Dual Boot 2 hard drives pre-existing partitions


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Thread: Dual Boot 2 hard drives pre-existing partitions

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
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    1

    Dual Boot 2 hard drives pre-existing partitions

    Hi, I have a HP Pavilion dv7 laptop with 2 hard drives. Windows 7 is on the first HD. I want to put any Linux distribution onto the second HD. The second HD has 2 pre-existing partitions at the end of the HD, one is made by Truecrypt and the other is made by Windows 7 NTFS with media files on it. I have left 50 GB of uninitialized space at the beginning of the second HD. When trying to install Linux Mins 17 onto the second HD, it does not see the other 2 partitions, just the entire HD. Do I first need to make a partition with the Linux CD, then install Linux? Will that wipe out my Truecrypt and media partitions? Which is the best Linux distribution for installing and dual booting like this? Also, how do I dual boot? The first HD is beginning to fail so I want to run Linux from the second if it fails until I can replace the first HD. Everything is backed up. Soo confusing and no help on the net. Thanks.
    Here is a picture of my HDs' partitions"
    upload_2015-3-4_12-7-23.jpg

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    Posts
    2,978
    Lionman,

    Welcome to Justlinux!


    You should be able to achieve what you want.

    Mint installer could see all the partitions. It amight have been confused by you asking it to be installed but did not give a partition it can use for the installation. So Mint installer thought you want the whole disk wiped because that is one of the possibilities.

    You could select the last alternate which is the select you own arrangement for installation. However I advise you create the partition yourself first by running Mint to try it instead of to install it. This way you can have a better understanding of the concept.

    Assuming you boot up Mint as a live CD as suggested.

    Click the bottom left hand corner where menu tap locate, at the search windows type "gparted" and clcik it when gparted has been found. Gparted is Gnome partition editor one of the very in the business.

    In gparted go to the top right hand corner to select the second disk which should be sdb. Your 1st disk should be sda.

    In sdb select the unallocated space and create a partition and formatted as ext4. This should become sdb4 as you already have 3 partitions. The disk order is sdb4, sdb1, sdb2 and sdb3. This is ok although some OSes may complain the partition order but they all work with it.

    Once you have sdb4 created by a Linux partitioning tool you can click the install icon in Mint desktop now to start the installation.

    When asked about the installation location go to the last alternative which is your own arrangement. the installer will list all the partition availabe. You can then select sdb4, use this partition, format it with ext4 and mount is for "/".

    Once the installation starts you will be asked to confirm the location (keyboard for the country), a user name and its password.

    An important question is the loaction of the boot loader. By defaut this is MBA of sda. This is OK but Grub will take over the position of the Windows boot loader and automatically dual boot both system. It is pretty safe. However if you do not want this arrangement let us know and wait for different advice.
    Linux user started Jun 2004 - No. 361921
    Using a Linux live CD to clone XP
    To install Linux and keep Windows MBR untouched
    Adding extra Linux & Doing it in a lazy way
    A Grub menu booting 100+ systems & A "Howto" to install and boot 145 systems
    Just cloning tips Just booting tips A collection of booting tips

    Judge asked Linux "You are being charged murdering Windoze by stabbing its heart with a weapon, what was it?" Replied Linux "A Live CD"

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    Posts
    2,978
    If you manage dual boot you can do triple boot and so on. Linux will do this automatically because every Linux installer HAS BEEN WRITTEN to check your PC and boot every system it can find.

    To do more booting we have to show you how to create entended partition by wiping the sdb4, reinstall Mint to a smaller partition and run a small swap partition.
    Linux user started Jun 2004 - No. 361921
    Using a Linux live CD to clone XP
    To install Linux and keep Windows MBR untouched
    Adding extra Linux & Doing it in a lazy way
    A Grub menu booting 100+ systems & A "Howto" to install and boot 145 systems
    Just cloning tips Just booting tips A collection of booting tips

    Judge asked Linux "You are being charged murdering Windoze by stabbing its heart with a weapon, what was it?" Replied Linux "A Live CD"

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