[SOLVED] Do I need to resize my HDD?

Forum rules
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
mr.travo

[SOLVED] Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by mr.travo »

I have a Dell laptop with a dual core 64bit Intel i3 processor @ 1.9ghz with 8gb of ram (maxed out).

I also have a 1TB HDD and here's how I have it setup:
Screenshot from 2018-01-21 00-19-25.jpg

When I was installing, I read a few "how to" instruction manuals online and just kind of winged it. :lol:

Do you guys think I need to resize anything? I kind of feel weird having all this space not being used.

sda1- 678mb free
sda5 (root)- 7.1gb free
sda6 (home)- 60gb free

Thanks guys!
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
User avatar
Pierre
Level 21
Level 21
Posts: 13192
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:33 am
Location: Perth, AU.

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by Pierre »

so, if you are still in the mood for some more Tinkering Around,
- then why not ?.

play with those figures, maybe expand them a bit more & ReDo the whole thing again.
8)
this is where these Linux Operating System have some advantages, over That Other Operating System.
:twisted:
No Product keys
:lol:

So - - Go For It,, I'd say.
:)
Maybe a Dual Boot :!:
Image
Please edit your original post title to include [SOLVED] - when your problem is solved!
and DO LOOK at those Unanswered Topics - - you may be able to answer some!.
User avatar
all41
Level 19
Level 19
Posts: 9498
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 9:12 am
Location: Computer, Car, Cage

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by all41 »

Wow--830gb free space.
I would be using this for video storage, system backups, restore files, and etc.
Everything in life was difficult before it became easy.
mr.travo

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by mr.travo »

Pierre wrote:Maybe a Dual Boot :!:
Thanks Pierre! It's funny that you say that because I was JUST WATCHING a video on YT where they make a kit to swap your CDROM drive for another hard drive in your laptop.

Being the OCD over thinker that I am, I was thinking about a 256GB SSD drive to replace my current 1TB HDD. Then I could swap the HDD out with the CDROM. I would imagine that the transfer rate would suffer some(?), but I think the HDD could be used for backups or other nonessential programs. I have only used 181GB so far since October (sda2 is has no files in it). Going that route would save me about $200. I am pricing the 250GB SSD drives for under $100.

Just a thought.

In the mean time, should I increase my /root partition since it's over 3/4 full? Would doing that make things run more efficient? I am so used to Windows hogging up all the drive space and always wanting more and more and more and more.... :lol:

Sorry for the newbie questions, I am still learning this one step at a time. :mrgreen:
Last edited by mr.travo on Sun Jan 21, 2018 3:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
mr.travo

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by mr.travo »

all41 wrote:Wow--830gb free space.
I would be using this for video storage, system backups, restore files, and etc.
It has crossed my mind. I am seriously thinking about doing this CDROM swap..... It all depends on what the transfer rate will be from the processor to that bay. I would "think" (DANGER DANGER!!!) that it would at least have a better rate than a USB 2.0? I need to research that.... :D
mr.travo

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by mr.travo »

Ok, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the SSD idea. I have everything ordered and should be here by the end of this coming week.

I bought the Intel 256GB drive, ODD caddy, and the USB 3.0 -> SATA cable for transferring of files. I will start a new thread for the install in case anyone else is interested. I would also like to give bench marks before and after.

I'm tired and finally going to go to bed....
User avatar
Termy
Level 12
Level 12
Posts: 4254
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:49 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by Termy »

Lol Here's my setup:
.lmscrot.jpg
I keep /home very low though, making sure to keep it no higher than around 2GB, because I make regular /home backups. You really just don't need much for Linux, and anything that does take up a lot of space can easily be put on a separate partition (preferably device), as I do. As you can see, I have plenty of available storage, with spare drives kicking around the place, and with a 1TB external USB3 drive if I need it.

Virtual machines, many ISOs, and media I don't need on a regular basis get stored in a larger place, whereas things I will use or which have yet to be moved over to the other place, such as backgrounds for my slideshow, screenshots, things people have sent me online, and whatever else, get moved over. The stuff which always stays in /home is typically my GitHub repositories, my other scripts I keep around for reference or ideas, some documents (mostly notes), and then of course the configurations for programs and all my bash and i3 configurations and plugins.

So yeah, I'd definitely be doing some tinkering if I had your setup!

My root tends to take up about 4GB, sometimes 3.9GB. I'm meticulous and have a very lite setup, though.

Thing is, if you're happy, leave it be. If you think you can improve it, go on ahead, just be careful and make sure to alays have a back up.
I'm also Terminalforlife on GitHub.
User avatar
austin.texas
Level 20
Level 20
Posts: 12003
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 3:57 pm
Location: at /home

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by austin.texas »

You will like your new SSD, I am sure.
I got a new SSD, and documented how to move my OS to that drive.
Use these instructions to move your OS to the SSD.
Then you can reconfigure your big hard drive as you wish.
Mint 18.2 Cinnamon, Quad core AMD A8-3870 with Radeon HD Graphics 6550D, 8GB DDR3, Ralink RT2561/RT61 802.11g PCI
Linux Linx 2018
User avatar
Termy
Level 12
Level 12
Posts: 4254
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:49 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by Termy »

A 256GB SSD? I use an SSD as well, a 128GB one, and even that's excessive amounts for Linux. Even if you're very generous, setting aside 15GB for /tmp, and 15GB for everything else in /, /home excluded of course, that's still only 30GB. If you can get a 64GB SSD, I would; hell, I wish I had done that! But I got mine when I was using Windows, so 128GB seemed viable at the time.

On the bright side, a metric crap-ton of Linux distros can be set up on the SSD, so that's cool. lol Or a Windows dual-boot, if that's your thang.
I'm also Terminalforlife on GitHub.
mr.travo

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by mr.travo »

Thank you both!

I have heard to not use swap with a SSD because of speeding up the chip deterioration. My OCD mind is wondering if I should use the HDD as a secondary drive in the laptop as originally planned or create a standalone network drive for the house. I am sure I can get an enclosure for it to create one.

Say I end up using the old drive for network storage:
1. How would Linux run without swap on an SSD? I have 1.9 i3 with 8GB ram.
2. Would running games on the SSD wear it out considerably faster? I don't game much but do play some games on Steam a couple of times a week.
3. I know these drives are going to get cheaper in months/years to come. I plan of sticking with this size for a good bit of time.
4. What are the other drawbacks that I am not thinking if I run this setup?


If I use the old HDD as secondary drive in laptop:
A. I will have enough storage for literately whatever I want.
B. I will put only the OS on the primary and all the programs on the HDD (if I am thinking correctly).
C. I can use 16GB for swap on the HDD.
D. What are other drawbacks or ideas I am missing?

Thank you guys for your help! @Termy- partition much???? :mrgreen: :lol: I love how you can tweak everything in Linux to make it work for YOU! No wonder Money-soft hates the Linux distros!
User avatar
austin.texas
Level 20
Level 20
Posts: 12003
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 3:57 pm
Location: at /home

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by austin.texas »

mr.travo wrote:1. How would Linux run without swap on an SSD? I have 1.9 i3 with 8GB ram.
I have 8GB of ram, and have operated without any swap partition in the past - with no problem. I install the swapspace program, just in case.
Mint 18.2 Cinnamon, Quad core AMD A8-3870 with Radeon HD Graphics 6550D, 8GB DDR3, Ralink RT2561/RT61 802.11g PCI
Linux Linx 2018
mr.travo

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by mr.travo »

Termy wrote:A 256GB SSD? I use an SSD as well, a 128GB one, and even that's excessive amounts for Linux. Even if you're very generous, setting aside 15GB for /tmp, and 15GB for everything else in /, /home excluded of course, that's still only 30GB. If you can get a 64GB SSD, I would; hell, I wish I had done that! But I got mine when I was using Windows, so 128GB seemed viable at the time.

On the bright side, a metric crap-ton of Linux distros can be set up on the SSD, so that's cool. lol Or a Windows dual-boot, if that's your thang.
Well if it's not overkill, it's not done right! LOL! I hear you Brother! I was trying to think ahead and for only $103 I scored this Intel SSD drive. The 128's were not that much cheaper so I decided to just go for the gusto. I almost got a 512gb for $30 more, but then before I would of known it I would of been blowing all my money on a 2TB! LOL! I tend to up-sale myself at times, if one is good then 20 is better! :mrgreen:

My plan is to eventually try out other distros and play with them on a dual boot setup. I would like to try to network a linux distro just for learning experience (can you tell I'm bored???). I am going in for yet another back surgery next month and this time I will be down for 6 to 8 months for recovery (before I will be allowed to work), so I am getting my projects list together of things I want to do and pass the time.

@austin.texas - I will read up on swapspace. Thank you for the info! I am also pulling up the link you shared....
Last edited by mr.travo on Wed Mar 21, 2018 8:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Termy
Level 12
Level 12
Posts: 4254
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:49 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by Termy »

mr.travo wrote:Thank you both!

I have heard to not use swap with a SSD because of speeding up the chip deterioration. My OCD mind is wondering if I should use the HDD as a secondary drive in the laptop as originally planned or create a standalone network drive for the house. I am sure I can get an enclosure for it to create one.

Say I end up using the old drive for network storage:
1. How would Linux run without swap on an SSD? I have 1.9 i3 with 8GB ram.
2. Would running games on the SSD wear it out considerably faster? I don't game much but do play some games on Steam a couple of times a week.
3. I know these drives are going to get cheaper in months/years to come. I plan of sticking with this size for a good bit of time.
4. What are the other drawbacks that I am not thinking if I run this setup?


If I use the old HDD as secondary drive in laptop:
A. I will have enough storage for literately whatever I want.
B. I will put only the OS on the primary and all the programs on the HDD (if I am thinking correctly).
C. I can use 16GB for swap on the HDD.
D. What are other drawbacks or ideas I am missing?

Thank you guys for your help! @Termy- partition much???? :mrgreen: :lol: I love how you can tweak everything in Linux to make it work for YOU! No wonder Money-soft hates the Linux distros!
Lol You're welcome, and yes, I partition much, although they were mostly different drives. I have a lot of drives, because I have a lot of data, and I like to keep things separate. :) Never put all your eggs into one basket, they say.

As for SSD deteriation, I'm told the newer SSDs are not quite as delicate as old news would have you believe; YMMV, however.

Regarding the swapfile, you can always store it on a HDD, but honestly, with that amount of RAM, you probably won't see much swapping, if ever, especially with a swappiness of 10, which is oft-recommended for standard home use. I have 10GB RAM, but I've got 4GB set aside for /tmp (tmpfs), yet I rarely see swap used. I use a swapfile and it's only 64MB, just in-case something needs a lil slurp of it.

Regarding the hypothetical:

1. The same as ever, with that much RAM. Chances are high that you would see no issues at all having swap completely unavailable. However, there is that minor chance...
2. If the games were installed on the SSD, and they were big games with lots of data and cache to store, then yes, but probably not by as much as you think.
3. Am I missing the question? :P
4. None that I can foresee at the moment.

As for the alphabet choice: I'm not sure... where's option E? xD You might have enough space, but I've no idea what your data usage is like. I'd say probably closer to A. I recommend having a few hundred MB set aside on the HDD for swap, just in-case, as a swap file for easy management, and use the HDD for /home, possibly /tmp too, and use the SSD for anything else. Up to you, really!

Just my opinion here, being honest... I'm guessing you're new to Linux, so I'd say consider just stickingw ith what you have a little while longer. Get comfortable, figure out what you like and don't like, before sticking that flag into the ground and claiming "MINE!"
I'm also Terminalforlife on GitHub.
mr.travo

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by mr.travo »

Thank you Termy!

Yes, number 3 ended up not having a question :lol: :lol: :lol: I guess I just felt like expressing that statement with a number, LOL!

The more I think about it, I might just run the old drive as a home network storage drive. I can partition it out so I can keep all my back ups and pictures networked locally instead of depending on the "cloud". I plan on running this laptop for another year or so before I go ahead and go back to a desktop for my "home" computer. I miss the upgrade-ability of the desktops and being able to swap out hardware. I already run 2 laptops and a tablet so portability is strongly covered.
Termy wrote:As for the alphabet choice: I'm not sure... where's option E? xD You might have enough space, but I've no idea what your data usage is like. I'd say probably closer to A. I recommend having a few hundred MB set aside on the HDD for swap, just in-case, as a swap file for easy management, and use the HDD for /home, possibly /tmp too, and use the SSD for anything else. Up to you, really!
LOL! I really don't store too much on this laptop. I bought it when I was an over the road truck driver. I then had a bunch of pictures, all my expense reports, maintenance records, blah blah blah on it. Since I have come off the road, not much gets put on it other than Steam and a newletter that I am editor of for a non-profit group.

I still have an old Seagate 512GB external HDD that I bought back in 2006. I paid top dollar for it and it still works but with a standard USB connection, it is slooooooooow for transfer rates. I *think* creating a network drive out of this HDD will give me transfer rates and can in a sense upgrade and replace the old Seagate.

Those are my thoughts for the next 5 seconds at least.... SQUIRREL!!!!! :lol: :lol:
User avatar
Termy
Level 12
Level 12
Posts: 4254
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:49 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by Termy »

Lol. I highly doubt there's a... OH THERE HE IS! :o

The transfer rates on that old 2006 drive could be slow because either it's USB 1.1 or 2.0, or -- unfortunately -- because it's dying. If you've checked the drive's S.M.A.R.T. status and it seems okay, no smoke, no weird noises, no mysterious demonic sounds, then maybe you could put it into a USB 3 exclosure; those things you can get on Amazon quite cheap, and the transfer rates are very high. If you go that route, keep in mind that, although backwards compatible with USB 1.1 and 2.0, you'll not get those sweet USB 3 rates until you plug it into a USB 3 port.
I'm also Terminalforlife on GitHub.
mr.travo

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by mr.travo »

I just knocked the dust off of it and plugged in the drive. It's an old USB 2.0 drive but is a 7200rpm. I just found a video on YT with a guy that took his apart and put it in a drive stack so it is doable. Turns out it's just a standard drive adapted with it's own lighted case. I still have the original box for it and really don't want to remember how much I paid for that sucker! LOL! It turns out that the 5 year warranty has expired, so it's play time! :mrgreen:
mr.travo

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by mr.travo »

Termy wrote:Lol. I highly doubt there's a... OH THERE HE IS! :o

The transfer rates on that old 2006 drive could be slow because either it's USB 1.1 or 2.0, or -- unfortunately -- because it's dying. If you've checked the drive's S.M.A.R.T. status and it seems okay, no smoke, no weird noises, no mysterious demonic sounds, then maybe you could put it into a USB 3 exclosure; those things you can get on Amazon quite cheap, and the transfer rates are very high. If you go that route, keep in mind that, although backwards compatible with USB 1.1 and 2.0, you'll not get those sweet USB 3 rates until you plug it into a USB 3 port.
As it sits right now, it doesn't have the SMART feature. I don't know if it has something to do with all the connections it has to go through and what not or if it's just that old.

Code: Select all

smartctl 6.5 2016-01-24 r4214 [x86_64-linux-4.13.0-26-generic] (local build)
Copyright (C) 2002-16, Bruce Allen, Christian Franke, www.smartmontools.org

=== START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===
Vendor:               Seagate
Product:              FreeAgent Pro
Revision:             400A
User Capacity:        500,107,862,016 bytes [500 GB]
Logical block size:   512 bytes
Serial number:        9QG1JFSL
Device type:          disk
Local Time is:        Mon Jan 22 19:06:20 2018 EST
SMART support is:     Unavailable - device lacks SMART capability.

=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===

Error Counter logging not supported

Device does not support Self Test logging
What else could I use to test it out?

Thanks!
User avatar
Termy
Level 12
Level 12
Posts: 4254
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:49 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by Termy »

Awesome. Wow, must be old if it doesn't even have S.M.A.R.T.; maybe that feature didn't come around until a bit later. I'm not sure what else you can do aside from benchmark it and listen for unusual clicking sounds and sniff for weird smells. Lol Odd clicking sounds are usually indicative of a failing drive. It's good to pay attention to the sounds your computer makes.

Also, AFAIK, all external hard drives are just internal drives with an enclosure; something anyone can do (a lot cheaper, at that) with an internal drive and a separate enclosure bought off somewhere like Amazon.
I'm also Terminalforlife on GitHub.
mr.travo

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by mr.travo »

Yes- I have been looking around and doing some research this afternoon..... sooooooooo.........

The *new* idea (for the next day or two at least) is to scrap the "network drive" option and just go ahead and wire the house for a complete wired network! Ya, this project just got complicated!

I am drawing out everything and will be posting it up in the /networking/ethernet section. I would like to go ahead and run all my wires now (before surgery) and get everything labeled. I am also going to go ahead and run future drops for security cams (going to need a PoE injector) so all of that will be ready.

Right now I am just drawing out how many drops, where to put the modem and equipment, and how to run it. I have a two story home, so that adds to the fun. My saving grace is I have access to the attic and most of the work (I hope) will be upstairs. I *think* I will only need 4 drops downstairs in one location. I have done a lot of drywall so that's not an issue, I just HATE painting..... BADLY! LOL!

More to follow on the new thread! :mrgreen:
mr.travo

Re: Do I need to resize my HDD?

Post by mr.travo »

austin.texas wrote:You will like your new SSD, I am sure.
I got a new SSD, and documented how to move my OS to that drive.
Use these instructions to move your OS to the SSD.
Then you can reconfigure your big hard drive as you wish.
I followed your instructions until I got to initramfs and install Grub. It kept giving me an error so I thought I would just wipe it and fresh install. Now I get an I/O error when I am ready to install. Any ideas? Did I screw myself?
Locked

Return to “Storage”