Linux Mint 16 Dual Boot

[cjeffcoatjr]

How th hell can I make hat happen? When I boot I want to be given the choice of Linux Mint or Windows 7. I am typing this in Linux Mint right now off of a boot flash drive, When I click "Install Linux Mint' this shows up:

 

I obviously click 'Something else' because I want to keep my Windows 7, as that is the point of this tread. I click that then this shows up:

What the do I clikc now? Again, I want to dual book Linux Mint with Windows 7. What do I do?

[lutzee]

Okay, windows 7 is currently using the entire space on your hard drive.

What you will need to do is reduce the size of the windows drive by enough to have space for linux.

This can be very risky, even worse if the windows installation is an old one and has had many many files pass through it.

I recommend you back up any important data from your windows drive, then get a deep level defragger to reorder the drive. This will put all the data into one place in a nice order and not leave bits and pieces of data spread across the platters. You should then be able to safely reduce the size of the windows partition to make space for linux.

Alternatively you can buy another drive to put in the PC (unless its a laptop, then you will have to go for option A)

[bac06]

Hi,

 

First it is recommended to defragment Windows before resizing partitions (and make backups), it will reduce the chances of loosing data.

Via the installer (on the pics), reduce the Windows partition size and leave 30GB of free space or more for Mint.

Then with that free space you create 2 partitions, a small one <10GB for the swap, be sure to select "swap" in type.

The other one with the rest of the free space, set it on ext4(instead of swap for the first one) or Btrfs(experimental) and be sure the set the label on "/" without the quotes, it means that this partition will be labeled as root partion on the fstab (where your home folder and system files are)

 

You should then have 3 partitions, -Windows on Ntfs -Linux swap - / (/root) partition ext4

 

Highlight the / ext4 partition, and choose sda for the device of bootloader installation, that means it'll install Grub(bootloader) on that Hdd, your only Hdd by the pics.

Click next and it should install on newly made partitions.

 

WARNING: WINDOWS 7 DOESN T LIKE LINUX IF THE WINDOWS BOOTLOADER IS NOT ON THE MBR THEN IT WILL AFFECT WINDOWS BEHAVIOR MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO GO TO SLEEP MODE OR HIBERNATION, unfortunately nothing can be done about that, instead of puting a 2nd Hdd and install the bootloader on it and make the comp boot on it.

On my rig I have a laptop Hdd with arch linux and the bootloader on it and a 3.5 drive dedicated to W7.

 

This should help

Otherwise there are the docs.

[cjeffcoatjr]

Alternatively you can buy another drive to put in the PC (unless its a laptop, then you will have to go for option A)

I will probably just do this. Is it safe to fun Linux Mint off the flash drive for about two weeks, as I purchase the item and wait for it to come in?

[bac06]

I will probably just do this. Is it safe to fun Linux Mint off the flash drive for about two weeks, as I purchase the item and wait for it to come in?

Yes it's safe, however you won't get good performance out of it.

[cjeffcoatjr]

Yes it's safe, however you won't get good performance out of it.

I figured that. I just remebered that I have a spare 100GB hard drive. I will use that.

[bac06]

I figured that. I just remebered that I have a spare 100GB hard drive. I will use that.

Remember about the warning, install the bootloader on that 100Gb Hdd with mint without affecting the windows drive.

And set the Bios to boot on this drive.

So Windows can go to sleep properly.