"Live CD" install wants to delete my Windows partitions :(

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Is there any way to create a dual boot system from the Live CD install option? When I went to perform an install, it told me it was going to delete my Windows partitions, which I definitely do not want.

Edit: I forgot to say, there are existing partitionis from an aborted Debian install. I’d be quite happy to use those for my SUSE install, as long as it would create some kind of boot menu to allow me to select running linux or windows (not sure what the SUSE boot manager is called)

2

So there has to be room (unpartitioned disk space) to install openSUSE. There is a limit to the number of directly bootable primary partitions (4) and there is the condition where the Grub 2 boot loader might need to be loaded into the MBR (Master Boot Record). There is added complications if the disk uses a GPD partition setup or it is a UEFI disk BIOS setup. In a simple world, you would have 40-50 GB of free disk space and only a couple of disk partitions openSUSE understands for use by Windows. openSUSE normally tries to make room for its self to be installed somehow. If you have anything more complicated, YOU must do a custom partition setup after you understand what is required to load openSUSE. Tell us EVERYTHING about your hard disk as to number of partitions, type of partitions, number of hard driver, what Operating System are there presently you can boot from and Finally, is there any free disk space? OpenSUSE can only install into Linux partition types and work, like EXT4 and will not work in a NTFS partition.

Thank You,

3

On 2012-10-04 22:36, cheesebiscuit wrote:
>
> Is there any way to create a dual boot system from the Live CD install
> option? When I went to perform an install, it told me it was going to
> delete my Windows partitions, which I definitely do not want.

If you have four primary partitions, you do have to delete one.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.1 x86_64 “Asparagus” at Telcontar)

4

Sure. I’m quite happy to wipe the aborted Debian installation.

If you have anything more complicated, YOU must do a custom partition setup after you understand what is required to load openSUSE. Tell us EVERYTHING about your hard disk as to number of partitions, type of partitions, number of hard driver, what Operating System are there presently you can boot from and Finally, is there any free disk space?

I havesda1 (NTFS, 199MB not totally sure what this is, it’s not the main Windows partition)
sda2 (NTFS, 220GB main Windows partition)
sda3 (NTFS, 17GB Windows recovery)
sda4 Extended partition
sda5 (Ext2, 50GB or so - Debian)
sda6 (Linux Swap)

GRUB is already installed (from and for the Debian installation).

5

On 2012-10-04 23:56, cheesebiscuit wrote:

> Sure. I’m quite happy to wipe the aborted Debian installation.

Ah, good.

> I have
> sda1 (NTFS, 199MB not totally sure what this is, it’s not
> the main Windows partition)
>
> sda2 (NTFS, 220GB main Windows partition)
> sda3 (NTFS, 17GB Windows recovery)
> sda4 Extended partition
> sda5 (Ext2, 50GB or so - Debian)
> sda6 (Linux Swap)

Then it is simple: remove sda5 and 6, and restart the installer. It will see that free space
and make a proposal.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.1 x86_64 “Asparagus” at Telcontar)

6

Boot From a openSUSE Live CD, run the YaST / System / Partitioner and do the following

sda1 (NTFS, 199MB not totally sure what this is, it's not the main Windows partition)
sda2 (NTFS, 220GB main Windows partition)
sda3 (NTFS, 17GB Windows recovery)
sda4 Extended partition
sda5 Delete
sda6 Delete

Reboot and now elect to install openSUSE and let it setup its own partitions in the free space. You need to tell openSUSE to install (reinstall) the Grub 2 boot loader into the MBR and not into the root partition and DO NOT install it into Extended Partition sda4. This will require a manual change in the booting section. Make sure to uncheck load MBR with generic booting code. I don’t think it works anyway, but placing Grub 2 into the MBR does not seem to uncheck the load the MBR with generic boot code. Here is what I would want to end up with.

sda MBR loaded with Grub 2
sda1 (NTFS, 199MB not totally sure what this is, it's not the main Windows partition)
sda2 (NTFS, 220GB main Windows partition)
sda3 (NTFS, 17GB Windows recovery)
sda4 Extended partition
sda5 SWAP (2-4 GB)
sda6 EXT4 / (20 GB)
sda7 EXT4 /home (26-28 GB)

Thank You,

7

Thanks :slight_smile: That was a really thorough explanation - especially since my followup question was going to be what sort of size I should allocate to my /home partition - and it’s much appreciated. I’ll give it a go this evening :slight_smile:

8

Good luck and come back and tell us of your success.

Thank You,

9

Luck wasn’t needed, I had good instructions :slight_smile: Thank you.

One confusing part was that selecting where to put GRUB was later on in the install process than setting up the partitions. In the end I just went with the flow and found it at the last stage where I was asked to confirm everything before any changes were made, so no biggie. Thanks once again! I is a happy biscuit :slight_smile:

10

I love to hear success stories. You are right in that Grub 2’s install location is set in the Booting Section and Not in the Partition Setup. It makes sense, but if you don’t install openSUSE all of the time, you are just not clear on the whole process.

Thank You,