instalation

[tucomint9rc]

hello to all mint people,(I am user too),asking for any help touching instaled usb live cd-on ext.hdd,then hdd put into laptop,everything works,but i am live user every time ,not able to install( hdd is 60 gb,mint9 rc is 4,3 gb,and he shows all 60, 55gbfree),cd/dvd is broken,no optionb to boot real usb(old bios 1.2).by install there are no partitions,by gpated not able to make one,maybe becouse mint takes all space (but not instaled yet).everything works so far,only he ask me for passw. and log in sometimes .
TOSHIBA SATELLITE 1110(WHEN INSTALL LIVE CD TO EXT.HDD ON ANOTHER PC THEN PUT BACK HE DOESN,T START)
HOW TO TAKE ALL SPACE FROM THIS POINT

MANY THANKS.

(alive for "live user" to the death)

[5littlejoe5]

If I'm understanding correctly you copied the mint CD to your hard drive using a different computer, and connected to the USB. If so what you have is a USB instalation but when you put the hard drive in your laptop, instead of connecting it to the USB port, it's location changes from the standpoint of the laptops BIOS. I'm surprised that it boots at all. At any rate, you won't be able to install from there, because (as you note) mint is already installed there. And you can't use the mint install on your hard drive to repartition the hard drive, because you can't partition without unmounting, and you can't unmount and still be using it.

You say that the CD/DVD is broken. Have you tried just cleaning it? or is it physicaly broken? That would be the easy way to install, but if it is actually not serviceable, and can't be replaced, probably the next best thing would be to install from a USB. port. Using a live USB installation (such as you apparently have) but using it from a USB port rather than installing the USB installation as your hard disk, you should be able to re-partion the hard drive, and install to the hard drive.

Alternatively, if you can use another computer (or maybe even the instalation that you have) to download and install Gparted's live CD (or "puppy") to a thumb drive, you can repartition your hard drive, without disturbing the mint installation that you have on it. Just make the partiton (now the whole disk) smaller. squeeze it down to about 6Gb. Then provide youself another 6 or 8 Gb. partiton for a new install, a small swap partiton (twice the memory of your laptop), and and the rest of the hdd drive as an extended partiton with an ext3 partion inside it for "home" (to store all your data). , Then boot from your hdd to the mint partiton that you already have, and you should be able to install the system to the new partitons that you have just provided.

[tucomint9rc]

thanks You for ansvering on my request, cd/dvd is fisical broken(with leg passing by), as you sugested gparted live or puppy linux live on usb(real,not hdd).then making space for install. is it posible to do it while laptop and mint are on or i must take hdd out and make it on another pc? sorry for trouble

[tucomint9rc]

i tried triple fake puppy usb(flopy,hdd.zip) but mint is stronger!!! i will try at home net install (adsl)with this live version.
anyway i use it with wireless tl wn422g v.2,and skype too.make myself administrator without passw.mint is saving my changes for every new session.or i will get new cd/dvd. or try ext.cd but no usb cable.
thanks tuco

[5littlejoe5]

If you can get gparted to run without mounting the hard drive, it doesn't matter if it is in your laptop, or connected to a usb port on a different computer. With gparted you can reduce the size of the partition in which you have mint installed without disturbing your installation. Just choose that partiton (which is the whole disk if I understand you right) and choose to resize it. Don't move the left side, and don't reformat it. Then using your mouse move the right side in to make that partiton about 6 or 7 Gb. Then you can cut the rest of it up into partitons to do your final install.

If you make more than three partitons, be sure that the fourth one is an extended partiton. then you can put other partitons in side that one and continue. I like to make several. and install several 'distros' on my hard drive (under different user names) and use a common partition (larger than the rest) as home.

Once you have partitioned your hard drive, you should be able to use the "usb" install that you currently have to install mint to one of the other partitions, or install from a usb connected CD, or hard drive.

Mint is built on Ubuntu. I prefer Mint, but it's not much different. Ubuntu has a way (using mini-ubuntu) to install from the internet. I haven't heard that Mint has that option, but it's possible. Or you might just install Ubuntu. our still going to have to be able to put it on a CD drive, or a usb stick.

It might just be simpler for you to put your laptop drive in a different computer to partiton your drive and install mint. Some things will not install quite the same, but adjustments can be made later. But don't put it in a different computer as a usb drive, or as anything other than the principal hard drive (what Windows calls "C:"). in Linux that is going to be sda (or maybe hda).

[tucomint9rc]

You were wright , little joe, i made install on another pc, like usb hdd (full install), xubuntu 9.10 and put back to laptop,then upgrade via net to 10.04,everything fine so far .I have another hdd ,will try later with mint 9.many thanks tuco !!!

USB HDD MUST BE FORMATED (NTFS,FAT 32),SELECT USE ENTIRE DISC ( ARROW ON SIDE TO SELECT WRIGHT ONE)