I tried SuSE in a life setup and am much impressed.
I run Windows 7 (NTFS) on a laptop and want to install SuSE 12.2 in a multi-boot configuration with Windows. Question:
Is it feasible to attach an external hard disk and install SuSE on it, as well as using it to back up Windows, and then, perhaps, creating a Linux type partition on the C: (Windows) disk to back up SuSE?
I would much value your advice,
pe1800
Yes It is possible, but other things being equal I would recommend the live systems on the internal drive, and backup plus non-essential files on the external drive. Unless you have an eSATA or USB3 connection (or a lot of RAM), having the system files on a slow connection would impact performance.
BTW a MS “C: drive” is really the first available partition on the primary hard drive.
Yes, you can install and boot openSUSE from an External Hard Drive. On Your PC BIOS or UEFI setup, you must select the external boot drive to be first in boot order over your internal Windows drive. You must make sure to load generic boot code onto the external hard drive MBR as its boot sector will be blank. Right now I am suggesting you use a MBR configured disk setup over a GPT setup hard disk which works fine up to a 2.2 TB disk. Before you allow the installation to proceed, you must double check all boot and partitioning setup that all of openSUSE is being installed onto the external hard drive, that grub is being installed onto the external hard drive and that generic boot code is being installed onto the external hard drive MBR. After the initial file install is complete, but before configuration has been made, the openSUSE installer will reboot your PC, so the external hard disk needs to have already been designated as the first boot device before the installation begins. You might want to download, create and then boot from a LiveCD or LiveUSB device to confirm that openSUSE indeed works on your PC. You can go up to the point of allowing the installation to start, but aborting it so that you may ask about any portion of the installer setup you see. Even take pictures of the screen if need be before you allow the install to proceed. I have a blog on disk partitioning you can read here:
Formating and Partitioning Hard Disk During Install
Thank You,
PS because of openSUSE’s operation speed, normal operation is just as fast as any other installation type and the startup speed is not that slow. I like the external installation of openSUSE because it keeps Windows and openSUSE separate and they do not affect each other in any way. Unplug the external hard drive and the internal Windows one boots as normal.
Thank you. Not only was I unaware that an external drive is slower than an internal one…you have saved me approx $100 not having to buy an external drive.
My Windows 7 setup, incl everything, takes up about 75 GB, 145 GB is free. Was thinking of splitting off 80 - 90 GB from the C: partition (partition, you are absolutely right) for Linux. Now, should I do that - after running checkdisk and defrag - in Windows itself before SUSE installation or should I let the SUSE installer do it?
Thank you. I have to study in detail to make sure I fully understand your comments.
I would not be concerned about the speed of using an external hard drive. I surely would not spend money I do not have to buy an external hard drive but, there is an advantage to placing all of openSUSE on an external hard drive in a dual boot setup. The internal hard drive is unmodified and works normally when you remove the external hard drive or if you mess up the openSUSE install in some way. You have more of a chance of messing up both Windows and openSUSE when installing both on the same internal hard drive. In a Windows installation where you want to add in openSUSE to create a dual booting setup, one must consider just where are you going to install the three partitions openSUSE wants to create? Free space must be created some how. Please ask more questions if required.
Thank You,
Please check my SUSE 12.2/Windows 7 coexistance installation plan.
I have tried SUSE Live and my laptop can handle it.
The present boot priority sequence is DVD drive, interior HD.
Steps:
Boot into Windows.
Connect exterior HD to USB 2.0 port.
Insert SUSE Installation DVD.
Restart.
Install SUSE on part of the exterior HD (500 GB, plenty of space there). Will that set up GRUB and MBR on the exterior HD?
When the system reboots, interrupt with PF12 and change sequence to DVD, exterior HD, interior HD.
You think that will work? If this setup turns out to be too slow, I can return the HD drive until March 29, and install SUSE on the interior HD, or perhaps upgrade my laptop to USB 3.0.
I am a mainframe programmer from way back, now retired, and this presents me with an interesting challenge as well as keeping me busy.
I look forward to and thank you for your comments.
Cheers,
pe1800
So if you can catch the reboot fast enough, but on the first restart, before the configuration has been done, your requested hard disk partition setup is complete, the grub2 bootloader has been installed and all openSUSE files have been installed. The PC restarts, boots from the DVD again, but the install DVD defaults to boot from the hard drive, taking the default boot as setup in your PC BIOS or UEFI setup. You would need to catch the restart before it boots from the DVD again, and redirect to your external hard drive. But you keep the DVD in the drive as its not exactly done with the DVD as it directs the configuration on how to proceed, apparently.
So imagine that instead, you plug in the USB hard drive, reboot, go into PC setup, and setup the Optical drive first, External USB Hard drive second and internal hard drive as third. If you unplug the External Hard drive, it will just be bypassed, something different from the way internal hard drives are setup. Once openSUSE boots, you can revert back to your original plan to restart, and then catch and redirect the boot if you so desire. Let me say there is no problem in taking up your Plan A above, except for a few sighs as you miss the exact moment and Windows goes ahead and starts. By the way, I would print out my original message here and perhaps the info on partitioning as well. You must point openSUSE to install totally on your external hard drive and if there is anything there, you may need to shrink it or delete it. One thing is for sure, I would go through all of the motions, record what you see and perhaps take close up pictures, then abort the install and come back here and ask some questions.
Let me say that many moons ago, openSUSE was the very first Linux distro I got to install on an external hard drive. I used a Norton Ghost backup to preserve my Windows setup because I did not understand what the openSUSE installer was trying to do and just what openSUSE really needed to work. Today, the concept of a LiveCD is pretty common, but not so back in 2005 when I did it first. Read my short BIO on my first successful openSUSE install onto an external hard drive:
I have been a SuSE user ever since version 10.0 came out in 2005 when I was first able to boot SuSE Linux from an external USB hard drive, connected to my work Dell laptop, without placing or modifying any files on my work PC. It was a goal that I worked on for weeks while stuck working out of town in a hotel room. I had many failures, which required me to restore my Windows XP copy over and over. But finally, success and it was so sweet.
The whole process is now simple to me and openSUSE has gotten a lot better as well, but its OK to not understand it all or to ask for help.
Thank You,
Hi,
Thank you again. Actually, catching my laptop when it (re)boots to get to the BIOS is not that hard. I have “practiced” it. When the screen displays TOSHIBA LOADING INNOVATION I hit PF12 and I am in the BIOS and can change the booting priority sequence. If I do that, after the initial installation, when it reboots for the second phase that would work, would it not?
Cheers,
pe1800
Yes it should work, if you do not catch it in time the install will either churn away at “boot from harddrive” or it will proceed like it is a new install. Either way you can disrupt it at this point by whatever means and try again. You know you have success when the install picks back up without the boot menu, I think.