[GRASS-user] Installation problem

[Moritz Lennert]

gotnidea! Business Development Centre wrote:
> Thanks Moritz,
>  
> I could partially solve my problem with your help. I changed the c: 
> option to d:.
>  
> But now, as you say, I can install GRASS on my C: with FAT32 structure, 
> I am more interested in doing so. Earlier I had read at many places that 
> GRASS could only work with NTFS.
>  
> Now to be precise, my problem with installation on C: (FAT32) starts 
> while I install postgresql-8.1.4-1 and try to initialise database 
> structure. I get data directory error telling me that data directory 
> should be on NTFS formatted volume. It clearly mentions:
>  
> 'If you wish to install the data directory on another type of partition 
> (which is not recommended, and is unsupported) you must initialise the 
> database cluster manually by running initdb.exe.'
>  
> How can I do so?

Can't you tell postgres where you want your data directory during the 
installation ? You could tell it to use your NTFS drive as data directory.

If this is not possible, then just follow their advice and use 
initdb.exe. See the postgresql docs for more info. But see below.


> And how it is done. Would it affect the functioning of 
> GRASS on FAT32?

You actually don't need postgresql to use GRASS, but the current windows 
binary was compiled against grass, so unfortunately you need the pg.dll 
to run any module. Even if you were not able to create a postgresql data 
directory during installation, you should still be able to run GRASS 
without any problems. Have you tried ?

The issue of the PostgreSQL dependency in wingrass was discussed here:

http://grass.itc.it/pipermail/grassuser/2006-September/036381.html

It seems clear that GRASS should not depend on PostgreSQL...

Moritz