What are the steps to install to a partition already created

[StingRayz]

in windows? I have a 100gig partition ready, which I want to run mint seperate from windows. There seem to be too many choices and what seems logical ended up in an error message telling me that the 100gig partition was too small. How can I choose a mount from a list that has no meaning to me? with no instructions?


????????????????????????

[StingRayz]

Thanks.........................

[lmintnewb]

lol ... hold on there trigger. It's a gnu/linux community forum ... not paid support. People might not answer your questions in under an hour. Stuff like this gets asked and has already been answered 15 gazillion times ( forum search is your friend ) and 15 mins on google would've helped ya sort out anyway.

Though bunch of people want the info, so make that 15 gazillion and 1 times, lol.

*New addition, looked good to me Mint ... +vista/win7.
http://fitzcarraldoblog.wordpress.com/tag/easybcd/

Guy mentions some considerations, many don't and stuff I personally approve of. So updated this post to include the link to it.

* Windows 7 and LM 11, same should apply to LM 12 too.
http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2011/06/11/du ... windows-7/

Notes and opinions. Forget all the nonsense the guy advises about setting up 14 diff partitions for /boot /home /root etc blahblahblah. All someone really needs and esp imo to start is a root partition that things > / and a swap partition ( imo a /boot might be a dang good idea depending on your circumstances too. Mentioned in one of the how to's above. ).. Don't agree with everything the author of this other how to says. But does show someone how to setup their swap partition and give a good reference w plenty of screenshots. Like all things gnu/Linux you have choices to make and anything you're unclear on do some googlings, reading up or asking in forums ... or whatever.

* LM 10 and don't see why wouldn't apply to 11. The installer can't have changed that much. http://linuxgazette.net/136/lazar.html

Some other stuff, I agree w what gn2 says about swap size further down. The guy in that how to I think isn't advising people to add a big enough swap partition, 1gb = 1024mbs NOT 1000. Also it's a lil outdated but definitely shows enough for someone to figure it out. Is what I used when I originally dual booted LM 10 w XP.

You need to manually create a swap partition, typically 1.5x the installed RAM up to 2gb, more than that have swap the same size as RAM.

gn2

[StingRayz]

If something gets ask 15 gazillion times. and I think that you are right about this. Wouldn't it be easier to make the problem (and if it gets ask 15 gazillion times, a problem is clear) anyway, should not some change or information be added to make it clearer for the user, and easier for you as well? Look, I know how to install an operating system, even installed linux several times before. However, listing ten or so root choices written in a language that the new user ALL OF US has never seen, is beyond confusing, and in fact makes it impossible, for someone to make a choice, that is very unclear and might reformat their entire drive. Thus as I said making the install of mint impossible, unless the user is committed to wiping out their windows directory. I should add tht I might do this, provided mint is more versatile and runs more programs easier and better than win does. After all that is what computers are for. Now if you can show me the right way to procede, I will give it another try. But don't gt testy with me, because I am as you say the 15th gazillionth person to have the same problem, that is not of my creating? Capeshi?

[lmintnewb]

No offense, but took me 20mins on google, a couple of examples and badaboom had LM10 installed shortly there after w XP. One of probably 30 dual/tri/quad boots done since. LM's installer isn't rocket science ... Jmo, think it's almost self explanatory. Certainly for someone who's done it a few times.

Doesn't LM12 also still give the install alongside option ? Dunno ... I use other stuff, so haven't been keeping up with it. Prefer to manually do as much as I can to avoid poss issues. It gets asked and answered 15gazillion times cause some people new to LM and gnu/Linux get sooo excited, they forget to think hey, surely google has info about this or perhaps I should check the forum for posts. Hey ... I might not be the 1st person to need help with this.

Bothered posting cause I like LM and the community and forums here. So isn't strictly for you in particular, is also intended to hopefully help someone else with the same question. Or maybe give people a tip or pointer. It's understandable getting frustrated and whatnot. But hopefully you see the flipside, you're asking something 1 or 3 google searches would've answered . ie: How to dual boot Linux Mint 12 etc.

Looking around the forum, it has an installation and boot section. Just also pointing out people who visit these forums are volunteering their time when they try to help or make suggestions to a person with an issue. We/they ... often do a good job too. Getting angy and posting a gee thanks for nuttin post. Is not going to encourage people to wanna help someone out though.

Those how to's are about the best I could come up with. Don't want to spend a ton of time looking around for something I really don't need myself. Not sure what to say, if people can't take it from there n figure it out. Had to spend a tad of time looking around for em and skimming to make sure they were decent references for people.

Capeshi? That was done in my best sicilian gangster impersonation too. Tony ... getta load of this guy, he thinks he can make me an offer dat I cannat refuse ...


lol ...

PS, btw am not affiliated with Linux Mint in any way. And am mainly just razzing you for kicks at this point. LM does not endorse or encourage such razzing. But hopefully ya see the point am trying to make ?

[StingRayz]

I want to install mint as a primary operating system that does not have access to my windows files, while still keeping my win directory. Thus choose "something else is what I need" I already have a partition selected, 100gig. The add button is greyed out, I tried every available option and when I chose install the 98.something gigs that are available on the 100gig partition, were listed as being too small. I am not trying to be difficult, but saying that 15 gazillion people had problems before me, makes it fairly clear that you already understand this is very difficult and in no way easy.

[lmintnewb]

Ya realise o course Im mainly clowning around. This isn't meant to be offensive or insulting for real, shrugs.

Thought of summin else that may apply. By Ive already got a partition, how did you create that partition ? Using windows or something else ? Gnu/Linux and LM's installer is going to look for freespace on your harddrive or it would no doubt recognize a partition that's been formatted with one of the gnu/nix file systems. ie: ext2, ext3, ext 4, etc. Google if ya need clarification.

Formatting a partition and choosing which Linux file system you prefer is selected at one of the stages of the installer. If you look at that top link up there. You'll see the guy selects his Linux install partition to be ext4, which is common. Then he's also telling the installer to use the partition as root. Which is what this thing means / .

You could also delete that new partition you made with the installer and just set up a new one, format it in a gnu/nix file system, tell it to use it as / and proceed from there. Googling gparted might give ya some insight too dood.

Anyway, am more than done with this and there goes 3 friggin hours of ma life I'll never get back too. Last pointer to add though ... Helps if you explain what's going on, tell people more about what your problem is. People aren't mind readers and nobody should expect them to be or be able to figure out your problem w/o you even bothering to give them enough info. Doesn't help when someone says I set this up. They don't really say what it is, or how they went about it. It's doing this or not doing that and saying this ( again ... w/o clear info on what's even going on.). They don't bother telling people what software or version of software they're using. Things like that don't make it easy for someone volunteering some time and messing around on a forum to help someone figure a tech prob out.

Anyway, you'll figure it out. Hope ya enjoy LM once things are sorted out. If ya stick to it, you'll get better. Hopefully looking back and laughing about how aggravating getting gnu/Linux to install the 1st time was. Just takes time, you'll get the hang of it. Like doing or learning anything, issues come up, mistakes get made, stuff has to be sorted out. Either way though gnu/Linux is great stuff and can work perfectly for someone. Whether an uber geek, or just the everyday PC user who wants a better operating system and more choices than M$/Mac

[StingRayz]

Is that what the 15 gazillion people who had the same problem that I am having before me were told, "don't worry about it, you will figure it out"? Do you have any stats as to what operating system that the 15 gazillion (real number in someones stock portfolio)(any idea who's) eventually chose to run their PC. ****Since you like to RAZZ as you call it****

Anyway I am seriously trying to install this, but am getting the error message that if I do not go back and increase the partition size, (the one I chose is 100gigs) that mint will increase the partition size and the installation may fail, and Bill will sell another copy of windows 8. How do I format the partition that I have selected so that mint can use it? if that is the problem, and why do I need select a root something or other from 8 or so choices that make no sense. Bye the way, I was posting this from Ubuntu, but that just crashed, so I am back inside 7.

Any idea how many photos I could have edited in the last five completely unproductive hours that I have tried to install this? or how many hours is 15 gazillion times five hours? I always hated word problems, they used to razz me.

[gn2]

Best thing you can do during the installation of Mint is select the manual partitioning option, delete the partition you created with Windows and then create the required / and swap partitions in the emptied space.
It's simple enough, you should figure it out easily.

[lmintnewb]

Google gparted, will show you how to format a partition in a couple mins of googling and reading, look over those how to's. You need / root cause that's how it works. That's where a good chunk of the most important files for gnu/Linux go.

If you want to use gnu/Linux there you have it, you'll have to learn what you're doing. And all of this stuff is imo ... Less than the basics, it's the stuff someone picks up with a tad of reading or can figure out w/o bothering. Gparted and using it are pretty straight forward. Don't know how they could be made to be anymore straight forward. Same for the LM installer I'd used ... Doubt it's changed all that much since then. If it were any easier, it'd download and burn the iso for people, reset their bios to boot from the right disk drive and install itself, lol. Sorry, but that's how I feel about it overall.

Ye gawds man. Ye are giving me a headache and a finger ache too. Follow one of the how to's that show you step by step what to do. What's root, why set up a partition and format it for a Linux file system ? BECAUSE THAT IS HOW IT WORKS !!!! Arghhhhh .. Takes a breath, lol. How do you delete/ format a partition, create one etc with gparted or a ton of other disk utils ? SEE ABOVE !!!

Does everyone receive the same replies ? Sometimes yes, often no, sometimes another forum user goes ahead and digs up a link for em or does the googling or whatever else for em Or they waste a bunch of their time reposting the same stuff 3 million other people have already covered. What you're asking personally think is the kinda thing "Google it" or RTFM is a perfectly acceptable answer for. Good gawd and if you'll notice bothered posting a couple how to's to look at.

Sighs ... no worries, even tried the positive pep talk angle, lol. I have utmost faith you'll either geter done ... or won't. As da gawds may deem and will it, lol. Now I must stop messing with this, before I foolishly let my blood pressure rise continuing on in this thread.

[StingRayz]

Best thing you can do during the installation of Mint is select the manual partitioning option, delete the partition you created with Windows and then create the required / and swap partitions in the emptied space.
It's simple enough, you should figure it out easily.

Well at least that was something, OK I deleted the partition, then created a slightly smaller partition for mint. this makes for two more problems. 1. I need to choose a mount point, but have no clue as to what that is or should be, as does NO NEW USER. 2. Then and this is a biggie, after selecting install I am told that I did not create a swap drive. So I reran the install four more times and can tell you categorically, that there is no mention of swap drive or way to create one prior to the error message, is this buggy software or is it buggy software. I do this all the time and succeed, I have also forced computer manufacturers to take back their brand new computer, that could not be updated, yet was not broken. Shortly after this incident, Andrew Cuomo sued and beat Dell Computers for fraud, he won 4 million on behalf of NY State. No that's not relevant here, but I am fully aware of how computers and software should work, and when I am told to create something, that was not part of the process before I was told to create it, well it seems like fraud to me. Do you sell this? or would it be required to be fit for general use in that instance? Does mount mean the same as swap? and if so why change the words in the middle of an operation?

Again I am trying.

This was posted on another partition running Windows 8.....The Ubuntu one died, but that's on another machine.

[gn2]

You need to manually create a swap partition, typically 1.5x the installed RAM up to 2gb, more than that have swap the same size as RAM.
Next, create a / partition using all the remaining free space and make sure the mount point is set as /root
Can't give you better instructions than that, it's getting on for two years since I last did it and the installer may well have changed in that time.

[StingRayz]

You need to manually create a swap partition, typically 1.5x the installed RAM up to 2gb, more than that have swap the same size as RAM.
Next, create a / partition using all the remaining free space and make sure the mount point is set as /root
Can't give you better instructions than that, it's getting on for two years since I last did it and the installer may well have changed in that time.

I have to tell you the truth, and the fact is that your answer will not suffice. I can not manually create anything, much less a swap drive, unless mint helps me do it, see swap drive creation is a function of human interaction and software and there is as I said no mention or way to create such a drive in the installation process. Are we clear on this fact? Good, now if you can tell me at what point of the installation this should be included for future installs or want to include it and use my name as the man who specified that it need be included, that would be neat. However at this point, it is just not there.

[waltkerr]

StingRayz, You say you are trying to install Mint to a 100GB parition on a Windows machine. Let me ask, are you booting the machine from the Linux Mint LiveCD and running its installer to do this? Secondly, how did you create that 100GB parition?

Just want to add my two cents that Gparted is the way to go BEFORE you do the LiveCD install. Within the last two weeks I was doing yet another Linux install on my Win XP laptop as dual boot. I've done these before (Ubuntu) using the built in partition process in the installer on the LiveCD. This time I needed to wipe out a prior Mint 12 RC install and couple other partitions no longer needed. Not wanting to jeopardize my WinXP partition, I used Gparted to do the paritioning BEFORE I ran the Linux Mint install, and I'm glad I did.
I put the Gparted LiveCD into the drive and rebooted the laptop from it. I deleted the old Mint 12 partition and its swap space and a couple old Ubuntu paritions and left my 40GB hard drive with two partitions, one about 20GB containing WinXP and a fresh new space of 20GB for my upcoming Linux Mint 11 install. I also formatted the new space and set it as the mount point using Gparted. At the same time I created a small swap space (about 2GB if I remember correctly) within the Linux parition. Then, I rebooted the laptop with the LInux Mint LIveCD, ran the install and everything went fine.
I learned a lot and found Gparted to be a very useful tool. To get familiar with it, I did a few tests creating and deleting paritions with it before I did my final setup.

[gn2]

I have to tell you the truth, and the fact is that your answer will not suffice.

Clearly.
You need to take responsibility for your own system and your own learning, good luck, you'll enjoy it.

[StingRayz]

StingRayz, You say you are trying to install Mint to a 100GB parition on a Windows machine. Let me ask, are you booting the machine from the Linux Mint LiveCD and running its installer to do this? Secondly, how did you create that 100GB parition?

Just want to add my two cents that Gparted is the way to go BEFORE you do the LiveCD install. Within the last two weeks I was doing yet another Linux install on my Win XP laptop as dual boot. I've done these before (Ubuntu) using the built in partition process in the installer on the LiveCD. This time I needed to wipe out a prior Mint 12 RC install and couple other partitions no longer needed. Not wanting to jeopardize my WinXP partition, I used Gparted to do the paritioning BEFORE I ran the Linux Mint install, and I'm glad I did.
I put the Gparted LiveCD into the drive and rebooted the laptop from it. I deleted the old Mint 12 partition and its swap space and a couple old Ubuntu paritions and left my 40GB hard drive with two partitions, one about 20GB containing WinXP and a fresh new space of 20GB for my upcoming Linux Mint 11 install. I also formatted the new space and set it as the mount point using Gparted. At the same time I created a small swap space (about 2GB if I remember correctly) within the Linux parition. Then, I rebooted the laptop with the LInux Mint LIveCD, ran the install and everything went fine.
I learned a lot and found Gparted to be a very useful tool. To get familiar with it, I did a few tests creating and deleting paritions with it before I did my final setup.

The 100gig partition was created in win-7 for win-8 Developer Preview which has since been formatted away on that particular machine. I took that 100 gig partition and deleted it inside the mint live install, yes it is being run from the DVD. I created a 90gig partition for mint, which goes no where without a swap drive that again seems to need be part of the install, but is not. I would bet the farm that if I chose to do a full install of mint and wipe my windows directory, that the install would be near effortless, but then I would not be able to weigh the pros and cons benchmark the two operating systems on the same machine.

[StingRayz]

I have to tell you the truth, and the fact is that your answer will not suffice.

Clearly.
You need to take responsibility for your own system and your own learning, good luck, you'll enjoy it.

Not true, since the type of partition, the size of the partition and or the format style of the partition may all or in part be proprietary to the operating system in question. For example a win format may not work in mac or mint, each operating system is thus required to be able to help the user provide the proper formatting, main drive or swap drive creation which is required to run and install the OS. Mint has failed at this, I am trying and am very aware, as are some of you that swap drive creation has been omitted from the installation sequence. Again, this will make it hard for me to benchmark my computer under win-7 and mint. I can delete, create and format a partition or drive in win 7 in 30 to 45 seconds, it's part of OS installation, one that needs to be made viable, not by me, but the OS producer.

I feel a little here, like I am on the phone with Peggy..................... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHNkmZOM5xU

[waltkerr]

When you run the Mint LiveCD install, does it detect the Windows 7 OS and offer to set up dual boot with Mint? This should happen in the first few steps. And I believe the swap drive is created automatically during the install, or you can create one manually in the new parition with Gparted before you do the install.

[lmintnewb]

Took the time to post some better links in the 1st post I made. That was my bad actually, cannot believe neither clearly showed setting up a swap partition ! Arghhhh ! D: That's what I get for skimming, just looked those older how to's over well enough to ensure they were recent and didn't advise anything weird or quacky. The one's up there now are better quality. Though any quackiness or stuff I think would be better I've tried to note in the post.

In for a penny, in for a pound and may as well do it right, if ya bother. So now I've tried to improve on my original post and clarify some stuff for whoever wants to look through it. Also may as well look over what I just posted to another person with similar concerns ... dual bootin LM and windows.

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 51#p507251

[gn2]

I can delete, create and format a partition or drive in win 7 in 30 to 45 seconds

Were you born with that knowledge or did you have to learn it?

If you want to acquire knowledge about creating a Windows + Ubuntu/Mint dual boot, the best place i know of is here.