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Thread: Install ubuntu on separate partition

  1. #1
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    Install ubuntu on separate partition

    Hello, I am rather new to Linux but have been running it off of a flash drive in persistent mode for a couple of weeks now. Obviously this is not the most ideal way to run Linux and so I think I am just about ready to install Ubuntu to dual boot on my laptop alongside of Windows 7. I don't feel comfortable allowing the installer to automatically set the partitions so I am ( as of right now ) planning on using the built in partition editor on windows 7 to re-size my hard drive and install Linux on the new partition. I have a Sony Vaio with 4gb of ram and a 64 bit processor. So my questions are: is there any certain file system I should format the partition as? I am planning on giving Ubuntu around 30gb of space overall, will that be sufficient? Will I need to manually set all the partitions for Linux during the installation or can I tell it to use the whole disc and just point it towards the new partition? How much space should I give to swap? Will I have to do anything with Grub for it to boot?

  2. #2
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    Re: Install ubuntu on separate partition

    Hi. Welcome to the forums

    Yes 30GB would be sufficient. Actually Ubuntu will not need whole of that ever unless you save personal data to the same drive.

    Use the Windows 7 partitioning tool to resize C: drive. Then run chkdsk on that drive before trying to install Ubuntu. Some recommend that you run chkdsk 3 times.

    Don't format the freed up space to any file system. Leave it unallocated and re-partition it using the partitioner in Ubutnu installer.

    Choose Manual partitioning on Installer's partitioning page. You'll need 2 partitions at least.

    1. / partition. File system Ext4, Mount Point = /, Recommended Size = > 8 GB.

    2. Swap partition. Size = RAM X 2.

    Don't do anything to Grub. Let it install to its default location and it should pick up Windows for dual boot.

  3. #3
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    Xubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish

    Re: Install ubuntu on separate partition

    How is your disk partitioned at the moment, as you can only have 4 primary partitions on a disk. If you already have that many you will not be able to add more and will need to think hard about which to remove.

    I think Win7 is often installed with extra partitions; one for boot, a second for restoration of the OS, a third as the OS itself, and finally another for data. If that is the case you have a problem.

    To help solve this boot to your flash drive install, run System ->Administration ->gparted and show us a screenshot of what it finds, and/or run
    Code:
    sudo fdisk -l
    in terminal and report back the output from that.

  4. #4
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    Re: Install ubuntu on separate partition

    Thank you for the help, I'm unable to take a screen shot of gparted because I am out of disk space on my persistent drive and no matter what I do I can't seem to free any up and it also wont let me save it to the hard drive... The output from the terminal is

    Code:
    Disk /dev/sda: 2063 MB, 2063597568 bytes
    16 heads, 32 sectors/track, 7872 cylinders
    Units = cylinders of 512 * 512 = 262144 bytes
    Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
    I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
    Disk identifier: 0x00000000
    
       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
    /dev/sda1   *           1        7872     2015216    b  W95 FAT32
    
    Disk /dev/sdb: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
    255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
    Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
    Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
    I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
    Disk identifier: 0xa2eb41af
    
       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
    /dev/sdb1               1        1032     8287232   27  Unknown
    /dev/sdb2   *        1032        1045      102400    7  HPFS/NTFS
    /dev/sdb3            1045       38914   304179544    7  HPFS/NTFS
    ubuntu@ubuntu:~$
    I checked on the Windows partition tool also and it showed a recovery partition, C:, and one more partition. So I'm assuming then that that means I have three partitions on my drive already. Can I use a logical partition for Ubuntu? Also, do I not need to specify /root and /home partitions?

  5. #5
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    Re: Install ubuntu on separate partition

    I think everyone will give you slightly different advice on partitioning and none of them are wrong. Many things depend on how you use system and plan to upgrade in the future. I used just root & swap for about 3 years, but added a shared NTFS for any data I wanted between windows & Ubuntu.

    Ubuntu's standard install is just / & swap, but it is better to add another partition for /home:
    1. 10-20 GB Mountpoint / primary beginning ext4(or ext3)
    2. all but 2 GB Mountpoint /home logical beginning ext3(or ext4)
    3. 2 GB Mountpoint swap logical

    Swap needs to be equal to RAM if you want to hibernate, but if not and you have more than 2GB you will rarely if ever use swap. If less than 512MB of RAM then you should have 2X RAM.
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

  6. #6
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    Re: Install ubuntu on separate partition

    As you have 3 partitions already, I suggest you shrink sdb3 with the windows own disk management application. I have no idea what windows will call it, (D: C:?), but will be the largest partition on the disk.

    Leave the space unformatted and then when you install, choose manual partitioning and make an extended partition of the whole free space, and then make three logical partitions in that, as suggested by oldfred, /(root), swap, and /home.

  7. #7
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    Re: Install ubuntu on separate partition

    Ok. I think I'm pretty clear on what to do now. But does it matter if I use ext3 or ext4? What's the difference?

  8. #8
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    Re: Install ubuntu on separate partition

    You can use either.

    Ext3 was the standard upgrade from ext2 that added journelizing. Ext4 added much higher speed, but early versions had some reliability issues. In fixing the issues it became only a little faster for most things. The main thing I notice is on every 30 boots it does a file check and with ext4 it is very quick where ext3 took forever. Ext4 is now the standard for default installs of Ubuntu, so there are not any remaining issues (or none more than any other software).
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

  9. #9
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    Re: Install ubuntu on separate partition

    Ok, so if I make all the partitions ext4 then obviously linux will be able to access every partition on my drive since it reads NTFS, correct? But will I be able to access files on my linux partition from windows? If not, can I set Linux up to save whatever files I download or put on my laptop to the windows partition?

  10. #10
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    Re: Install ubuntu on separate partition

    I suggest a shared NTFS partition. I do not like to write into the windows partition from Linux. Sometimes windows is not happy if too much change happens that it does not know about. Plus with Linux you have total access to everything in windows and can delete or modify the system that windows normally protects you from. I only write into windows to make repairs.

    I created a shared NTFS partition and have had no issues with my windows XP install. I have Filefox & Thunderbird profiles in the shared partition, so which ever I boot have the same bookmarks and email.
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

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