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Another Way to Install Fedora 9 Along with MS Vista
It's very common these days to get a new PC or laptop with MS Vista installed. You want to use Fedora, but still need to occasionally use Vista. Dual booting is one popular approach to have use of both operating systems.

Since version 9, Fedora has the capability to resize NTFS partitions, the type commonly used by newer versions of Windows. (Yes, I know that this capability has existed for some time in other Linux distributions.)

This posting briefly describes an alternate approach to using Fedora's new built-in NTFS partition resizer. Instead, this method uses Vista's own partition resizing utility which ships with Microsoft Vista. This is described by Microsoft as "shrinking".

This approach consists of 2 steps:

1. In Windows Vista, shrink the Windows system partition.

2. Install Fedora utilizing the resulting free space.

Step 1. Shrink the Windows System Partition

In order to "shrink" the Windows NTFS partition, follow the instructions in this excellent pictorial guide:

"How to Shrink and Extend NTFS Volumes in Windows Vista" at http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial133.html

Warning: Always create a backup of any important files before resizing the Windows partition. Some vendors have a utility which allows you to create restore CDs or DVDs for one time only. You may also need to defragment the Windows partition before starting the shrinking process.

Step 2. Install Fedora 9

Next, install Fedora 9 using any method you prefer: live CD, DVD, over the network, etc. Get Fedora 9 at

In my experience, assuming your system has a DVD reader, installing via the Fedora 9 DVD is usually the fastest approach. Be sure to update Fedora afterward to get the latest security and bug fixes, as well as the latest version of the software.

Fedora 9 will automatically recognize the free space on the hard drive, create a Linux partition and install the GRUB booter. Note that Vista will appear on the boot menu as "Other", unless you changed the name while installing Fedora.

Finally, in the unlikely event that Vista fails to boot up after installing Fedora, the GRUB config file under Linux may need to be manually edited to point to the Windows system partition. This file is located at /boot/grub/grub.conf.

You will need to edit this config file as root. Be sure not to delete this file or change the settings for Fedora. be aware that the numbers in the hd parameter are zero-relative, meaning the first drive or partition is 0, second is 1, etc. Therefore, hd(0,0) refers to physical drive #1, partition #1.

Of course, if you don't need Vista, the simplest approach is to let the Fedora installer reformat the entire drive, thereby avoiding issues with missing drivers, incompatible applications, etc. But I digress.