Installing the database and Developer on the same partition

I want to install Oracle 9i and Developer 2000 on the same box. I have two partitions, but partition D is full, and I can't delete any of its contents. I have enough space on partition C (110 GB), but I cannot make any partitions using FDISK if I want to restore my PC in the future for whatever reason. My situation is that I have to install the database and Developer 2000 on the same partition, but Oracle is not allowing me to do so. Any suggestions on how to solve this puzzle?

Oracle doesn't care which partition you install the software on. It just needs enough space. If you are having problems installing the software, then I suspect it is because Oracle changed the way that they treat the base software directory, called the ORACLE_HOME directory. Oracle 9i requires that its software be installed in a separate ORACLE_HOME. Developer 2000 does not have this restriction and it can share the ORACLE_HOME directory with certain Oracle versions.

My suggestion is to completely uninstall all Oracle software from your machine. Then, install the Developer 2000 product first. After that, install Oracle 9i. Make sure that you specify a new ORACLE_HOME directory for the Oracle 9i software.

For More Information

• Dozens more answers to tough Oracle questions from Brian Peasland are available.
• The Best Oracle Web Links: tips, tutorials, scripts, and more.
• Have an Oracle or SQL tip to offer your fellow DBAs and developers? The best tips submitted will receive a cool prize. Submit your tip today!
• Ask your technical Oracle and SQL questions -- or help out your peers by answering them -- in our live discussion forums.
• Ask the Experts yourself: Our SQL, database design, Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, metadata, object-oriented and data warehousing gurus are waiting to answer your toughest questions.