Installation Partition Issue

English Install/Boot/Login
1

I am beginning the process of migrating to Opensuse 13.1 from Mint 12. My computer is dual boot, currently with Windows 7 and Mint. I began the installation process but aborted it due to the recommendations made by Opensuse’s installation program, which are as follows:

  • Delete partition /dev/sda1 (100.00 MB)
  • Delete Windows partition /dev/sda2 (82.25 GB). Resize impossible due to inconsistent file system. Try checking file system under Windows.
  • Delete partition /dev/sda3 (209.89 GB)
  • Delete partition /dev/sda5 (201.97 GB)
  • Delete partition /dev/sda6 (7.92 GB)
  • Create root volume /dev/sda1 (20.00 GB) with ext4
  • Create volume /dev/sda2 (272.23 GB) for /home with ext4
  • Use /dev/sda4 as swap

Obviously, I do not want to delete Windows. I have checked my system using gparted, which has the following, which is shown in the same order as it appears in gparted:

Partition / File System / Mount Point / Label / Size
/dev/sda1 / ntfs / System Reserved / 100.00 MiB
/dev/sda2 / ntfs / 82.2 GiB
/ /dev/sda3 / extended / 209.898 GiB
**/dev/sda5 / ext4 / [root “/” shown] 201.97 GiB
**/dev/sda6 / linux-swap / 7.92 GiB
/dev/sda4 / linux-swap / 5.86 GiB

I note that sda5 and sda6 appear to be within sda3 while sda4 is separate from sda3, which is why I show a down arrow before sda3 and indents (shown as “**”) for sda5 and sda6. I am not quite sure how I ended up with two swap partitions. As noted, sda5 contains both root and home.

My guess is to delete sda3 (including sda5 and sda6) and sda4, then set up a root partition, home partition and swap partition. However, I am not sure of the process or the sizes to devote to each partition. I have done this successfully previously in Arch (where installation is done manually), but that was some time ago, so I am not wholly a newbie to the partition process but am, nonetheless, not quite sure of the process. My guess is that root should have at least 25 GiB (which is what is used in Arch), home should get the rest of the space, except for maybe 2 GiB for swap. I am not sure how the partition will be set, so far as labeling although I assume it will be sda4 for root, sda5 for home and sda6 for swap. I assume that I would mark sda4 (i.e., the root partition) as the mount point.

Also, I am not sure what to make of the comment in Suse’s proposed partition plan that reads: “/dev/sda2 (82.25 GB). Resize impossible due to inconsistent file system. Try checking file system under Windows.” I rarely use the Windows side but, when I do, everything is ok with it. I have no interest in resizing anything unless it is really necessary and I have interest in scrubbing the entire drive…

Any help on any of getting opensue properly installed, dual boot with Windows 7, would be appreciated.

2

That is just an automated suggestion you don’t have to accept it. You can create the partition scheme you want . But if you are fearful go into windows and free up the space you want to devote to openSUSE ie delete and re-size as you would like. The installer will then use the free space you provide. You provide no free space originally and the installer has no way to read your mind on what you want to do. Also be sure that you have shut down Windows properly since the installer is saying the MS file system is inconsistent. So it has either not been shut down correctly or needs to be defraged

3

Please post a copy the results your fdisk -l between CODE# markers.

Found suits self with openSUSE to keep within my 500 GB Hard Drive two sets, first the current then the previous version to full back to.

Use for swap around 2 GB for / root partitions usually allocate around 20 GB, with larger separate partitions for /home and other storage.

 
linux-30s5:~ # **fdisk -l**

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500103634432 bytes, 976764911 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk label type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1            2048    20965375    10481664   83  Linux
/dev/sda2        20965376    63119359    21076992   83  Linux
/dev/sda3   *    63119360   105482239    21181440   83  Linux
/dev/sda4               1           1           0+  ee  GPT

Partition table entries are not in disk order
linux-30s5:~ #

NOTE am finding above incorrect results from **fdisk -l **so view my partition from using gdisk below

NOTE my xxxx replaces actual identifiers, for possible security limitations (?)


linux-30s5:~ # **gdisk /dev/sda**
GPT fdisk (gdisk) version 0.8.7

Partition table scan:
  **MBR: hybrid**
  BSD: not present
  APM: not present
  **GPT: present**

Found valid GPT with hybrid MBR; using GPT.

Command (? for help): ?
b    back up GPT data to a file
c    change a partition's name
d    delete a partition
i    show detailed information on a partition
l    list known partition types
n    add a new partition
o    create a new empty GUID partition table (GPT)
p    print the partition table
q    quit without saving changes
r    recovery and transformation options (experts only)
s    sort partitions
t    change a partition's type code
v    verify disk
w    write table to disk and exit
x    extra functionality (experts only)
?    print this menu

Command (? for help): **p**
Disk /dev/sda: 976764911 sectors, 465.8 GiB
Logical sector size: 512 bytes
Disk identifier (GUID): C689Axxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
Partition table holds up to 128 entries
First usable sector is 34, last usable sector is 976764877
Partitions will be aligned on 2048-sector boundaries
Total free space is 4012 sectors (2.0 MiB)

Number  Start (sector)    End (sector)  Size       Code  Name
   1            2048        20965375   10.0 GiB    0700  primary
   2        20965376        63119359   20.1 GiB    0700  primary
   3        63119360       105482239   20.2 GiB    EF00  primary
   4       105482240       420259839   150.1 GiB   0700  primary
   5       420259840       735246335   150.2 GiB   0700  primary
   6       735246336       944959487   100.0 GiB   0700  primary
   7       944959488       976762879   15.2 GiB    0700  primary

Command (? for help): **q**
linux-30s5:~ #
4

If you hibernate when you exit Windows, the file system will show as corrupt.

I would recommend a “CHKDSK /F” on Windows, and a clean shutdown.

I’m not sure if Windows 7 has “fast boot”. If it does, turn that off. Windows 8 has that, and it silently hibernates leaving the file system in an apparently corrupt condition (because some of the essential information is in the hibernation file instead of in file system structures).

5

Please post a copy the results your fdisk -l between CODE# markers.

Thanks for the suggestion. Here are my results:

sudo fdisk -l
[sudo] password for neal: 

Disk /dev/sda: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders, total 625142448 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00030620

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *        2048      206847      102400    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2          206848   172689407    86241280    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3       172691454   612853759   220081153    5  Extended
/dev/sda4       612853760   625141759     6144000   82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda5       172691456   596246527   211777536   83  Linux
/dev/sda6       596248576   612853759     8302592   82  Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sdb: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders, total 625142448 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xf778ca22

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1            2048   625141759   312569856    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
6

On 2013-11-29 23:46, nef131 wrote:
>
> I am beginning the process of migrating to Opensuse 13.1 from Mint 12.
> My computer is dual boot, currently with Windows 7 and Mint. I began the
> installation process but aborted it due to the recommendations made by
> Opensuse’s installation program, which are as follows:

So your previous Mint can be overwritten.

> - Delete partition /dev/sda1 (100.00 MB)
> - Delete Windows partition /dev/sda2 (82.25 GB). Resize impossible
> due to inconsistent file system. Try checking file system under
> Windows.

Just do it. Not for resizing, but because that way Linux should be able
to mount it.

>
> Obviously, I do not want to delete Windows. I have checked my system
> using gparted, which has the following, which is shown in the same order
> as it appears in gparted:

Better to use code tags to write these things.


> *Partition /  File  System / Mount Point /     Label  /   Size*
> /dev/sda1 /    ntfs / System Reserved / 100.00 MiB
> /dev/sda2  /   ntfs / 82.2 GiB
> \/ /dev/sda3 / extended / 209.898 GiB
> **/dev/sda5 /  ext4                 /  [root "/" shown] 201.97 GiB
> **/dev/sda6 /  linux-swap / 7.92 GiB
> /dev/sda4 / linux-swap / 5.86 GiB

So, you can destroy sda3, 4, 5, and 6, and let the system do a new
proposal on that space.

Steps.

In installation mode, unselect “automatic”.

When you get to the partitioning dialogs, press “create partition
setup”. Then select the disk you want to use (not custom partitioning).
You arrive to a list of partitions that you can select or not with
tickboxes: just tick sda3, 4, 5, and 6, and click next. You will have a
new proposal that erases just those partitions, and will leave alone
sda1 and 2.

Just what you want :slight_smile:

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)

7

Thank you. This seems like a good proposal and I shall follow it.

8

Select when asked, to create separate / root and** /home** partitions and the swap partition which with linux can be within extended partition.

9

From your first post I get the idea that you do not realy feel at home with partitions (primary, extended, logical ones). This might help you: SDB:Basics of partitions, filesystems, mount points - openSUSE

Also, as a general remark, the installer tries to use free space on the disk when it is available. Free space meaning: no partitions assigned. That means that it is best to remove all partitions from the disk that you do not need before starting the installation. For people that want to keep their Windows system and multi-boot, that would mean to keep only the partitions needed for running that Windows system. Then the installer will first and foremost try to cope with the non-assignend space. Thus partitioning before installing is mostly not a good idea (the installer will se no free space, it is not clairvoyant and cann not detect those partitions are not in use for anything usefull). It can be done however when you are prepared to go into the partitioner at install time to exectly tell the installer to use your pre-aranged partitions and how and for what.

10

On 2013-11-30 11:06, hcvv wrote:

> Also, as a general remark, the installer tries to use free space on the
> disk when it is available. Free space meaning: no partitions assigned.
> That means that it is best to remove all partitions from the disk that
> you do not need before starting the installation.

If you read my post, you will see that I describe a section in the
installer where you can select exactly which partitions to delete and
use, and then the installer makes a proposal. I forgot to take a photo.

I mention this because I do not remember seeing this section before, I
do not know if it is new with 13.1 or older. But I find it very useful.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)

11

It is not that I feel wholly uncomfortable with partitions per se but, instead, that I am rather unfamiliar with Opensuse and was rather astonished about its suggestions. That made me think that there might somehow be something odd going on related particularly to Opensuse and/or my computer and/or my Windows partitions which could impact on a computer which needs to be fully functional from day one. I might also note that I was a bit freaked out that I had more than one swap partition on a computer on which I had never even touched the partitions - having, after building the computer with my son in 2012, installed, first Windows and then Mint, which set up the Linux partitions automatically. I would say that my discomfort, to the extent that is an accurate way to speak about the matter, comes from the fact that I do not install OS’s on a daily basis and, as such, prefer to be as careful as possible so as to get things right the first time.

The last time I partitioned a drive was when I installed Arch on a rather dated computer, as a project with my son. Arch, I trust you know, makes no recommendations about anything. It is strictly step by step command line, with each piece of the OS having to be individually installed, such that not only do you partition by command line but you also have to set up all of the mounting process by command line, and install X by command line, and any changes to keyboard and the date by command line and the DE and the DE manager, all by command line, etc., etc. - and all a royal pain in the neck but one which makes you at least modestly familiar with the various processes but, more importantly, one which makes you prepare fully, beforehand, before you act so that everything will go right. Otherwise, at least with Arch, you can expect to pay for your mistake with hours of extra work for the simplest little, stupid thing.

By the way, I re-booted my computer and started the process again but it had a different recommendation, namely, that I shrink the Windows partition. Neither the version posted above nor the more recent version of it seems very well considered to me although, at least, there was no suggestion, the second time around, to scrub Windows. I thus wonder why the suggestions are made instead of initially just asking, as Mint and Ubuntu do, what you want to accomplish.

I have temporarily held off on installing Opensuse while the repositories for Nvidia are finalized.

12

What do you suggest to ask in this case? You want to install openSUSE; there is no free space and there is no possibility to free up some space. The only way installation can proceed is by deleting some of existing partitions. Effectively the only possible question at this point would be “do you want to install openSUSE?” but you already started installation program which is good indication that you do want to install it :slight_smile:

13

On 2013-11-30 18:26, nef131 wrote:
> By the way, I re-booted my computer and started the process again but it
> had a different recommendation, namely, that I shrink the Windows
> partition.

Didn’t you try what I posted?

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)

14

Obviously, I want to install openSUSE.

So far as making space, that all depends on what the person who wants to install OpenSUSE hopes to accomplish. For example, I might want to replace Mint, Shrink the partition on which Mint is installed, replace Windows or, were there sufficient room, shrink its partition. There was certainly room to shrink the ext4 partition on which Mint is installed. On the other hand, the recommendation to shrink Windows made no sense on any theory that relates to my hard drive and even the most remote knowledge about how Windows works. Consider the size of the Windows partitions, which have only about 82 GiB’s in total. By contrast, Linux ext4 partition adds up to more than 202 GiB’s. If you shrink the Windows partition down much from 82 GiB’s, you end up with a useless OS, where there is no room to store much data. On the other hand, recommending the shrinkage of the ext4 partition would not alter the amount of data that can be stored without regard to which OS you are using. So, on the best case scenario, OpenSUSE’s recommendation to shrink Windows makes no sense. It only makes sense to shrink Windows if it is the only OS on the computer or the other partitions are simply too small to shrink.

My suggestion would be that, where the installer finds that there are existing OS’s on the machine, a menu type questionnaire appear, just before the partition page suggestions come up. This pre-recommendation page would ask whether you want to install OpenSUSE next to the existing OS’s, in place of an existing OS (and, if so, which OS), or something else (which, for this something else selection, would lead to the manual partition page directly). On my machine, that would mean that the menu type questionnaire would see that Windows and Mint are installed and I could then, if I want, indicate that I want to replace Mint or Windows or add OpenSUSE as an additional OS. Were that to occur, OpenSUSE could then go to something like its current recommendation page, but pre-armed with useful information so that its recommendations would have a greater chance of being useful. In short, my suggestion is to combine the best of what OpenSUSE’s installer and Ubuntu’s installer do. Ubuntu falls short after it asks really good preliminary questions. OpenSUSE does not ask the preliminary q uestions so its recommendations are not based on the best potentially available information. Moreover, it would make sense that the recommendation page also take into consideration the size of the partitions on the Windows side because shrinking Windows tends to be more problematic, all else being equal (and assuming that the goal is for Windows to continue being useful after OpenSUSE is installed), than shrinking a Linux side OS.

15

I have not yet tried your suggestion but definitely plan, as I remarked, to do so. In that I am still waiting for the Nvidia repository to be ready (something I thought would have been completed yesterday) before installing OpenSUSE, I thought that in the meanwhile I would poke around with the installation process. So, I rebooted the computer into live OpenSUSE again and looked to see if the same recommendation statement that my Windows partition could not be shrunk would repeat - which it did not. I would have installed OpenSUSE yesterday but the weird recommendation made me think further about the matter. That, and the fact that the Nvidia repository is still not ready although I assumed it would be done yesterday or today tells me to wait before proceeding.

Consider: there is a migration process when you install an OS. I have a huge amount of data from my old home partition. There is also a huge amount of software to reinstall and configure to my liking. That is many, many hours, if not days, of work, all after installing the OS. I have only so much time to deal with my computer hobby, so to speak. And, I need a working computer without too much down time. So, doing this all piecemeal is not a serious option for me.

I am, at this point, committed to a change. OpenSUSE seems to have good features. I like YaST, which is a vast improvement over the tools available in Ubuntu and Mint. OpenSUSE is truly elegant in design - although, to be frank, the live version is really rather buggy, but, in Virtualbox, it is somewhat more stable (although KDE, as always, has its bugs). I do not like Unity or Ubuntu’s new 9 month support for non-LTS releases. The 9 months support thing affects Mint as well. The currently updated LTS version of Ubuntu, 12.04.3, thinks I have two monitors when I have one, something I think will create problems - not to mention time to fix the problems - down the line if the installed version incorporates that error. The LTS version of Kubuntu only boots in using the nomodeset boot option and, even then, does not correctly recognize the resolution for my monitor. Mageia 3, which is, I think, the smoothest, least buggy OS I have ever tried in Virtualbox (although not as pretty as OpenSUSE, it is also quite beautiful) is only supported for about 6 more months. Arch is too much trouble to set up and, on top of that, it is famously subject to breaking during updates. OpenSUSE just came out and, apart from Dedoimedo, the reviews have been quite positive. Then again, most of what Dedoimedo has just written about OpenSUSE 13.1 fits my experience thus far. However, I do rather like it and assume that the bugs, which seem minor, compared to those with Ubuntu LTS, will be worked out.

16

AN installer can’t read your mind to see what you want you have to tell it/ The openSUSE is a very good installer but yo still need to tll it what to do and it can only suggest a limited number of thing when faced with a disk with no space available. Maybe you want to replace Windows and maybe you don’t? Do you want to reuse existing partition? Which ones what do you want on them? Do you want to delete some partitions and leave others and create a new partition scheme?? If so what is the new scheme?? You can do all of that but you need to tell it what you want, it can’t just guess. The best guess for a fully populated disk is to wipe it and start a new. You have to take some responsibility in the process. What you think is reasonable may not to me or someone else. So if the software can’t guess what you want tell it.

17

It doesn’t. That was introduced with Windows 8.

dayfinger

18

I agree with everything you write. But, please note, no installer should suggest shrinking a small Windows partition, because that makes no sense.

19

I think that is a good idea, and it would contribute in the quest for Linux on (many) more desktops. In order to do that, Linux needs to be able to install at user sites not inhabitated by technicians. That’s harder for Linux than for Microsoft, as Linux has not yet reached critical mass on the desktops (it sure has in other areas, though) and there are not many computers one can purchase that has Linux preinstalled. Linux cannot afford to take Microsoft’s approach on the desktop: Ignore the others. Consequently, at least for the time being, Linux need to integrate.

nef131’s approach would help in partitioning suggestions better suited to the user without reading minds. I haven’t seen what Ubuntu has to offer in this area, but if they have made an effort with this - and it works, why cannot openSUSE adapt that part? Isn’t that what open source and GNU is all about?

Myself, I have grown to like openSUSE’s expert partitioner. As I’ve done a lot of installations lately, its user interface is becoming second nature. However, I fear that I will become like the cow that forgot how it was to be a calf, because I also remember I thought the expert partitioner was tricky - and I did know partitioning well before even starting out with Linux. Part of its complexity is that it isn’t just a partitioning tool. It does file system selection, formatting and even configures automatic partition mounting. (No, I currently do not have a suggestion for how to improve on that. I find it very useful indeed. But it still is complex and demands knowledge - and that is nef131’s point, if I read him correctly).

If not more of the things like nef131 suggests in Linux is being implemented, I fear Liux is heading for a slow death as desktop OS goes. When I first started with openSUSE I though I was an old geezer among youngsters. Now I think I am maybe even average in age, although the member’s Linux experience level vary a lot. That probably also means the average age is gradually growing. Soon we will be extinct - and Linux will loose users in that process. Computer users of today aren’t like users of computers of yesterday. When I started out, that meant some level of programming. Today, the same generally means some level of gaming/playing. Microsoft has seen this. That’s why Windows 8 happened.

(This is starting to look like an entirely different topic. I do not mean to hijack this thread. I apologise for that. If anyone ignites on the idea, or some close derivate and start a thread in another forum - soapbox, perhaps? Please to post back and put a link here. I’m going to participate).

OK. I’ll end it with that here before I get carried away :shame:. Just my two cents. Until another thread…?

dayfinger

20

Thanks. You have my point correctly. I was not, however, endorsing Ubuntu’s approach, only noting that it does ask if you want to replace an OS or install alongside an OS. After that, not much in the way of suggestions for partitioning occurs.