OS pile-on clean-up request

[mintage]

I would appreciate your help getting rid of the clonezilla image partitions without having to re-install OS's. I have a OS traffic accident on my new computer. The system came with Windows 10 that I need to keep. It has a 256GB SSD and a 1TB HDD. I tried to clonezilla the old dual boot computer onto the HDD but it just didn't work out very well. After a while, the old dual boot started failing - the old Windows 10 just shows a black screen with a pointer that I can move about, the Linux mint MATE 18.3 will only boot in recovery mode. I then set-up Linux Mint MATE 19.3 on the SSD.

If I remove the dual boot partions from the clonezilla image, will that also remove the GRUB?

My question is related to my concern that if I just reformat the partions containing the dual boot image from clonezilla on the HDD, that the GRUB will no longer exist to run the newer dual boot on the SSD. When I booted to the windows on the HDD, the C: drive was HDD, and booting the windows on the SSD, the C: drive was the SSD. So I imagine I'd want to know where the GRUB is before I erase the partitions on the HDD. My theory is that the GRUB is on the SSD because it then goes to the selected OS and that is where the disk C: naming occurs. But I would like to hear from the experts if you have any input.

[Moonstone Man]

My theory is that ...

Yet another XY problem.

I think you need to keep your theories out of the equation and clearly state what it is you are trying to achieve as the end goal. The output of lsblk (in </> code tags), and a screenshot of the partitions and drives from the disks tool will also go a long way to your getting the best level of support.

[mintage]

Goal: remove old dual boot system from HDD. Keep new dual boot on SSD, and timeshift partition on HDD (shards-of-time).

when logged in to SSD Tricia 19.3 lsblk provides:

Code: Select all

NAME        MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda           8:0    0   1.8T  0 disk 
├─sda1        8:1    0   260M  0 part 
├─sda2        8:2    0    16M  0 part 
├─sda3        8:3    0 509.5G  0 part 
├─sda4        8:4    0   980M  0 part 
├─sda5        8:5    0    12G  0 part 
├─sda6        8:6    0   192G  0 part 
├─sda7        8:7    0   7.9G  0 part [SWAP]
├─sda8        8:8    0 488.3G  0 part 
└─sda9        8:9    0  97.7G  0 part /media/root/shards-of-time
nvme0n1     259:0    0 238.5G  0 disk 
├─nvme0n1p1 259:1    0   260M  0 part /boot/efi
├─nvme0n1p2 259:2    0    16M  0 part 
├─nvme0n1p3 259:3    0  97.7G  0 part 
├─nvme0n1p4 259:4    0   980M  0 part 
├─nvme0n1p5 259:5    0  65.2G  0 part /
└─nvme0n1p6 259:6    0  74.4G  0 part /home

when logged into Mint 18.3 on HDD lsblk provides:

Code: Select all

NAME        MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
nvme0n1     259:0    0 238.5G  0 disk 
├─nvme0n1p5 259:5    0  65.2G  0 part 
├─nvme0n1p3 259:3    0  97.7G  0 part 
├─nvme0n1p1 259:1    0   260M  0 part 
├─nvme0n1p6 259:6    0  74.4G  0 part 
├─nvme0n1p4 259:4    0   980M  0 part 
└─nvme0n1p2 259:2    0    16M  0 part 
sda           8:0    0   1.8T  0 disk 
├─sda4        8:4    0   980M  0 part 
├─sda2        8:2    0    16M  0 part 
├─sda9        8:9    0  97.7G  0 part 
├─sda7        8:7    0   7.9G  0 part [SWAP]
├─sda5        8:5    0    12G  0 part 
├─sda3        8:3    0 509.5G  0 part 
├─sda1        8:1    0   260M  0 part /boot/efi
├─sda8        8:8    0 488.3G  0 part 
└─sda6        8:6    0   192G  0 part /

screenshot for SSD per Gparted

screenshot for HDD per Gparted

apologies for not using disks, it looked like the partitions would not be as well identified as Gparted when I was checking and I didn't notice the specification until after I searched for how to make an image and post it in the forum. If you have any pointers on posting images in a forum, I could use them. I hope this makes solving the problem of removing unneeded partitions on the HDD easier to solve.

[Moem]

You can attach images of up to 200 kb on this forum. An image that's cropped to the relevant application window will generally fit.
If your image is larger than that, convert it from .png to .jpg; Pix or Image Viewer will do that easily.

[mintage]

SSD partition

SSD-partitions.png

SSD partion

HDD partition HDD partition

HDD-partitions.png

[mintage]

when I delete the partions sda1 through sda7, will I still be able to boot my computer on nvme... partitions? partitions sda1 through sda7 comprise the totality of the clonezilla image that is now no longer functioning. I don't want to delete sda1 through sda7 using Gparted and not be able to use that drive or my computer anymore.

[mintage]

when I delete the partions sda1 through sda7, will I still be able to boot my computer on nvme... partitions? partitions sda1 through sda7 comprise the totality of the clonezilla image that is now no longer functioning. I don't want to delete sda1 through sda7 using Gparted and not be able to use that drive or my computer anymore.

It turns out that is exactly what happens. Now I have a computer that won't boot. It's like it can't find the grub/kernel linkage anymore. I used GParted to delete the non-functioning OS's from the HDD and ran sudo update-grub from Linux Mint on the SSD. I rebooted to a black screen that says something about using tab to complete or list commands and a little command line that starts with "grub>"
If only I could have communicated better. Now I need to know how to boot from the SSD that has the two OS's that were working fine. This is very depressing. I tried to ask about this and apparently didn't ask the right way.
I could use some help on this.