From Dual-boot to Linux only

[Trevanion]

Geezer here (born in Eisenhower’s first term), and a one month Linux Mint user. In August I purchased a new HP laptop (after 11 years service of Dell Win7 device). In this new laptop I had 1T SSD and 16 DRAM installed. Following good advice on this site, surprised myself by managing to do the partitions, etc. and succeeding in a dual boot set-up, with minimal hiccups (so far).

At my age one becomes obsessed with constantly minimizing the Crap Factor in one’s life. So I am not exaggerating (too much, anyway) in saying the joys of being able to use my laptop without having to dwell in that MS swamp of bloat, “known issues,” and arrogant spyware have been right up there with leaving my first wife and marrying my current and saintly spouse of 30 years.

The dual boot was done because of a perceived need to use a particular Win-only slide show maker (I make Ken Burns-type family history presentations). But having now become acquainted and close to comfortable with ffDiaporarma I would like to get rid of the darkness altogether on my machine and do a complete clean Linux Mint-only installation.

Unfortunately, while I have done a lot of reading on this site and others I still have no confidence yet about my being able to accomplish this without risk of yielding a brick from a total systems standpoint. (e.g., I’ve got all my needed docs, jpgs, and other files backed up, but can they stay on the machine as partitioned?)

So I’m wondering if some kind soul could provide with an easy up-to-date and very dumbed-down step-by-step way of going from a dual-boot to Linux-only, or perhaps steer me to such a thing that already exists. I apologize if I’ve overlooked something that already answers this inquiry.

Thanks very much.

[Larry78723]

Hello Trevanion, and welcome to the best forums on the 'net. As another geezer (born during Truman's time in office ) I'd be happy to assist you.

Please post the results of the following command run in a terminal:

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 blkid

That will help me develop a step by step method of accomplishing your goal.

Larry

[pbear]

A few suggestions, though I'll leave it to Larry to develop a full plan and walk you through it.

1. Before you remove Windows, make a USB Recovery Drive (an option under Control Panel > Recovery > Create a recovery drive). On my Win10 computer, this required a 32 GB USB. You want this so you can restore Windows if you ever want to sell the machine. Or even give it to someone who isn't comfortable with Linux. Small investment of money and a trivial investment of time.

2. The awkward thing about removing Windows from dual boot is that it's on the left side of the partition table. Moving or extending the Linux partitions to the left is very time consuming. Sometimes it's easier to create a data partition with the old Windows space.

3. With so much more space, a rethink of your partition scheme might be in order. Usually can be done by a combination of partition moves, resizes and creates, plus editing fstab to reflect changes, but that's advanced stuff. If you want to redo the partition scheme, reinstall might make more sense.

Anyhoo, you've already done the most important thing (data file backups). Lots of options and hard to go far wrong. Good luck.

[Peter Linu]

I have read the erudite instructions of experienced forum users and I'm sure they work perfectly well. My take is more 'scorched earth' but has served me well.
Why not save all your personal data on a device outside the current machine including software you may want to re-use. Then install your chosen Mint distro instead of Windows. In that way, you can be sure of not retaining any vestige of the dark monster.

[Trevanion]

Thanks to all for helpful thoughts. With regard to Larry's kind offer the result of the query is the following:

/dev/sda1: LABEL="SYSTEM" UUID="3804-3671" TYPE="vfat" PARTLABEL="EFI system partition" PARTUUID="ac82ecdf-f5e0-4b2e-a187-14bcbec3f282"
/dev/sda3: LABEL="Windows RE tools" UUID="8AD6EA61D6EA4CCF" TYPE="ntfs" PARTLABEL="Basic data partition" PARTUUID="f3ee3dd1-3f01-48f9-b50b-9bcfbacd2049"
/dev/sda4: LABEL="Windows" UUID="B8AE59D4AE598C2E" TYPE="ntfs" PARTLABEL="Basic data partition" PARTUUID="0fd1aa49-c9af-4435-96ca-44cf0430e0c6"
/dev/sda5: LABEL="New Volume" UUID="00CA307ECA307250" TYPE="ntfs" PARTLABEL="Basic data partition" PARTUUID="b75932f1-5f30-4e46-b864-a4b686ffb384"
/dev/sda6: UUID="e4097946-adff-436e-bf9b-9636f03d2050" TYPE="ext4" PARTUUID="25e56357-feb6-46b8-9f53-305e502bf91c"
/dev/sda7: UUID="6300acc0-a29d-42fa-af17-62437b877d07" TYPE="swap" PARTUUID="12eda38c-639d-419d-8d59-38a0c22e9d45"
/dev/sda8: UUID="f93c5e23-93f6-4c2a-8658-8195bf809b4f" TYPE="ext4" PARTUUID="25cf60dc-6077-4e0f-b9f7-d54e11d08982"

One further question I did not articulate: I am also wondering about the fate of programs already separately installed to operate on the Linux side of things (e.g., firefox, a particular favorite photo organizer, libreoffice, etc). That is, are they doomed (and me doomed to a bunch of re-installs). Thanks again.

[Pierre]

it will depend on what Larry's advice is,
but the simplist option, is to just format the C: drive (usually SDA1),
from your Linux System, and then use that partition, as your /DATA area.

- - you will still have, to manually remove the Windows Entry, from the LinuxMint Boot Menu - though.

[Trevanion]

I hope that's possible. My worry based on reading material on this forum is related to just how far the creepy Win reach might be, given the original partition was done from that side and that some remaining flotsam might cause subsequent problems. So part of me is steeling myself for a complete do-over, alas.

[pbear]

If you reinstall, take very detailed notes this time, including descriptions of all settings you change, all apps you install, any settings you change for those apps, exact language of any commands you run in Terminal (so next time you can just copy-and-paste), especially any apps you install from PPA, etc. These notes will serve you well, as there are many situations where reinstall is either necessary or desirable. For example, many users tie themselves in knots when it's time to upgrade to a new version, as will happen, for example, when Mint 20 is released. Don't be afraid. Be prepared.

[JerryF]

In my opinion, I wouldn't do a reinstall. No need.

Wait for Larry to respond.

P.S.

Can you post the result of the following command:

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lsblk

[Larry78723]

Trevanion, Please post the following reports. This will give us a concise overview of your hardware and on how Mint sees it.

Here is how to generate the reports and post them:

Boot into Mint
Open a terminal window (Ctrl-Alt-t). Make it fullscreen to avoid unneeded linebreaks or chopped lines. Execute the command

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 inxi -Fxzd 

and

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 lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,FSTYPE,UUID,MOUNTPOINT

exactly as it has been typed here.

Mark the complete text output which the command will display with your mouse.
Press the keyboard shortcut <Shift><Ctrl>C to copy the marked text into the clipboard.
Enclose the results between the code markers by selecting </> from the mini toolbar above the textbox where you type your reply then paste <Ctrl>V them in your reply between the code markers.

The results will help us to help you.

Larry

[Trevanion]

Larry: Here goes. And here's hoping I did this correctly. And that it doesn't reveal (or perhaps that it does) a screwup in my installation. Thanks again for your kind offer to assist.

Code: Select all

System:
  Host: laptopHP Kernel: 4.15.0-64-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc 
  v: 7.4.0 Desktop: Cinnamon 4.2.4 Distro: Linux Mint 19.2 Tina 
  base: Ubuntu 18.04 bionic 
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: HP product: HP Laptop 17-by1xxx 
  v: Type1ProductConfigId serial: <filter> 
  Mobo: HP model: 8530 v: 17.16 serial: <filter> UEFI: Insyde v: F.37 
  date: 03/28/2019 
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT0 charge: 38.3 Wh condition: 42.3/42.3 Wh (100%) 
  model: Hewlett-Packard Primary status: Discharging 
CPU:
  Topology: Quad Core model: Intel Core i7-8565U bits: 64 type: MT MCP 
  arch: Kaby Lake rev: B L2 cache: 8192 KiB 
  flags: lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 31872 
  Speed: 700 MHz min/max: 400/4600 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 700 2: 700 
  3: 700 4: 700 5: 700 6: 700 7: 700 8: 700 
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: i915 v: kernel 
  bus ID: 00:02.0 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.19.6 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa 
  resolution: 1600x900~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel HD Graphics (Whiskey Lake 3x8 GT2) 
  v: 4.5 Mesa 19.0.8 direct render: Yes 
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel 
  bus ID: 00:1f.3 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k4.15.0-64-generic 
Network:
  Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet 
  vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: r8169 v: 2.3LK-NAPI port: 4000 
  bus ID: 02:00.0 
  IF: eno1 state: down mac: <filter> 
  Device-2: Realtek RTL8822BE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi adapter 
  vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: r8822be v: kernel port: 3000 
  bus ID: 03:00.0 
  IF: wlo1 state: up mac: <filter> 
  IF-ID-1: tun0 state: unknown speed: 10 Mbps duplex: full mac: N/A 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 931.51 GiB used: 16.45 GiB (1.8%) 
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Crucial model: CT1000MX500SSD1 size: 931.51 GiB 
  Optical-1: /dev/sr0 vendor: hp model: DVDRW GUE1N rev: UE00 
  dev-links: cdrom,cdrw,dvd,dvdrw 
  Features: speed: 24 multisession: yes audio: yes dvd: yes 
  rw: cd-r,cd-rw,dvd-r,dvd-ram state: running 
RAID:
  Hardware-1: Intel 82801 Mobile SATA Controller [RAID mode] driver: ahci 
  v: 3.0 bus ID: 00:17.0 
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 18.21 GiB used: 16.39 GiB (90.0%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda6 
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 35.0 C mobo: 0.0 C 
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Info:
  Processes: 236 Uptime: 27m Memory: 15.55 GiB used: 1.54 GiB (9.9%) 
  Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 7.4.0 Shell: bash v: 4.4.20 
  inxi: 3.0.32 

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NAME     SIZE FSTYPE   UUID                                 MOUNTPOINT
loop0     89M squashfs                                      /snap/core/7713
loop1  148.4M squashfs                                      /snap/photoscape/6
sda    931.5G                                               
├─sda1   260M vfat     3804-3671                            /boot/efi
├─sda2    16M                                               
├─sda3   980M ntfs     8AD6EA61D6EA4CCF                     
├─sda4   635G ntfs     B8AE59D4AE598C2E                     
├─sda5     7M ntfs     00CA307ECA307250                     
├─sda6  18.6G ext4     e4097946-adff-436e-bf9b-9636f03d2050 /
├─sda7   5.6G swap     6300acc0-a29d-42fa-af17-62437b877d07 
└─sda8 271.1G ext4     f93c5e23-93f6-4c2a-8658-8195bf809b4f 
sr0     1024M           

[Larry78723]

Trevanion, one last question before I formulate a step-by-step process.

├─sda6 18.6G ext4 e4097946-adff-436e-bf9b-9636f03d2050 /
├─sda7 5.6G swap 6300acc0-a29d-42fa-af17-62437b877d07
└─sda8 271.1G ext4 f93c5e23-93f6-4c2a-8658-8195bf809b4f

Do you know what's on sda8? Can I include it in my plans?

[Trevanion]

I have some doc/jpg file redundancies with the Win side, the result of my various attempts a getting the hang of file sharing with the dual boot. They are backed up and can go. And I made that area the output of timeshift when I ran into problems with the systemfile filling up, which presumably I can change (I am now doing the timeshift manually as I still work to get a handle on that). So I would say feel free to use that partition.

Thank you again.

[Larry78723]

OK, thanks for the information. I'll start formulating a plan now. Hopefully will have it for you shortly.

[Larry78723]

Before you start using this checklist, wait a while in case one of the other members detects an error in my method.

These steps SHOULD leave you with all apps that you have already installed intact. You will have to copy saved files from your backup to your new /home folder. BEFORE you start, ensure that you have your /home folder backed up (including hidden files [those starting with a .]) on external media.

1. Boot from your installation media (USB/DVD)

2. Start Gparted

3. Select partition sda3

4. Click on Partition then Delete

5. Select partition sda4

6. Click on Partition then Delete

7. Select partition sda5

8. Click on Partition then Delete

9. Click on the Checkmark beneath the menu line

10. Allow to complete deletions

11. Close Gparted

12. Double-click on Install Linux Mint (on Desktop)

13. When you get to the install type screen, select "Something Else" (bottom option)

14. Select sda8 then click on the Change button

15. In the box that opens, change the "Use As" field from "do not use this partition" to ext4

16. Check "Format the Partition"

17. Set "Mount Point" to /home

18. Click OK

19. Select sda6 then click on the Change button

20. In the box that opens, change the "Use As" field from "do not use this partition" to ext4

21. DO NOT Check "Format the Partition"

22. Set "Mount Point" to /

23. Click OK

24. Click on "Install Now" button.

Several warnings may appear, OK to all.

[phd21]

Hi Trevanion,

Welcome to the wonderful world of Linux Mint and its excellent forum!

I just read your post and the good replies to it. Here are my thoughts on this as well.

This is a common scenario once people coming from MS Windows have been using Linux Mint and realize they can do pretty much everything they used to do in MS Windows in Linux Mint.

One relatively easy method is to install "Aptik" and make a backup to an external USB drive which can backup all your customizations and your entire Home folder. Then, just re-install Linux Mint which only takes about 16 minutes or less with the "use entire drive - erase" option which is usually the first option, to the correct drive (recommend using the same user name during the install), then install Aptik and restore your Aptik backup, and restart your computer.

Backup and Restore Ubuntu Applications using Aptik
https://vitux.com/backup-and-restore-ub ... ing-aptik/

Aptik v18.5.2 - Tony George - Medium
https://medium.com/@teejeetech/aptik-v1 ... 635a66490a

The link below describes how I did this without having to re-install Linux Mint.
Partition Questions Re-Partitioning <Solved> - Linux Mint Forums
viewtopic.php?f=46&t=198126&hilit=minitool

Hope this helps ...

[Trevanion]

Well, things could have gone better.

I followed Larry's steps, via booting from the original Linux installation usb and the use of Gparted. After completing all of the steps (and perhaps this is where I went wrong?), I then did a restart (via a Linux GUI command for such with the original boot usb still inserted).

After ten seconds that yielded the a**hole blue screen saying that "Your PC/Device needs to be repaired. A required device isn't connected or can't be connected." There was an error code of x0000225, followed by always recognizable Redmondesque passive-aggressive tone of "You'll need to use recovery tools."

The same screen offered up the use of "enter" or "F1 Recovery" or "F8 for Startup Settings" or "Esc for UEFI firmware settings." None of those keys were responsive.

I removed the original Linux installation USB and then restarted and with F9 got the two options options of OS boot UEFI - Windows or OS boot Manager Unbuntu. The latter took me to another blue screen saying "You are in emergency mode."

So I restarted again and with F9 got it to boot off the original Linux installation USB. And from there went on to do an install that involved a clean wipe.

In any event, I understand these things happen, so I remain grateful for the advice given and will continue to rely on this forum, no doubt coming back with an additional question or two.

[Larry78723]

Sorry that you had problems but glad you got it straightened out. Feel free to come back and ask any questions you might have.

Larry

[pbear]

... went on to do an install that involved a clean wipe.

If it's any consolation, that's what I would have recommended had I seen the additional information about your partitions. There simply wasn't enough value tied up in the old one to make it worth preserving. Before you get too invested in the new one, please post the output of lsblk -po +LABEL.

[pbear]

Sorry that you had problems

FWIW, what I would have recommended if the OP insisted on not reinstalling is (i) delete the Windows partitions in one pass, then (ii) move root, (iii) expand root to 30 GB, (iv) move swap (right-click and swapoff first, as the live session will be using), (v) move sda8, then expand to use the remaining space, and (vi) modify fstab to make it a home partition. That's "quick and dirty," but you get the idea.