjussen Feb 25 '12 at 11:56
add comment

Your Answer


