Dual booting Arch and Vista w/ recovery partition and a swap question.
I have a bit of a problem. The problem is, on a machine, you can only have 4 primary partitions. sda1 and sda2 are my Vista and Recovery partitions respectively, which eliminates two of my primary partitions already. I myself have never used logical partitions, and was wondering if any of the partitions the Beginner's Guide recommends (/, swap, /var, and /home) could be made logical, and if I even need a swap partition. Thanks in advance for your replies and suggestions.
The /boot/ directory needs to reside in a primary partition. Everything else can be in a logical partition.
Then again all you really need is / and swap.
Similar Messages
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Deleted and lost my recovery partition and everthing will deleted.
Sir; my laptop has attacking some big viruses, i fix this viruses using McAfe antivirus, the option for SHRED the selected drive D (unfortunately recovery partition by mistake selected) files in shred scanning, after that D drive has all files deleted. i lost my partition drive. At the second stage, windows 10 upgradation notification in toolbars, i installed and upgrade to Windows 10. after the restart the screen will be in BLUE or BLACK stage, not to boot to the operating system. I will try to reset the early stage of my laptop, but not reseting the laptop, then try to refresh, but it could not been refresh, then try to factory reset, this one is also failed, then try to restart and hit esc key to enter boot option screen, try it on recovery option, this one is failed to the same problems. i can try all the ways to get my recovery drive os.Finaly i choose a option for use windows bootable disk to put the drive and reinstall the laptop, in installing process select drive to instal the os partition, no drives to select choose options, that time i will delete all the drives and create ne drive and partition. after installing the os but i can't get the recovery partition, and i will try to hp support to check updates, only the recovery is not found the check updates option. my laptop has 3 months warrenty remaining, but now my laptop is expired in 25/1/2015. please give me help in what can i do for next procedures and how can i get the previous mode or get recovery partition in my laptop. is it possible for early stage of my laptop? or A newly purchased hp laptop it contains all functions, these functions install my laptop?
, Hello and thanks for posting on the HP support forums. You will need to obtain a copy of the recovery media for your notebook. Here is a link to help you get a copy. HP PCs - Obtaining HP Recovery Discs or an HP USB Recovery Drive | HP® Support
Thanks again for posting and have a great day. -
Dual boot Arch / Windows 8 with grub, uefi and gpt
hi,
(my aplogies for my bad english)
after a fresh installation without worries I have one last problem : starting w8
Partitions :
[root@ToshCM christian]# gdisk -l /dev/sda
GPT fdisk (gdisk) version 0.8.7
Partition table scan:
MBR: protective
BSD: not present
APM: not present
GPT: present
Found valid GPT with protective MBR; using GPT.
Disk /dev/sda: 1465149168 sectors, 698.6 GiB
Logical sector size: 512 bytes
Disk identifier (GUID): BAE3660C-FC6F-11E1-9C45-C6B1BB081CD7
Partition table holds up to 128 entries
First usable sector is 34, last usable sector is 1465149134
Partitions will be aligned on 2048-sector boundaries
Total free space is 3757 sectors (1.8 MiB)
Number Start (sector) End (sector) Size Code Name
1 2048 923647 450.0 MiB 2700 Basic data partition
2 923648 1456127 260.0 MiB EF00 Basic data partition
3 1456128 1718271 128.0 MiB 0C01 Basic data partition
4 1718272 1230518271 585.9 GiB 0700 Basic data partition
5 1445343232 1465147391 9.4 GiB 2700 Basic data partition
6 1230518272 1250998271 9.8 GiB 8200
7 1250998272 1291958271 19.5 GiB 8300
8 1291958272 1445343231 73.1 GiB 8300
2 = efi (fat32)
4 = Windows (ntfs)
6 = swap
7 = /
8 = /home
EFI partition is mounted in /boot/efi
[root@ToshCM christian]# grep efi /etc/fstab
UUID=7CD3-EE8E /boot/efi vfat rw,relatime,fmask=0022,dmask=0022,codepage=437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,errors=remount-ro 0 2
For now I have a grub that works perfectly without Windows
Now I try to follow this page
[root@ToshCM christian]# grub-probe --target=fs_uuid /boot/efi/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi
7CD3-EE8E
[root@ToshCM christian]# grub-probe --target=hints_string /boot/efi/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi
--hint-bios=hd0,gpt2 --hint-efi=hd0,gpt2 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,gpt2
I put the result in /etc//grub.d/40_custom
[root@ToshCM christian]# cat /etc/grub.d/40_custom
#!/bin/sh
exec tail -n +3 $0
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
menuentry "Microsoft Windows Vista/7/8 x86_64 UEFI-GPT" {
insmod part_gpt
insmod fat
insmod search_fs_uuid
insmod chain
search --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,gpt2 --hint-efi=hd0,gpt2 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,gpt2 7CD3-EE8E
chainloader /EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi
I regenerates grub.cfg
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
I check the result in /boot/grub/grub.cfg
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
menuentry "Microsoft Windows Vista/7/8 x86_64 UEFI-GPT" {
insmod part_gpt
insmod fat
insmod search_fs_uuid
insmod chain
search --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,gpt2 --hint-efi=hd0,gpt2 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,gpt2 7CD3-EE8E
chainloader /EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
After reboot I can see a fine line with Windows but it has no effect, neither start nor error message
The computer is a Toshiba Satellite C855-1TM
In the BIOS Advanced page "Boot Mode" is [UEFI Boot]
In the Security page "Secure Boot" is [Disabled]
Thanks in advancevintherine wrote:
the.ridikulus.rat wrote:
@vintherine: Everything you mentioned in the 1st post is correct. In your case the correct commands should be:
grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=arch_grub --recheck
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
Thanks. I've tried that, get now a single line with Windows, which does not work
EDIT: Are you able to boot Windows independent of GRUB, ie. directly from the firmware boot menu?
I've tried F12 key, found a menu, started on the HD, found a new menu corresponding with the EFI directories (arch_grub, Microsoft....). Microsoft entry sent me on... grub menu
EDIT: Can you try (note the extra line : "set gfxpayload=keep")
It's time for diner (i'm in France). I'll see this in the next hour.
Many thanks
Seems like the actual Windows bootmgfw.efi was overwritten by grubx64.efi or something else. In the boot menu Windows's entry (created by Windows installer) is usually titled "Windows Boot Manager".
EDIT:
Try this. Copy the files from Windows's C:\Windows\Boot\EFI to <EFISYS>/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/ . Overwrite any exisitng files, and make sure <EFISYS>/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/BCD file exists. That is the Windows equivalent of grub.cfg (although BCD cannot be read easily since it is not a text file). Try your menuentry again.
Last edited by the.ridikulus.rat (2013-09-27 18:29:09) -
Dual-Booting Arch Linux and Windows 7
Hello,
I am attempting to set up a dual-boot configuration with Windows 7 (installed first), and Arch Linux. When I went to install, I read in the documentation that the AIF doesn't support installing GRUB to a separate partition other than the MBR on the drive. I want to install GRUB separate from the Windows MBR so I can use Easy BCD to chainload the two bootloaders (i.e. installing GRUB on /dev/sda5 instead of /dev/sda). I went through the installation process and tried to install GRUB manually via the instructions given in the documentation. But when I went to boot Arch, I was greeted with the GRUB shell instead of the boot menu. What did I do wrong? And is there any easier way to install Arch this way given that I do not want to overwrite the Windows bootloader? I went ahead and wiped the Linux partitions on my drive, so I am going to do the install again once I have some suggestions.
Thanks!joshuawagner147 wrote:
hyperreal_logic wrote:
To the original poster:
If you want to chainload both Windows and Arch Linux using your preferred boot manager, you'd have to create a separate 'boot' partition when installing Arch Linux. When you are in the Arch installation, create a separate partition of about 500 MB, then create the root partition of whatever size you need, and then create swap partition if necessary. So your HD would resemble something like this: /dev/sda5=boot partition of 500 MB; /dev/sda6=root partition of ## MB/GB; and /dev/sda7=swap partition of (RAM * 2) GB. Then continue with the Arch installation procedure until you get to the end where you are prompted to install a boot loader. Choose GRUB, and install it to the 'boot' partition on /dev/sda5. This will allow you to chainload Arch via Easy BCD. What happens is Easy BCD will pass the message to GRUB on /dev/sda5, and GRUB will then load your Arch root system on /dev/sda6.
I hope this helps. I support your choice in using Easy BCD to chainload Windows and Linux. Software is, after all, about choice. Furthermore, you've presented a good reason to use Easy BCD as the main boot loader, which is to save you from unnecessary tinkering with the GRUB shell or Live CDs and whatnot. However, if you don't want to create the separate 'boot' partition, then you'll have no other choice but to use GRUB or syslinux on the MBR.
Thanks. Yes...I followed the procedure just like you described. I figured that my problem was that I didn't create a separate /boot partition, so I reformatted the partitions I created and redid the install. However, I was not able to install GRUB in the AIF; I had to reboot into the Live CD and install GRUB to my boot partition manually. All is good now as I have a working dual-boot now. Arch Linux has been a sort of learning curve for me, but I have gained valuable knowledge and experience by using this distro.
Yes. I didn't want to mess with GRUB or NTLDR. I know that reinstalling NTLDR is not that difficult, but I didn't want to mess with it at all. It just seemed easier to chainload GRUB to NTLDR using EasyBCD. I'm a sort of "distro-hopper" anyhow, and using this method allows me to cleanly remove any distro I install without having to mess with GRUB or reinstalling NTLDR.
Thanks!
Glad to hear! Yes, Arch Linux is a wonderful distribution, and one of my favorites. It's great for not-so-newbie beginners to learn from. pacman is one of my favorite package managers, as there is always the latest stable software available in the Arch repos. Glad everything worked out. Have fun with Arch! -
[Success] Dual Booting Arch and Windows 7 [Advice / Confirmation]
So I have been trying to get Starcraft II to work with wine and no luck.
I have decided to install windows back on my computer, besides it might come in handy since I'm heading back to school soon.
Anyways I have tried dual booting arch and windows in the past, and my results have never been stable.
Today I will try using the program gparted.
Let me give you my thoughts on how I plan to go through this and please give me some advice so I don't loose everything I have worked for on my linux box
1.Currently I have two hard drives, one for all my main programs and one for my media files (mounting usb, dvd, etc, and it actually has no files in it xD).
I plan to use gparted to re-size my second harddrive (media drive), create an extended partition, and a logical ntfs partition within it.
2.I pop in my windows cd that I recieved with my laptop and install it on the space I have partitioned for windows.
3. If my grub gets wiped out my windows (which I hope it doesn't not sure how the MBR stuff works) I insert a Ubuntu live cd and do
sudo grub
> root (hd0,0)
> setup (hd0)
> exit
4.Configure grub to boot windows 7.
5.Be happy with no headache.
SO....
If someone with past experience with dual booting windows and arch could please give me some advice, as I do not want to lose all my data, start over, and have another headache.
I know I must learn to backup arch, which I will before september.
But if anyone has any protips, or sees a flaw in my plan please point it out!!!
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and even more if advice has been given to boost my confidence!
For now I will wait
Thank you fellow archies.
Last edited by Jabrick (2011-07-03 01:29:36)satanselbow wrote:
1) Windows must be installed to a primary partition - attempting to install it to an logical partition will result in an epic fail
2) Physically disconnect the harddrive you do not want windows on as windows typically installs the bootloader on the 1st hardisk (ie /sda) regardless of installation drive (ie /sdb)
3 / 4) Complete the windows installation then reattached your Arch drive and edit /boot/grub/menu.lst (as root) pointing the W7 entry to (hd1,0) - no need to reinstall grub
5) Hey it's windows - anything could happen
If you create an NTFS partition right at the beginning of the the drive before you start the W7 install you can prevent it greedily using up 2 of you 4 primary partitions - I would also completely update you new W7 installation past SP1 before reattaching the other drive to further prevent W7 going mental
satanselbow thank you so much!
Everything works great I had no stumbles, and I hope no problems in the future!!
I will post exactly what I did in case someone has the same issue.
1. Partition you're secondary harddrive as primary ntfs with gparted
2. Reboot, and if you get a file system check error, check you're udev rules. (For my case in particular I had to change the udev rules I got for auto mounting usb, ext harddrive, etc.
3.Power off your computer and physically remove the harddrive that contains all your linux goodies
4. Plug in your windows cd and install in the partition you created
5. Update your windows OS
6. Plug in Ubuntu live CD and reboot
7. Use commands to get grub to overwrite the windows boot loader (In my case I put grub everyone hd0,0 hd0,1 just to be sure, but you might want to do things cleaner)
8. Reboot and see if grub loads up
9. Use Ubuntu live CD again and launch Gparted, select the boot to your extra linux space (if you had one, not sure if this is needed)
10. Plug in your linux harddrive and reconfigure /boot/grub/menu.lst and your good to go
Once again shout outs to satanselbow!!! For without him I might've failed brutally!
Cheers! -
Hi, I would like to dual boot Arch and Ubuntu using GRUB2.
I already have Arch, set up as it's described in the Beginner's Guide, with GRUB2 installed. How would I go about dual booting Ubuntu, preferably without overwriting the existing bootloader?
I haven't tried anything yet, but the problem that I can see is resizing my /home; is this possible on the Ubuntu liveDVD? If not, would I be able to resize /home with my gParted liveCD?
Unfortunately, I have no backup media to use, so I wouldn't be able to transfer anything away as a backup.
Here is my partition table:
%lsblk
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda 8:0 0 931.5G 0 disk
├─sda1 8:1 0 30G 0 part /
├─sda2 8:2 0 12G 0 part [SWAP]
├─sda3 8:3 0 5M 0 part
└─sda4 8:4 0 889.5G 0 part /home
sda1 is my root partition, sda2 is swap, sda3 is GRUB's boot partition, which I was told that I needed in the guide, and sda4 (/home) occupies the "rest of the disk".
I am using a GPT-partitioned drive, as I read this has many advantages and I do not plan to triple-boot Windows.
So, can someone tell me what I do if I want to dual boot Ubuntu? I'm very sorry if this should have been posted on the Ubuntu forums, but I'm just more familiar with Arch, and I already have it installed. Please ask if you need any other files like my fstab. I have my Ubuntu liveDVD, GParted live CD (and Arch CD) at hand.
Thanks in advance, rberyl.
(Also, does anyone else think it's a bit of a backwards thing to put the output of "date -u +%W$(uname)|sha256sum|sed 's/\W//g'" as a sign-up question? )
Last edited by rberyl (2012-12-29 11:45:23)Hi rberyl,
You can change your partitions using an inbuilt tool like cfdisk, or if you'd prefer a GUI gparted can be installed from the Arch repos. This will allow you to shrink sda4, and set up the new partitions for your Ubuntu OS. Although this shouldn't cause any data loss, its best practice to back up just in case.
When installing Ubuntu, be sure to opt-out of bootloader creation. I think you have to use the alternate installation media to get this option. You can add your Ubuntu partition to the existing bootloader by running osprober (available from the repos) and then running grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg . Alternatively, you can manually edit your GRUB config. See https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GR … NU.2FLinux for instructions.
Good luck!
Last edited by smazza (2012-12-29 16:04:08) -
Dual booting arch (usb) and ubuntu (grub2)
Greetings,
I'm trying to dual boot Arch linux (installed without a bootloader on a USB SSD) and Ubuntu 10.04 (installed on a hdd with GRUB2) but can't get Arch to boot. (Oh and I already have windows dualbooted)
The entry grub autogenerated:
menuentry "Arch Linux [/boot/vmlinuz26] (on /dev/sdb3)" {
insmod ext2
set root='(hd1,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 95d9208a-44e4-48ba-abd2-a365d1ac25ff
linux /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sda3 ro
initrd /kernel26.img
Why did it input root=/dev/sda3 as it says (on /dev/sdb3)?
The entry I figured would work:
menuentry "Arch Linux" {
set root=(hd1,0)
linux /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sdb3 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26.img
Output from fdisk -l:
Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 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: 0xbc4264d9
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 13 102400 7 HPFS/NTFS
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sda2 13 5286 42353664 7 HPFS/NTFS
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sda3 5286 19458 113831937 5 Extended
Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sda5 18971 19458 3905536 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6 5286 6502 9764864 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 6502 18971 100155392 83 Linux
Partition table entries are not in disk order
WARNING: GPT (GUID Partition Table) detected on '/dev/sdb'! The util fdisk doesn't support GPT. Use GNU Parted.
Disk /dev/sdb: 8019 MB, 8019509248 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 974 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: 0x00000000
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 14 111 787185 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdb3 112 685 4610655 83 Linux
/dev/sdb4 686 974 2321392+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb3 is the root partition
The content of /dev/sdb1
grub
kernel26-fallback.img
kernel26.img
lost+found
System.map26
vmlinuz26
- If I try to edit the root=/dev/sda3 to /dev/sdb3 it begins booting but doesnt find /dev/sdb3.
Thanks in advance for any help,
OskarGreetings,
I'm trying to dual boot Arch linux (installed without a bootloader on a USB SSD) and Ubuntu 10.04 (installed on a hdd with GRUB2) but can't get Arch to boot. (Oh and I already have windows dualbooted)
The entry grub autogenerated:
menuentry "Arch Linux [/boot/vmlinuz26] (on /dev/sdb3)" {
insmod ext2
set root='(hd1,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 95d9208a-44e4-48ba-abd2-a365d1ac25ff
linux /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sda3 ro
initrd /kernel26.img
Why did it input root=/dev/sda3 as it says (on /dev/sdb3)?
The entry I figured would work:
menuentry "Arch Linux" {
set root=(hd1,0)
linux /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sdb3 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26.img
Output from fdisk -l:
Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 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: 0xbc4264d9
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 13 102400 7 HPFS/NTFS
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sda2 13 5286 42353664 7 HPFS/NTFS
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sda3 5286 19458 113831937 5 Extended
Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sda5 18971 19458 3905536 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6 5286 6502 9764864 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 6502 18971 100155392 83 Linux
Partition table entries are not in disk order
WARNING: GPT (GUID Partition Table) detected on '/dev/sdb'! The util fdisk doesn't support GPT. Use GNU Parted.
Disk /dev/sdb: 8019 MB, 8019509248 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 974 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: 0x00000000
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 14 111 787185 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdb3 112 685 4610655 83 Linux
/dev/sdb4 686 974 2321392+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb3 is the root partition
The content of /dev/sdb1
grub
kernel26-fallback.img
kernel26.img
lost+found
System.map26
vmlinuz26
- If I try to edit the root=/dev/sda3 to /dev/sdb3 it begins booting but doesnt find /dev/sdb3.
Thanks in advance for any help,
Oskar -
Windows 8 Deleted Recovery Partition and Saved but No Boot
Hi
I ve Hp Pavilion G6 - 2336el , i bought it 5 months before and 2 days before i installed Ubuntu but by mistake ubuntu deleted all partitions (included recovery partition) and created one for itself.
by using DiskTest tool on ubuntu i recovered some files and full of recovery partition.
after that, for re-install windows 8 from recovered partition , i did set partition bootable by using another tool which was running on ubuntu.
now, windows 8 repair screen appears but im getting -a required device isn't connected or cannot be accessed- error.
i googled about this problem but the solution didnt work for me. (boot change from bios)
by the way , for precaution , i made an IMG file of recovery partition also (which is 14gb).
i tried burn a bootable disk with that image but didnt work because some files in img is too big for fat32.
after that i tried boot from EFI file but bios cant reach to Ntsf part. i tried to explorer IFE file in fat32 but i couldnt because IFE file which i ve is more than 13gb (same problem for fat32 file system)
so summary :
i ve recovery part with files (install.wim , *.ife files...) but getting error.
i ve an .img of partition but couldnt make bootable disk
Maybe there s a tool for reach ntsf then i can boot from ife...i dont know i need ur help.
what can i do?
im really so sad , already i lost many important data, files , pics.. im living in italy and im a student (not italian) and i really cannot order another cd from Hp for recovery.
Im waiting your help.
Thank you.well, i downloaded windows 8 64bit Enterprise Evl. from microsoft site as says here : http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Recovery/Windows-Vista-7-and-8-ISO-Image-file-Download-Links/t...
and i installed without problem..
but before install the system with ubuntu live cd i booted pc and i found my product key which is embedded in bios.
then installed win8 Enterprise 64bit..
now my problem is activation, when i digit the key , before active it, it says under the box it s correct but when i click to active it then im taking the product key you entered will not work with this edition of windows 8 error..
what should i do
thank you -
Dual-booting with other Linuxes; shared data partition
I've got two entirely-blank 320GB hard drives on my computer, and I'd like to dual-boot Arch and Debian on it (and potentially others later). How should I set up GRUB (or GRUB2-- the wiki says that it's a better option when dual booting with other distros) for each OS in order to have both of them able to boot, as well as retaining the capability of adding other distros? (Assuming that Arch's GRUB(2), not Debian's, will be installed to the MBR.)
In addition, I'd like to keep my config files and data separate (with a shared data partition on HD 2).
- What is the best way to set this up separately from the /home partition, i.e. mount /data on startup and be able to access it quickly from a filemanager or the commandline? I venture a guess that I'd edit /etc/fstab and add a symlink to /data within /home/USERNAME...
- What is the right size for the /home partition in this setup?
A tentative partition scheme is as follows (note that I have 4GB RAM, since that factors into swap size):
HD 1
4GB shared swap partition
256MB ext3 Arch /boot partition
20GB ext4 Arch / partition
? ext4 Arch /home partition *see note above*
256MB ext3 Debian /boot partition
20GB ext4 Debian / partition
? ext4 Debian /home partition *see note above*
(free space)
HD 2
320GB shared ext4 data partition
Last edited by DrKillPatient (2012-06-20 18:38:01)Most of it is a matter of opinion I think, but since I have a similar setup I'll throw in my two cents.
DrKillPatient wrote:I've got two entirely-blank 320GB hard drives on my computer, and I'd like to dual-boot Arch and Debian on it (and potentially others later). How should I set up GRUB (or GRUB2-- the wiki says that it's a better option when dual booting with other distros) for each OS in order to have both of them able to boot, as well as retaining the capability of adding other distros? (Assuming that Arch's GRUB(2), not Debian's, will be installed to the MBR.)
I use GRUB (legacy). Adding a distro in the grub menu is just a matter of finding the kernel and initram image of the distro and adding an entry. OS's generally either have a fixed location/name for the kernel and image or have a fixed link, so there are no problems on updates. I really don't like GRUB 2 and don't see the point of using it unless you are using something exotic that GRUB doesn't support.
DrKillPatient wrote:I
In addition, I'd like to keep my config files and data separate (with a shared data partition on HD 2).
- What is the best way to set this up separately from the /home partition, i.e. mount /data on startup and be able to access it quickly from a filemanager or the commandline? I venture a guess that I'd edit /etc/fstab and add a symlink to /data within /home/USERNAME...
- What is the right size for the /home partition in this setup?
I just mount the data partition in /mnt/data and make symlinks from my home partition. In my case the data partition is ntfs, since I also use windows. My home partition contains 1.2 GB, of which 600 MB source code. So if you only keep configs in them it probably won't reach 1 GB.
DrKillPatient wrote:
I
A tentative partition scheme is as follows (note that I have 4GB RAM, since that factors into swap size):
HD 1
4GB shared swap partition
256MB ext3 Arch /boot partition
20GB ext4 Arch / partition
? ext4 Arch /home partition *see note above*
256MB ext3 Debian /boot partition
20GB ext4 Debian / partition
? ext4 Debian /home partition *see note above*
(free space)
HD 2
320GB shared ext4 data partition
In my opinion a seperate boot partition is only useful for the OS of which the bootloader is installed to the MBR. -
[SOLVED] Dual booting arch onto an SSD that already has W7 in MBR?
I currently have windows 7 64bit installed onto a 256gb m4 SSD. I would like to be able to dual-boot W7 and Archlinux, but so far I've been getting wildly varying accounts of doom and data deletion from every source that I've looked at- and unfortunately, the Archwiki's guide to dualbooting is out of date.
So here's the questions:
First, is UEFI something I need to look at? At the moment W7 seems to be on MBR. I'm getting conflicting accounts on whether this is not even an issue or if it will attempt to make my computer eat my dog.
Next, what is going on with sectors and alignment and such? Some people ignore them, some people delve so far into it that I think I vaguely know they're still talking about a hard drive.
Which leads me into partitioning, and not doing it in a way that's terrible. I can't find any information on this anywhere that isn't buried within the above-mentioned posts, along with incredibly vague warnings of GParted moving a partition, spoken of in a way as if that data is lost to the twilight zone.
Finally... pulling all this together is the largest issue.
Do any of you know good, factual resources where I can look into this stuff?
Last edited by ilar (2013-04-03 03:53:31)1) If you knew what UEFI was you should have known it wasn't an option, and shouldn't have asked about it.
2) (G)parted and gdisk (if you go with GPT at some point) handle SSD sector alignment automatically, and have for some time. A google search could have revealed that.
3) Whether one uses an SSD or HDD, dual-booting will be the same: 2+ partitions devoted to separate operating systems. While SSDs and HDDs may be fundamentally different constructs, booting from them is not different at all. That's why you aren't finding anything saying such.
4) As for the wiki being out-of-date, the specific reason (as stated page's in the header) is that GRUB legacy is no longer officially supported in Arch. Disregard that information and use GRUB2/Syslinux/LILO and the process remains the same: Install the operating systems side-by-side and chainload the secondary OS. It doesn't matter one bit: I've dual-booted every Linux distro I've used over the past four years with Windows, from Ubuntu to Mint to SuSE to Sabayon to Arch to whatever, and I've done it all the exact same way, using HDDs and an SSDs and both in combination. There's plenty of information out there on this, and your time could better have been spent looking it up rather than arguing with people here.
5) Welcome to Arch. -
Partioning question for dual booting arch+ another distro
I have a 320 partition w/ 100gigs win7 and 20 for /root arch, and rest for /home arch and a 500gig hd with data,media, pictures etc on it..
I was thinking of dual booting Mint + arch.. mint for compatability, ubuntu base and stability and arch for bleeding edge+ speed
I was thinking about 20 /root arch, 140 /home arch, 20 /root mint, 140(rest of hd) /home mint.. and using gparted to grab a 5 gig piece of the 500gig hd for /swap for both distros ( i have 6 gigs ram, i usually set swappiness to zero anyway, but i'm sure a swap is just a formality anyway)... and making the rest of the 500 accessable to both distros for my media and other stuff i have.
is the above a good scheme ^^, does the size/order matter for what I want above? or should it be /root mint /root arch /home mint, /home arch.. 20/20/140/140 (sizes are approx of course)
or would there be a "real advantage for making the 320 mint, 500 for arch.. and make 250 gigs of the 500 shared for media etc.. (20 arch / and 230 for /arch home)..
I posted this in the newbie section, because of so many possibilities and I've read alot about partitioning, I just wonder whats the best, effecient way to do this, i'm sure some of you here dual boot 2 distros (hopefully on the same hd so my question is at least relevant)
Thanks in advance for any help
Last edited by binskipy2u (2013-01-02 10:32:43)It's your machine, so do whatever you want, because it's a very subjective matter. I have a 10 GB root ext4 without a separate /boot or /home (meaning that these folders are part of the root fs). But man, sometimes, a separate partition for /home can be a god-send. I experienced space issues countless times. Of course, it also depends on how much crap you install. If you install full-blown KDE and a bunch of games instead of something minimal like Openbox or a tiling WM, 10 GB are not enough. Wine also uses ~/.wine for games and such.
See: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Partitioning
I would probably share the home partition between the distributions (except with different user names, so that the settings don't overlap between bleeding-edge versions of the same packages).
Have fun.
You may also wanna look into LVM, which will allow on-the-fly resizing of the partitions.
Last edited by DSpider (2013-01-02 11:59:34) -
Dual Boot Arch & Mac OS X(Boot device didn't show up after 30 seconds)
I was trying to Dual Boot Arch & Mac OS X on my new Mac book pro, I followed the steps (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/MacBookPro)
Dual Boot (Arch & Mac OS X)
Two possibilities:
- Install Bootcamp, resize the Mac OS X partition
When Mac OS X installation is finished. Go on http://refit.sourceforge.net and download rEFIT (Mac disk image)
To install rEFIT, mount the rEFIT.dmg file (it is normally automatic).
There is an other way (refer to rEFIT documentation) but you can open a terminal then you copy /Volumes/rEFIT/efi/ to /
# cp -r /Volumes/rEFIT/efi /
To install rEFIT :
# cd /efi/refit/
# ./enable.sh
Now we can synchronized MBR with GPT partition table thanks to rEFIT so you restart your computer. You can see rEFIT, you press down key to access to the Partitioning Tool. You press y to accept.
Put your Arch Linux CD in the CD-ROM drive first then restart the computer. You can press C to boot from the CD or you can choose it in the rEFIT menu.
Now it is the typical Arch Linux installation.
So I burn the archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso to an blank disc on mac then restart the computer , press C to boot from the CD.
After choose to boot Arch linux and then I got this
Waiting for 30 seconds for device /dev/disk/by-label/ARCH-201005...
ERROR:boot device didn't show up after 30 seconds...
Falling back to interactive prompt
You can try to fix the problem manually, log out when you finished /bin/sh: can't access tty;
job control turned off
[ramfs /]#
[ramfs /]#
Any ideas?
Thanks!heleos wrote:
This line:
Waiting for 30 seconds for device /dev/disk/by-label/ARCH-201005...
You need to make sure that's the exact name of your iso disc. If it's not, it isn't a big deal. I've run into problems on this with my arch USB drive.
Once you get to the [ramfs /]# prompt, type in:
mv /dev/disk/by-label/(insert name of the current cd here) /dev/disk/by-label/ARCH-201005
exit
It should then be able to boot from the cd
did:
mv /dev/disk/by-label/(insert name of the current cd here) /dev/disk/by-label/ARCH-201005
exit
shows:
ERROR: mounting was successful, but /bootmnt/isomounts file doex not exist.
Then I checked:
cd /bootmnt
ls
archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso
exit
shows another problem /boot/init does not exist
exit
kernel panic! -
How to restore a Time machine backup and get a recovery partition?
Hi,
I'm quite confused!
I restored from a Time Machine backup and then setup boot camp (and removed that partition a while back) and now I don't have a recovery partition. (Can't enable File Vault and
bash-3.2# diskutil list /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD
/dev/disk0
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: GUID_partition_scheme *120.0 GB disk0
1: EFI 209.7 MB disk0s1
2: Apple_HFS Macintosh HD 87.4 GB disk0s2
My new MacBook Pro didn't come with any CDs.
Apparently I need the recovery partition to reinstall Lion from the internet.
"Recovery HD offers on-disk recovery tools, allows you to restore from Time Machine backups, reinstall OS X Lion over the Internet..."
The recommended solution from Apple seems to be reinstall with your OSX 10.6 CD (which I don't have) and then upgrade to Lion (which seems like a PITA).
Info from : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4649
What process should I follow to restore my recovery partition and apply the current state of the machine from a backup?
(the process should not involve anything I don't have, like USB memory sticks, Lion CDs, etc....)
Supplementary questions which are only relevant if the answer is "you can't" (which would seem to be a major bug!) :
Or is there a clever method to install a recovery partition onto an existing disk (which clearly has space for it)? I have searched for it but all the results I found have either not mentioned that it works without reinstalling but look like it's needed, or do say "reinstall".
If I install Lion to an external disk, can I boot from that and use the recovery disk assistant tool to restore the partition to my internal disk? (Which I assume I'll need to do to get FileVault to work) ?
Thanks,
MaxMaxs-MacBook-Pro:Applications max$ diskutil list
/dev/disk0
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: GUID_partition_scheme *120.0 GB disk0
1: EFI 209.7 MB disk0s1
2: Apple_HFS Macintosh HD 87.4 GB disk0s2
/dev/disk2
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: Apple_partition_scheme *136.2 MB disk2
1: Apple_partition_map 30.7 KB disk2s1
2: Apple_Driver_ATAPI 2.0 KB disk2s2
3: Apple_HFS Recovery Disk Assistant 136.2 MB disk2s3 -
Missing Recovery Partition and Unrecognized File Systems
So, a long time ago I accidentally deleted my recovery partition and have recently been trying to fix it so that I can upgrade my OS to Mavericks. After browsing around here I found the Recovery Partition Creator 3.7 and used it to create a new recovery partition. Using the diskutil list command everything seemed to be fine and it looked like the partition was successfully created so I tried reinstalling OS X Lion by holding command R at startup. Doing so brought up the internet recovery menu and I selected reinstall Lion which was still unsuccessful because "a recovery partition could not be created". So, I decided to check in disk utility to see what might be wrong and I used the disk utility debug command in order to access disk utility's debug menu and show all the hidden partitions. Now, looking at these partitions I see two hidden partitions: disk0s1 which is an EFI partition, and disk0s3 which is the Apple Boot Partition that was created by Recovery Partition Creator 3.7. After verifying the partitions, disk utility is telling me that both my EFI and apple boot partitions have unrecognized file systems, my Macintosh HD partition is fine. At this point I do not know what to do.
Below are photos of the diskutil list and of what disk utility is showing me for the two hidden partitions.
For reference I am running OSX Lion 10.7.5 (11G63) on a early 2011 13 inch Macbook Pro (Base Model).
Bootrom version: MBP81.0047.B27
SMC Version: 1.68f99
Thank you all in advance for your help, feel free to ask me any questions.Just an update, I went ahead and installed Lion again over the existing TM restored installation using the Lion Update file and at least File Vault is working. Interestingly, I still do not have a Recover partition so obviously something new for Apple Support to learn.
-
I'm getting the following error message when attempting to invoke "Find My Mac"
Some configurations such as a software or hardware RAID do not support a recovery partition and can't be used with Find My Mac.You have no recovery partition. This is a normal condition if your boot volume is a software RAID, or if you modified the partition table after running Boot Camp Assistant to create a Windows partition. Otherwise, you need to reinstall OS X in order to add a recovery partition.
If you don't have a current backup, you need to back up before you do anything else.
You have several options for reinstalling.
1. If you have access to a local, unencrypted Time Machine backup volume, and if that volume has a backup of a Mac (not necessarily this one) that was running the same major version of OS X and did have a Recovery partition, then you can boot from the Time Machine volume into Recovery by holding down the option key at the startup chime. Encrypted Time Machine volumes are not bootable, nor are network backups.
2. If your Mac shipped with OS X 10.7 or later preinstalled, or if it's one of the computers that can be upgraded to use OS X Internet Recovery, you may be able to netboot from an Apple server by holding down the key combination option-R at the startup chime. Release the keys when you see a spinning globe.
Note: You need an always-on Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to the Internet to use Recovery. It won’t work with USB or PPPoE modems, or with proxy servers, or with networks that require a certificate for authentication.
3. Use Recovery Disk Assistant (RDA) on another Mac running the same major version of OS X as yours to create a bootable USB device. Boot your Mac from the device by holding down the option key at startup.Warning: All existing data on the USB device will be erased when you use RDA.
Once you've booted into Recovery, the OS X Utilities screen will appear. Follow the prompts to reinstall OS X. You don't need to erase the boot volume, and you won't need your backup unless something goes wrong. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade, so make a note of those before you begin.
If none of the above choices is open to you, then you'll have to start over from an OS X 10.6.8 installation. There's no need to overwrite your existing boot volume; you can use an external drive. Install 10.6 from the DVD you originally used to upgrade, or that came with the machine. Run Software Update and install all available updates. Log into the App Store with the Apple ID you used to buy 10.7 or later, and download the installer. When you run it, be sure to choose the right drive to install on.
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