New install cannot see windows

[Gleneagles49]

Trying to set up a dual boot system.
Windows 10 currently installed.
Mint 20.3 cannot see windows so only offered option is clean install of mint.
I have installed mint in the past with no problems and it has always offered a option to resize partitions to amount you want for Linux and leaving the rest for windows.
Has something changed as I have never had this issue before.

Thanks

[kato181]

You have supplied us with no information about the system you are using. Please read the forum rules with regards to Sect.5. Information is required.
Boot into the live session and in terminal copy & paste the following command and post the results back here in between the code display brackets </>

Code: Select all

inxi -Fxz

[mikaelrask]

Hey kato181 you need to shrink the disk from windows disk manger that you want to use for linux to install. linux can read the ntfs system but not write to it. (might be chanced with the 5.15 kernal) but linux mint 20 series comes with kernal 5.4 atm. also disable secure/fast boot from bios. and welcome to the forum and linux mint.

[pbear]

I have installed mint in the past with no problems ...

On this computer or a different one? If a different one, there might be something about this one causing the problem, e.g., hardware RAID. The inxi output will help answer that question.

[kato181]

Hey kato181 you need to shrink the disk from windows disk manger that you want to use for linux to install. linux can read the ntfs system but not write to it. (might be chanced with the 5.15 kernal) but linux mint 20 series comes with kernal 5.4 atm. also disable secure/fast boot from bios. and welcome to the forum and linux mint.

Huh?????... It's not me asking the question...we need the OP's results from the inxi command to ascertain his hardware.

[Gleneagles49]

Thanks for the replies.
Sorry for not proving more info, all my previous installs were using a intel processor but this time the motherboard had been changed with a Ryzen 700 processor.
As suggested I used windows to change the partitions and managed to install Linux into that partition but with a slight snag, it asked me where boot should go and the only option left was to place it in a partition marked unknown.
So I have now ended up with a dual boot system but not the one I expected, by pressing F12 on startup I can select windows or mint rather than the normal option of selection.
Quite happy to stick with this but thanks to you both for help.

[pbear]

Quite happy to stick with this but thanks to you both for help.

Your choice, of course, but you're setting yourself up for trouble down the road. If something goes sideways with boot, the normal methods for repairing or reinstalling Grub probably won't work.

linux can read the ntfs system but not write to it.

Perhaps you're thinking something correct, but what you wrote is not. Linux writes fine to ntfs. What it can't do is install to ntfs.

[AndyMH]

As suggested I used windows to change the partitions and managed to install Linux into that partition but with a slight snag, it asked me where boot should go and the only option left was to place it in a partition marked unknown.
So I have now ended up with a dual boot system but not the one I expected, by pressing F12 on startup I can select windows or mint rather than the normal option of selection.
Quite happy to stick with this but thanks to you both for help.

First don't use win to modify partitions for linux, the only caveat for that being I use win's disk management utilities to resize C:, that's all. Everything else I use gparted for (there is a copy on your mint install stick). Second, given it was asking where to put grub, I suspect you managed to install mint in legacy mode with win installed in UEFI mode (or vice-versa).

You can check how mint boots, open a terminal and efibootmgr:

Code: Select all

andy@T432 ~ $ efibootmgr
EFI variables are not supported on this system.

If you get this you are booting legacy, anything else is UEFI.

You can check how win boots here:
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/851 ... -bios.html
To get a grub menu on boot you need to install mint in the same mode as win. Mint installs in the same mode as your install stick boots in, and this is determined by settings in BIOS.

linux can read the ntfs system but not write to it.

pbear has already pointed out that this is incorrect. When this happens it is usually because fast start/boot is enabled in win10 which locks all the win filesystems = read only to linux.

[mikaelrask]

andyMH and pbear true to you statment but what i believe there should be some chances to ntfs and linux in kernal 5,15, and yhea i know about secure/fast boot.

and kato181 my mistake sorry there.