Disk space mysteriously used up <SOLVED>

[DeRaza360]

First post.

I got a laptop about a year back. It came with a pre-installed Windows 7. I used this for quite a while, and then I found out about Linux and installed it.

Long story short I tried Ubuntu and currently have Mint. Works fine; magnificently one might say. One thing that perked my curiosity though.

Installed Mint using the Windows executable (I tried burning the iso to a disc, but that didn't allow me to dual-boot using my additional hard-drive) and it was fine and dandy. I gave it 27GB (above what it already was on, unlike I did for Ubuntu. Left it at 20BG for Ubuntu) and went through all the usual installation and it was successful. Like I did on Ubuntu, first thing I did was run the Update Manager. It installed all the updates levels 1-3, and it replaced some config files which it asked me to confirm. I did. It installed.

As soon as Update Manager closed a message came up saying I have less than 90mb available.

I do think something went wrong, considering Ubuntu only used about 8GB with the updates installed. I'd just like to know if anyone else experienced this, and what they did about it. I'll just reinstall Mint if there isn't a solution. (seriously, only 90mb for additional programs?)

Specs: 4GB RAM, ~2GHz processor, 64 bit Mint installed on a 27GB partition on a 30GB hard drive.
CPU~Dual core Intel Core i5 CPU M 460 (-HT-MCP-) clocked at 1199.000 Mhz Kernel~3.2.0-23-generic x86_64 Up~31 min Mem~572.2/3819.6MB HDD~500.1GB(5.8% used) Procs~174 Client~Shell inxi~1.7.33

P.S. And I think I'm on a temporary (live) profile. I'm not asked to sign in and I don't think the settings save. User account manager says I'm a live account.

Edit: There's a file in /isodevice/linuxmint/disks called root.disk taking up 25.9GB. Seems like an important file, or a virus in disguise.

[karlchen]

Hello, DeRazza360.

As you have found out yourself, when you launch Linux Mint you end up in the Linux Mint live system.
Why?
There is a common misunderstanding about how a Mint4win installation works. This makes some users incorrectly assume that running Mint4win.exe inside Windows were sufficient to install Linux Mint on their system. No, sorry, it is not.

Mint4win: Installation in two parts
Any Mint4win installation is separated in two parts:

1. The first part is executed on Windows by executing Mint4win "As Administrator". During this first part, mint4win.exe prepares the genuine Linux Mint installation. It copies required files to the Windows NTFS partition. It creates a large root.disk file. This file will later on hold the Linux filesystem. It copies the whole ISO image to the NTFS partition as well. It adds the boot option "Linux Mint" to the Windows boot menu. Finally it offers to reboot the machine.
2. The second part is the real linux installation. It starts after the reboot (see above). A Linux Mint live system will be started.
   Note:
   Once the live system is up and running and displaying the Linux Mint desktop, in Mint 13 the setup will not launch automatically. So you will have to click the icon "Install Linux Mint" in the upper left of the desktop.

If you need a complete step by step guide on how to perform a complete Linux Mint installation using Mint4win:
There are quite a few such instructions out there. Google is your friend. Moreover, this forum has got a Tutorial/Howto section where there should be a number of such instructions as well.
E.g. there is Installing Linux Mint 13 32-bit xfce via Mint4win.
Ignore the fact that the title mentions xfce. The steps of performing a Mint4win installation is the same, no matter which desktop edition your Mint will have: xfce, Cinnamon or Mate.
Ignore the fact the title mentions 32-bit. Simply skip the first part of the article and jump directly to the section titled Installing Linux Mint 13 32-bit xfce via Mint4win. This is where the steps are explained which are identical for all Mint4win installations, 32-bit and 64-bit.

There's a file in /isodevice/linuxmint/disks called root.disk taking up 25.9GB. Seems like an important file, or a virus in disguise.

The file root.disk is the most important file of your Linux Mint Mint4win installation. It holds the Linux ext4 filesystem, where Linux Mint lives.
Seems as if you might like to read how Mint4win works, basically the same way as Wubi works: WubiGuide.

HTH,
Karl

[DeRaza360]

I am on a live account.
I am on a live account.
I am on a live account.

My brain is as useful as a nacho.

Thank you, Karl. I just installed Mint properly and I notice a significant rise in free disk space.

Regards, Anon.

[karlchen]

Hi, Anon.

Hey, great!

Karl