General :: Formatting / Partitioning For Dual-boot
May 1, 2010
I don't want sympathy, but merely explain what I'm up against. I'm 63 years old. I'm on medical and mental disability (Cognitive failure, the beginning of Alzheimer's). I used to be a good computer tech, but now, because of my memory problems, I don't remember how to do a lot of things with a computer.I'm seeking assistance (not 24/7 help or hand-holding)to help me reformat,partition, and set-up a dual-boot for both WIN 2000 Pro and Ubuntu Linux to operate programs where I can use my Amateur (Ham) Radio in digital modes (PSK-31, PSK-64, BPSK, cw, etc). I'm choosing NOT to run Ham Radio DeLuxe, as it's bloated with M$ "code" and could be hacked and messed with.
The hard drive is a Maxtor 80 gig (78 g formatted). I have another drive,a Western Digital 40 gig (37 g formatted) that I use for Windows as well, but mostly it contains Excel spreadsheets with Part 90 - Public Safety frequency information for the local (within 250 miles) from my home. It's a FAT 32 and I'd like the 80 gig to match that
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Jan 25, 2010
I have a 2 year old Acer laptop running Windows 7 from a 160 GB HDD. This is currently divided into C:/ for Windows and D:/ for data with two small hidden partitions for Acer Utilities and Windows reinstall.
I ran OpenSUSE v11.2 from a LiveCD and decided I would like to dual boot it with W7. I downloaded the full 4.2 GB OpenSUSE Install DVD and ran that as recommended. All went well until I reached the Partitioning stage where the Intelligent Partitioner refused to offer any option other than delete all the Windows partitions and create a single extended partition for OpenSUSE.
It offers (without option):
Delete Windows /dev/sda2 70 GB impossible to resize (25 Gb are free under W7)
Delete Windows /dev/sda3 70 GB although 40 GB are free
Create Extended /dev/sda2 140 GB
Create swap /dev/sda5 2 GB even though I have 4 GB RAM
Create Root /dev/sda6 20 GB ext4
Create Home /dev/sda7 115 GB ext4
The whole HDD is currently formatted to NTFS as a factory default.
Is their a way to resize sda2 and/or sda3 to install OpenSUSE as their is lots of free space available for this installation?
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Oct 13, 2009
My current laptop (purchased off of a local computer store owner, I think it's brand is generic but it is called a SPARTAN for those that need to know) is running windows 7 professional and I am attempting to install Slackware 13.0. Now, I did the whole partitioning thing under windows (computer>manage>etc.) but for some reason whenever I boot the DVD to install it seems like it cannot read my hard drive. I then went directly into setup > target partition and I notice that it is reading my hard drive because my two partitions that windows exists on is there.
Now, what is says when I use cfdisk is that it seems to be reading the DVD and it gives me an error saying that the disk is read-only (which I see why). Is there a step I'm skipping while preparing the hard drive while under windows or is there just something wrong with my computer completely? I tried to read the readme and attempted to use fdisk but it's really confusing for me considering I have never used terminal type code before (except random DOS commands). I can get it installed in virtualbox but I just can't install it on the main computer. If it's worth mentioning, I downloaded the DVD ISO off of the website.
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Jan 22, 2011
I have only known about Linux software for the past couple of weeks. I want to install Ubuntu 10.10 on an older desktop I have so I can become more familiar with it. I am average in knowladge about Windows OS and MS-DOS. I tried to install Ubuntu and I get an error message about the harddrive. The CD I am booting with will load on my other PC with Windows XP on it. I have only let it run on it long enough to verify that it is bootable.
I have made a floppy boot disc following the instructions on another Linux site about Ubuntu. I have also tried to boot my alternate PC with the floppy and it boots up. The harddrive on my working PC is a Maxtor 40gb formatted with NTFS file system. The harddrive in the older desktop is a Western Digital 80GB WD800LB-55DNA0.It worked fine with Windows XP on it. I also made a Western Digital DATA Lifeguard for DOS floppy and it boots with it.
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Apr 14, 2011
Can i dual-boot OS without formatting:
1. Install a trial windows server 2008 standard
2. Next install Ubuntu 11.04
After my trial windows server expired, will use Ubuntu 11.04 as main OS without formatting my entire hard disk. Will this work as i have only 1 sata hard disk?
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May 16, 2011
At the end of this week I'm going to get a new PC. It will have a 80GB SSD ( 2.5" SSD INTEL X25-M 80GB) and a 1TB HD. I want to dual boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu on it.The SSD will be for fast bootup and should also contain the core OS stuff. I will partition it for both Windows 7 and Linux but I'm not certain how big I should make both partitions. I was considering going with 60GB for Windows and 20GB for Linux but is that big enough for keeping the core Ubuntu on?
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Feb 24, 2011
I have Windows 7 starter on an ASUS 1005 HAB, 10 inch, with 149.5 GB HDD. Drive C is 139.03 GB. There is a partition and it has 10 GB (Primary Partition) unlike C it is 100% free and another has 15 MB also free and it is called the EFI System Partition.So to dual boot, how should I prepare the partitions? Do I need make a new partition in what is now drive C?
Keeping at least 45 GB for Windows 7.I have ready to install, Ubuntu Netbook 10.10. Considering trying others as well, like Fedora, Mint or Ubuntu Netbook 10.04.2.
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Jan 10, 2010
I have a new win7 system with a 500GB HD. What is considered the safest way to partition the disk before installing Ubuntu?
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Jan 29, 2010
1. I have windows xp on my notebook compaq presario v2000.
2. Wanted to load linux as dual boot.
3. Tried with Suse linux, but there was some blank or black screen problem after installation.
4. Someone suggested Ubuntu linux.
5. Downloaded and burned ubuntu on a cd.
6. But this time during installation during partitioning there was a serious problem.
7. On ubuntu webpage they say for partiioning i will get 4 option, but i got only three options in my cd.
8. The missing option was the most important , which was required for dual boot. " Guided resize and use free space".
9. So i had to abort my Ubuntu installation as using any other option could have effected my current xp installation or might have formated my whole notebook.
10. So any comment why the dual boot partitioning option was absent in my ubuntu cd.
11. Or there is some thing to be activated in my notebook setting to enable dual boot.
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Jan 31, 2010
I'm running OS X 10.5.8 and Ubuntu 9.04 on a Macbook 4,1, and I want to remove the Ubuntu partition so I can free up hard drive space. However, the linux swap partition is located in between the OS X and Ubuntu partitions, and GParted won't let me remove it when I boot from an Ubuntu Live disk, and OS X Disk Utility can't affect it either. I followed the dual booting instructions here, and I pretty much just want to undo all of it and get back to an OS X only machine.
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Sep 23, 2010
I have a problem trying to install CentOS 5 as a dual-boot with my Windows 7. Using Windows tools, I shrunk my main partition and created about a 100GB of unallocated free space. Then, I restarted my computer, booting from the CentOS dvd, but when choosing "Use free space on selected drives and create default layout" option during installation, I get an error saying that partitions couldn't be allocated as primary partitions and that there is not enough space left to create partition for /boot.
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Jul 23, 2010
I've give up hope on ever seeing an extent-enabled ext4 filesystem driver for Windows.
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Mar 1, 2011
I am attempting to install the 64-bit version of Ubuntu 10.10 on my computer.I'm intending to dual boot Win7 and Ubuntu with one hard drive that came factory partitioned into two drives. Win7 was installed first.Ok, onto the issue. The Install is going well until I get to the Allocate Drive Space form (so almost right off the bat). I first created a swap partition within my "second drive" (really just a partition of the larger drive). This stalled out and I had to exit setup and restart the computer. Booted into Win7 to be safe and Win only recognizes the First Drive and no longer the second drive. So, I boot up the Ubuntu Install CD and get back to the allocate drive space form I see I have a (linux-swap) drive with the same gb space as before.
So, from here I create a partition within the "second drive" 20gb of ext4 type space. This does not stall out and creates a partition of 20 gb. But, now it says I have 175 gb of "Unusable" space. This is very unsettling and using the "revert" button does nothing.How do I fix this space so I can finish the install?[URL]
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Jun 18, 2011
trying to manually partition while installing 10.04, unfortunately from an old windows os, which came w/ the computer. i probably shouldn't bother to save it, but i wanted the practice w/ partitioning. the book i'm using is a good one, but maybe too advanced, and didn't specify. when i shrank the old win os into a smaller space on the drive, it gave me the option to check a box for format or leave it unchecked. which should i do, so as not to delete what's already on the drive? and do i mount it anywhere? in /windows, or i think the other option was msdos? what results in each case?
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Mar 1, 2010
partitioning my hard drive to dual boot windows 7 and open suse
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May 16, 2010
hey guys i am trying "again" to dual boot on my gaming computer, and i am failing miserably. i boot the cd, it detects the hard drive i set the partitions and press finish and either on the partitioning or the files copying the installer crashes. what can i do to make it work with raid 0 (nvidia chipset).
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Jan 9, 2011
I successfully partitioned my desktop with Gparted and made it into an XP/Ubuntu dual boot.
Now i'm trying to do the same with my netbook (eee pc 1000he), and the existing partitions look funny:
How should I change this to prepare for installing Ubuntu? Can I just install to the unallocated space on the extended partition? I don't need optimal efficiency here, I just need to know where to install Ubuntu for a workable dual boot.
It's confusing to me that Windows is on an extended partition, and also that /dev/sda2 has the boot flag (this drive contains nothing but two undeletable folders titled "amd 64" and "i386"). This set-up is the result of a Windows re-install at a sketchy computer shop.
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Jan 5, 2016
What is the recommended method these days for command line partitioning and formatting for the Terabyte size hard disk.?
It was easy to keep up when your working or have access to hardware for re-purposing, but that has all dried up and my knowledge has been left behind. The problem(s) are with new, recent hardware
Following a crash from a now detectable faulty stick of RAMM, I've lost one of my data hard disks and my fiddling with replacement seems to leave various errors/warnings mainly about GPT not supported and this message is still present despite trying fdisk, cfdisk, gpart, gparted, and(?).
System is an ASUS mobo using SATA drives (root 500Gb: MBR+3 partitions;/, swap, /home), and two 2.4TB with single partitions.
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Sep 1, 2011
I am about to get a new laptop here soon and I was planning a dual boot like I have on my current laptop (Win7 and Ubuntu), but I have something special in mind. I looked around the forum to see if there was anything like what I had or if it was even possible but I didn't see anything quite like this.I was wondering if this was even possible, and if so, would anyone be able to tell me what filesystem I should use for my windows swap partition?
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Jul 4, 2011
I just found out about Linux and well I love it, it's fast, sleek and easy to use design make it rise above the competitors. So this is where I'm at. I have the latest version of Fedora on a thumbdrive and I when the thumbdrive is plugged in and I turn it on it boots up Fedora, but everytime I turn it off I lose all data and I start a fresh session. So when I got to instal Fedora to my hard drive. [URL]
Now I read a few articles on how to do partitions but, all of them want me to put in the original windows 7 instal cd/dvd into my laptop and somehow partition. But here's the thing I'm on a Compaq Mini real solid computer I love it but thats beside the point. What it really comes down to is how I do I get this dual boot working without having to reset everything and pretty much is there alternative for partitioning.
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Sep 27, 2010
I bought a new laptop having the following specs:Processor: Intel I5RAM: 6GBHD: 500 GBVideo card: nvidia with cuda with 1 GB RAM.My Hard Disc already has 3 partitions: C=448 GBs (where windows 7 is installed=64 bit) D:Recovery (16.5GBs) and E:HP_TOOLS (99MB).I want to have dual boot and install linux also. BUT I dont want to delete the other partitions as well. How do I do that?Am I able to shrink C partition without disturbing windows installation and creat another partition in C drive? What it will be called: Primary or logical partition?
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Jan 25, 2011
I pretty much know nothing at all about partitioning hard-drives and unspeakably less about linux as a whole. but i really want to get into it. (The HP Mini 311 is what i am using)
Okay so a couple of days ago (before i had ever heard of Ubuntu, or even thought i could ever use Linux based software). I had been Dual-Booting OSX Snow Leopard and Windows 7, while using Chameleon boot-loader, on my HP Mini 311. Even though my sound-card and network adapter do not work while running Snow Leopard.
I followed this guide for dualboot: [url]
So i heard about the new Linux Os Ubuntu, and after trying it for about 3min on a USB i was sold. So i began to make my HP a triple-boot now with OSX Snow Leo, Windows 7, and Ubuntu.
I did this by recreating the same dual-boot system as before, but this time saving room for Ubuntu to be installed to my hard drive, after SnowLeo and Win7.
I got this to work perfectly by creating a 4th partition for Ubuntu and a 5th for swap area.
Here is where my problem lies... I saw this tutorial for dual-booting Win7 and Ubuntu, while making another partition so that windows and ubuntu can share the same files.
Here:[url]
Once i tried doing this on my triple-boot(adding ubuntu partition, swap partition, and a "storage" partition, on top of the 3 partitions i created during dual-boot setup) My Windows 7 stopped booting. I read somewhere that hdds can only have like 3 primary partitions, which is the only kind of partition i know how to use. so i was thinking maybe i could put this storage partition in another mount location, such as /home or /usr, because i think the added partitions is what messed up my Windows 7 boot. My only problem is i have no idea what different mount positions are used for, nor how to use them properly.
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Jul 24, 2011
I currently use Ubuntu full time, but on my new one I am planning to dual-boot. My new computer will have a 500GB HD and 4GB Memory. I plan on using Ubuntu more than Windows, specifically for internet applications etc. Windows I plan on using for media and such. I will be partitioning the hard drive manually, and would like to know how much room I should give each OS, how to create a large section for all my files to swap (how does swapping work?) and any other partitions I need to make for recovery. I've read the Ubuntu and Windows "How to Dual-Boot" tutorials, and I still feel kind of lost on a general size for partitioning each section.
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Jun 28, 2010
I referred to this video, to install ubuntu(NOT on windows partition) and also run windows XP, and im well enjoying ubuntu. i have some hard-disk issues, and i'm going to format the whole hard-disk. I will format and repartition using windows xp installer. I'm leaving 20 GB for ubuntu. So I can install ubuntu in 2 ways...
1) While re-partitioning, i can leave 20 GB unallocated and later put ubuntu there
OR
2) Install windows XP the normal way, and then allocate 20GB for ubuntu using GPART - by shrinking a windows partition. (as shown in video)
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May 16, 2011
I'm going to install and dualboot pinguy os with my current install of Ubuntu 11.04.I'm stuck on the advanced partitioning part, how do I give Pinguy a 30GB hard drive?And does this involve creating a new partition table?
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Jun 27, 2011
I meet a problem about "Your boot partition is on a disk using the GPT partitioning Scheme but this machines cannot boot using GPT." in installation. Does GRUB-0.97 on CentOS 5.4 support GPT?
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Oct 31, 2010
Something went wrong during my upgrade, and i was unable to boot. What I did to save the day was to install Lucid parallel (on an other partition). Now I just want to double-check before I mess up again - I've backup-ed all the stuff i wanna keep and want to format the old partition. preferably I'd like to extend my current partition to the whole drive (or just make an empty partition for media if that works). So how do I do this the easiest way, and what would be the best option (i.e. 1 or 2 partts.)?
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Jul 5, 2011
The problem is this: I have a 320gb HDD splitted in 4 partitions. When I first installed Windows XP I formatted the HDD in 3 (Windows system partition, Media partition and another one I left for Linux). However Linux requires another partition for swap. Everything was just fine. One day Windows stopped working and I tried re-installing it. After the system was ready to start, Windows failed to boot with "NTLDR is missing" message. I tried to recover the Master boot record, even replaced NTLDR manually - nothing worked. I read that in order a HDD to be partitioned in more than 3 parts the so called "extended" partitions must be created. I think this may cause the problem but I don't want to wipe out everything (I have more than 100 GB of books most of which are not available anymore in the same locations I have downloaded them)
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Dec 15, 2010
I cannot boot into the Windows 7 partition, which I guess is /dev/sda1. I have Slackware installed on /dev/sda2 which boots fine, my /etc/lilo.conf looks like
Code:
/etc/# Start LILO global section compact
[code]....
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Jun 24, 2011
I am working on another's Dell Inspiron 530 with Vista 64-bit; see below:
[code]....
wanting a dual-boot, 500GB hdd was formatted as above, Win Vista x64 Recovery CD was created, and antiX-M11 (as Swift Linux 0_1_1) installed. Now, at startup, machine boots to antiX and not Vista. User wants it the other way around. I think I should have reordered the partitions and not installed GRUB in MBR. EasyBCD is the preferred boot loader for User. This is a learning experience but due to time constraints and not being at my home where references are available, EasyBCD is on a USB stick -- should I boot to the Vista Recovery CD and then try to install EasyBCD to sda3 from it, uninstall antiX (but this will not fix the MBR problem, will it?), or edit fstab or what
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