I’d like to ask about cloning my current setup so that I can wipe Windows and utilize my hard disk more efficiently; I feel like 10GB is squeezing openSUSE just a bit since I’m already up to 70% usage. I’ve got a config that I like and would rather not have to do all that again.
Advice greatly appreciated!
On 2013-01-26 22:36, martylux wrote:
>
> I’d like to ask about cloning my current setup so that I can wipe
> Windows and utilize my hard disk more efficiently; I feel like 10GB is
> squeezing openSUSE just a bit since I’m already up to 70% usage. I’ve
> got a config that I like and would rather not have to do all that again.
>
> Advice greatly appreciated!
Assuming you are using the same disk, and you just remove Windows, you
can simply claim that partition for use by Linux as another partition,
for example for /usr. No need to reinstall.
For more exact recommendations you will have to display your partition
list (fdisk -l) and usage (fstab), and which partitions you can delete.
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 12.1 x86_64 “Asparagus” at Telcontar)
Although you can do as Carlos suggests and just “claim” your new space with a new and separate partition, it’s my experience that many want to keep using their existing partitions and folders, and don’t want to organize their data on a new partition.
Without listing the many pros and few cons keeping your partitions smaller, if you want to expand your partition I recommend
Do a complete and full backup first, using any program or type of backup you wish, can be cloning/imaging, can be file-based, just make sure it’s good.
Download and create a bootable CD running Gparted Live. When you boot to that LiveCD, you can extend (enlarge) your partitions into adjacent free space and move your partitions around if you wish… All without destroying the existing data in the partition.
HTH,
TSU
dhcppc0:/home/marty # fdisk -l
Disk /dev/sda: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders, total 488397168 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: 0x02b7e848
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 20386485 472008060 225810788 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2 * 2048 20385791 10191872 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 472008704 476231679 2111488 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda4 476231680 488396799 6082560 83 Linux
Partition table entries are not in disk order
Disk /dev/sdg: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 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: 0x000a4a58
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdg1 * 2048 65538047 32768000 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sdg2 483330048 976773119 246721536 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
dhcppc0:/home/marty #
dhcppc0:/home/marty # cat /etc/fstab
/dev/disk/by-id/ata-WDC_WD2500JS-00NCB1_WD-WCANKD616567-part3 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/disk/by-id/ata-WDC_WD2500JS-00NCB1_WD-WCANKD616567-part2 / ext4 acl,user_xattr 1 1
/dev/disk/by-id/ata-WDC_WD2500JS-00NCB1_WD-WCANKD616567-part4 /home ext4 acl,user_xattr 1 2
/dev/disk/by-id/ata-WDC_WD2500JS-00NCB1_WD-WCANKD616567-part1 /windows/C ntfs-3g users,gid=users,fmask=133,dmask=022,locale=en_US.UTF-8 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs noauto 0 0
debugfs /sys/kernel/debug debugfs noauto 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts mode=0620,gid=5 0 0
dhcppc0:/home/marty #
dhcppc0:/home/marty # df
Filesystem 1K-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on
rootfs 10031744 6649480 2872672 70% /
devtmpfs 1014308 36 1014272 1% /dev
tmpfs 1022304 1752 1020552 1% /dev/shm
tmpfs 1022304 676 1021628 1% /run
/dev/sda2 10031744 6649480 2872672 70% /
tmpfs 1022304 0 1022304 0% /sys/fs/cgroup
tmpfs 1022304 676 1021628 1% /var/run
tmpfs 1022304 676 1021628 1% /var/lock
tmpfs 1022304 0 1022304 0% /media
/dev/sda4 5986992 1228988 4453876 22% /home
/dev/sda1 225810784 81199516 144611268 36% /windows/C
/dev/sdg2 246721532 17051384 229670148 7% /media/NTFS
dhcppc0:/home/marty #
dhcppc0:/home/marty # free
total used free shared buffers cached
Mem: 2044608 1920012 124596 0 57008 1051164
-/+ buffers/cache: 811840 1232768
Swap: 2111484 16760 2094724
What I’d like to do is wipe the 250G hdd. This is a Gateway PC that has the system restore disk that creates the rescue partition. If I fdisk and start over creating partitions for my Linux first (root, swap, and user); maybe 20G, 5G and 20G respectively and then an NTFS partition of 100-150GB for Windows and the remainder as a storage partition. I have an outboard 500G usb hdd that I can use for moving/cloning etc. I would simply resize but the root partition limited because the first 10G stops where the Windows blocks begin so it wouldn’t be contiguous. Does that matter? Will the restore disk even let me do this or does it just fdisk and start all over by default?
Advise please…
You could do it in 3 steps
1 reduce size of sda1 (the windows partition)
2 move sda2 (Linux root) to new end of sda1
3 increase size of sda2 to fill free space to sda3
Note your home partition does not look any too big if you need to increase that just use the above idea to resize move resize as needed
PS
I’d use Windows to resize Windows partitions
Thanks, so do I use Gparted to move sda2? Does that not affect the boot process? Do I need to boot to an ‘external’ OS to move sda2? I can boot to a USB Puppy stick to use Gparted if that’s what’s required.
Thanks again.
I’d like to ask about cloning my current setup so that I can wipe Windows and utilize my hard disk more efficiently;
Clonezilla Clonezilla - Live Doc is one example, this and other cloning tools are on the Partedmagic liveCD downloads – Parted Magic as is Gparted, which can be used to move/resize your LInux partitions after cloning, and the deletion of windows.
Please inform me, I really don’t want to mess this up! I’ve shrink the Win partition; I’m ready to move the root partition. Do I boot from USB to run a partition editor and then create a new partition in the empty space? Then how do I move the root partition to it’s new location?
Also, how best to do a backup in case of failure?
Whether you delete the windows partition or resize it, you could
so do I use Gparted to move sda2?
yes.
Does that not affect the boot process?
If the bootloader needs repair or reinstalling we can show you how, just moving the root partition does not usually,
Do I need to boot to an ‘external’ OS to move sda2?
yes.
I highly recommend the cloning of the partitions or the complete disk, as you first asked about before attempting this.
Gparted also has a simple partition copy/paste function GParted – GParted Manual
Please inform me, I really don’t want to mess this up! I’ve shrink the Win partition; I’m ready to move the root partition. Do I boot from USB to run a partition editor and then create a new partition in the empty space? Then how do I move the root partition to it’s new location?
Also, how best to do a backup in case of failure?
I saw this after posting my last post, I think I have replied to most of what you ask above, just ignore the references to the options when deleting the windows partition as you have chosen to resize it.
Then how do I move the root partition to it’s new location?
This info is in the link to the manual posted earlier, there is a basic tutorial here Modify Your Partitions With GParted Without Losing Data | HowtoForge - Linux Howtos and Tutorials
Ok I’m back and it’s broken exactly as I suspected it would be. I’m running Puppy on sda3 (fresh install). I did manage to get Clonezilla to write my partitions back but I had to alter the file names as the partition number had changed. So now when I booted to my suse partition through grub it stops for a couple minutes when trying to initiate the swap file then displays "warning: using problematic uid=0 and gid!=0 then it dumps me to the console command prompt. I can see all my stuff when I browse from Puppy so I know you all can help me fix this. Right?
You had better start by showing us
fdisk -l
and explaining exactly what you did.
The description of your current situation does not line up with having followed the advice given on this thread.
linux:/home/linux # fdisk -l
Disk /dev/sda: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders, total 488397168 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: 0x02b7e848
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 20386485 365606260 172609888 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2 365606912 488396799 61394944 5 Extended
/dev/sda3 * 2048 20385791 10191872 83 Linux
/dev/sda5 365608960 418854911 26622976 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 418856960 434767871 7955456 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda7 434769920 488396799 26813440 83 Linux
Partition table entries are not in disk order
linux:/home/linux #
I would be surprised if anyone could follow two or three mutually exclusive sets of direction but in any case this is where things stand now.
I cloned then partitioned then restored.
Like I said, all my stuff is still there and the boot gets pretty far along so I optimistic!
Also, is there any recovery mode that can be accessed from the CD?
So on booting it hangs right after the message “read swap header failed.” I’m thinking this is related to fstab?
Problem solved; the fstab still pointed to the old partition settings.
Yea me! 
Thanks for the help and advice…
On 01/26/2013 10:53 PM, Carlos E. R. wrote:
> For more exact recommendations you will have to display your partition
> list (fdisk -l) and usage (fstab), and which partitions you can delete.
careful! he was asked to do this in his other active thread, and
therefore has trouble following directions
or
Message-ID: <jdmcdaniel3.5psmso@no-mx.forums.opensuse.org>
Newsgroups: opensuse.org.help.install-boot-login
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2013 21:16:03 GMT
Subject: Re: Garbled screen after switching user
–
dd
> For more exact recommendations you will have to display your partition
> list (fdisk -l) and usage (fstab), and which partitions you can delete.
careful! he was asked to do this in his other active thread, and
therefore has trouble following directions
I was asked and did so: https://forums.opensuse.org/english/get-technical-help-here/install-boot-login/482732-garbled-screen-after-switching-user.html#post2522278 So do you bother reading the posts or do you just troll around looking for someone to snark at? I’ve been polite and grateful for the help and advice while still hoping to use the experience of others to help me learn more about Linux in general and this OS in particular. After your “simpleton” crack regarding SUSE paste I just laughed it off. SUSE Paste
At this point I suggest you come to grips with whatever it is in your fragile ego that is causing you to have a “have a bad hair day.” …or life.
On Sun, 27 Jan 2013 14:16:08 +0000, martylux wrote:
>> > For more exact recommendations you will have to display your
>> > partition list (fdisk -l) and usage (fstab), and which partitions you
>> > can
>> delete.
>>
>> careful! he was asked to do this in his other active thread, and
>> therefore has trouble following directions I was asked and did so:
>> http://tinyurl.com/adkxkqz So do you bother
> reading the posts or do you just troll around looking for someone to
> snark at? I’ve been polite and grateful for the help and advice while
> still hoping to use the experience of others to help me learn more about
> Linux in general and this OS in particular. After your “simpleton” crack
> regarding SUSE paste I just laughed it off. ‘SUSE Paste’
> (http://susepaste.org/66778028)
> At this point I suggest you come to grips with whatever it is in your
> fragile ego that is causing you to have a “have a bad hair day.” …or
> life.
OK, everyone, that’s enough - let’s stop with the personal attacks and
focus on the issue.
Jim Henderson
openSUSE Forums Administrator
Forum Use Terms & Conditions at http://tinyurl.com/openSUSE-T-C
I should have read this post more carefully, as it explains what you did and why you did it.
To reply to this post and explain how this could have been achieved using Gparted (yes, I know this is far to late).
creating partitions for my Linux first (root, swap, and user);
I assume you meant root ( / ), /swap and /home.
I would simply resize but the root partition limited because the first 10G stops where the Windows blocks begin so it wouldn’t be contiguous.
After resizing the windows (sda1) partition to give the free space desired you would move that partition using Gparted to the right by the amount required, giving free space on either side of sda1, then resize your Linux root (sda2) to use the free space now available to it.
creating partitions for my Linux first (root, swap, and user); maybe 20G, 5G and 20G respectively and then an NTFS partition of 100-150GB for Windows and the remainder as a storage partition.
Because you already had 4 standard primary partitions one would have had to go, the logical choice would have been swap (sda3), so that would have been deleted and recreated as an extended primary. The swap, NTFS and storage partitions would have been created as logical partitions inside the extended (sda3)
Note that doing it this way you would still have needed to edit fstab, and although I have made changes like this many times and not had a problem with data loss, cloning the partitions is highly recommended before making changes to this extent.
The method you used is good, as long as you were totally confident your cloned images were good.
Problem solved; the fstab still pointed to the old partition settings.
Yea me!
Thanks for the help and advice…
I am very pleased to see that even with the misunderstandings you got the result you were looking for.