Ubuntu partions

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Crimsin_XIII

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I'm setting up a dual boot with windows 10 and Ubuntu. I already have windows installed on my 128gb ssd and my other stuff on my 1tb hdd. I have a 3rd 500gb HDD. That I am gonna use just for Ubuntu and I need help setting up the portions.

When I Google it I get so many different suggestions I can't decide what to do. So can someone give me a definitive answer. I am in school for software engineering computer programming which is what I will be using my Linux distro for.
 
Crimsin_XIII said:
I'm setting up a dual boot with windows 10 and Ubuntu. I already have windows installed on my 128gb ssd and my other stuff on my 1tb hdd. I have a 3rd 500gb HDD. That I am gonna use just for Ubuntu and I need help setting up the portions.

When I Google it I get so many different suggestions I can't decide what to do. So can someone give me a definitive answer. I am in school for software engineering computer programming which is what I will be using my Linux distro for.
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Disconnect ALL of your windows drives and leave the 500GB HDD connected. Then use the usb drive you created with the Ubuntu ISO and Rufus to install Ubuntu. Install it on the HDD and let it partition that drive automatically and you will be good to go. Reconnect your Windows drives and use the bios boot key to select which to start with at startup.

That is what I did on all 3 of my computers and it worked extremely well.
 
If you're going to be a software engineer, first learn to spell partitions correctly. Seriously. Secondly if this is your first install you can let Ubuntu do your partitions automatically. For most home users leaving everything to one partition is enough. For production servers many prefer to separate /boot /home etc as separate partitions to protect the system from running out of resources. Ubuntu setup will ask you how you want to set up your partitions but until you understand the basics, leave everything to default.
 
ManofGod said:
Disconnect ALL of your windows drives and leave the 500GB HDD connected. Then use the usb drive you created with the Ubuntu ISO and Rufus to install Ubuntu. Install it on the HDD and let it partition that drive automatically and you will be good to go. Reconnect your Windows drives and use the bios boot key to select which to start with at startup.

That is what I did on all 3 of my computers and it worked extremely well.
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This is cumbersome and unnecessary, Ubuntu will detect the Windows install automatically and install a grub boot loader which lets the user to choose between OSes on every boot. The only downside to using Grub is that Windows is not capable of handling a dual boot so any reinstall will erase the bootloader. But... it can be reinstalled. Personally I would not install Windows at all and use Windows as a virtual machine inside linux if it's needed.
 
Instead of learning on the first go with your physical disks, use VirtualBox to create a virtual machine that you can use to play around with installing and using Linux. That will give you the ability to bounce quickly back to your familiar Windows for support without leaving you high and dry. Once you become more comfortable with Linux and want a permanent installation, I would follow Boonie's advice and use the Grub bootloader to handle the OS choice at boot time. Make sure you have a thumb drive with the Windows 10 installer handy so you can use system restore if you ever want to get rid of the Grub loader.
 
Jonnycat99 said:
Instead of learning on the first go with your physical disks, use VirtualBox to create a virtual machine that you can use to play around with installing and using Linux. That will give you the ability to bounce quickly back to your familiar Windows for support without leaving you high and dry. Once you become more comfortable with Linux and want a permanent installation, I would follow Boonie's advice and use the Grub bootloader to handle the OS choice at boot time. Make sure you have a thumb drive with the Windows 10 installer handy so you can use system restore if you ever want to get rid of the Grub loader.
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Do not allow the grub boot loader to be the path to choosing which OS to boot. Windows 10 will install an update or feature update, overwrite your grub boot loader and you will have to fix it. The way I described to do it leaves both OSes alone and avoids any issues.
 
B00nie said:
This is cumbersome and unnecessary, Ubuntu will detect the Windows install automatically and install a grub boot loader which lets the user to choose between OSes on every boot. The only downside to using Grub is that Windows is not capable of handling a dual boot so any reinstall will erase the bootloader. But... it can be reinstalled. Personally I would not install Windows at all and use Windows as a virtual machine inside linux if it's needed.
Click to expand...

It is not cumbersome at all, it is very easy and fully avoids any issues going forward. To do otherwise is to guarantee issues in the future.
 
ManofGod said:
It is not cumbersome at all, it is very easy and fully avoids any issues going forward. To do otherwise is to guarantee issues in the future.
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The only issue is Windows 10 which is why it should be run as a virtual machine. Going through bios on every boot gets old very fast.
 
ManofGod said:
Do not allow the grub boot loader to be the path to choosing which OS to boot. Windows 10 will install an update or feature update, overwrite your grub boot loader and you will have to fix it.
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Nonsense, this has never happened to me on any of my computers, from now (Win10), and going back to the WinXP days. From BIOS to UEFI I have never had any trouble with Grub getting overwritten by Windows, and yes, this includes all of the Win10 "updates and feature updates".

It is still a good idea to keep a copy of Rescatux on hand though, for the same reason one should keep a copy of the Win10 installation media on hand.
 
Jonnycat99 said:
Nonsense, this has never happened to me on any of my computers, from now (Win10), and going back to the WinXP days. From BIOS to UEFI I have never had any trouble with Grub getting overwritten by Windows, and yes, this includes all of the Win10 "updates and feature updates".

It is still a good idea to keep a copy of Rescatux on hand though, for the same reason one should keep a copy of the Win10 installation media on hand.
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Hey, if you want to call it nonsense, that is entirely on you, no skin off my back. I offered advice that has worked solidly for me and as such, take it or leave it, it is not my computer so I have no skin in the game.
 
B00nie said:
The only issue is Windows 10 which is why it should be run as a virtual machine. Going through bios on every boot gets old very fast.
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He is not running his Windows 10 in a virtual machine and as such, would not work in this instance. My guess is he is also gaming on this machine of his and does not want to entirely switch over, at least at first.
 
ManofGod said:
He is not running his Windows 10 in a virtual machine and as such, would not work in this instance. My guess is he is also gaming on this machine of his and does not want to entirely switch over, at least at first.
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AH, gaming. Lost cause then. Although gaming on linux has evolved huge amounts nowadays. I just use a separate Windows computer for gaming and then use a better OS for a daily driver. I would never want to browse the internet using Windows.
 
B00nie said:
The only issue is Windows 10 which is why it should be run as a virtual machine. Going through bios on every boot gets old very fast.
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This isn't 1997. You can hit the boot menu by pressing f11 or f12 on boot. Let's you pick which drive to boot from. No different than choosing the OS to boot at a grub screen.

I've never done it like ManofGod stated, but I definitely like the idea and never considered it. I have had numerous issues where my grub becomes corrupted in the past though and I don't always have the time to fix it.. always my fault, though. Messing around or something.

Still, having them separate would make it easier to fix later on when things go wrong. Considering this guy is kinda new, there is a good chance it could happen.

Sorry OP, I'm not on my PC right now to give you a run down on the names and types of partitions. I would just let the installer figure it out for you.
 
Well GRUB is a hell of a lot easier to fix than EFI Windows. Boot from Live media, try Linux, install boot fix repo, run it, done. Most of the time anyway. Still safer to keep them isolated, so they don't bloody each other's noses.
 
vick1000 said:
Well GRUB is a hell of a lot easier to fix than EFI Windows. Boot from Live media, try Linux, install boot fix repo, run it, done. Most of the time anyway.
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I don't always have a live USB stick handy and only have the single machine, so if grub dies I generally have to repair it enough to use windows, or edit the /boot folder on the windows drive to get into windows and build a new EFI partition, neither or which are fast.

My fault for not being prepared, for sure.
 
auntjemima said:
I don't always have a live USB stick handy and only have the single machine, so if grub dies I generally have to repair it enough to use windows, or edit the /boot folder on the windows drive to get into windows and build a new EFI partition, neither or which are fast.

My fault for not being prepared, for sure.
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A Live USB and CD are part of my toolkit, so many rusty disks still out there dying.
 
vick1000 said:
As long as GRUB and the Win bootloader are not on the same drive, there should be no issue.
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Why would there be an issue? Install Windows, then install Grub. Grub then becomes the default bootloader and hands off control to whatever OS you choose (or have chosen) at boot time.

In over 10 years of doing it this way I have yet to run into a single problem.
 
Jonnycat99 said:
Why would there be an issue? Install Windows, then install Grub. Grub then becomes the default bootloader and hands off control to whatever OS you choose (or have chosen) at boot time.

In over 10 years of doing it this way I have yet to run into a single problem.
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There are reports of them not playing nicely on the same drive I believe, at least after EFI became a thing.
 
auntjemima said:
This isn't 1997. You can hit the boot menu by pressing f11 or f12 on boot. Let's you pick which drive to boot from. No different than choosing the OS to boot at a grub screen.

I've never done it like ManofGod stated, but I definitely like the idea and never considered it. I have had numerous issues where my grub becomes corrupted in the past though and I don't always have the time to fix it.. always my fault, though. Messing around or something.

Still, having them separate would make it easier to fix later on when things go wrong. Considering this guy is kinda new, there is a good chance it could happen.

Sorry OP, I'm not on my PC right now to give you a run down on the names and types of partitions. I would just let the installer figure it out for you.
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This isn't 1997. First of all, computers are not rebooted constantly for nothing. Second, many computers boot up so quickly that you have to be tapping that F-key instantly after starting the computer or you'll miss the menu. Not convenient at all. Running the other OS in a virtual machine is far more simple for the beginner user than dual booting.
 
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