Partitioning help needed

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#1

Hello. I am quite new to Linux. I’ve tried Ubuntu and Mandriva as Live CD’s, then i popped in OpenSuse and i immediately loved the interface. So i decided i’ll keep going with Opensuse.

I want to install this thing, but i need a little bit help. I actually did a few partitioning before, with NTFS. I know that i need some of my hard drive to be partitioned to Linux. I’ve looked at the partitioning section of the installer, and i kinda got baffled.

To make your thing easier, if there is a pictured tutorial kinda thing somewhere about partitioning in Opensuse installer, please link me there. If there’s no such thing, just help me out please.

I have 2 hard drives, one has two partitions, and the other one is obsolete. All of the partitions have important data in them. So i can’t format any. But they all have free space.

  1. So how many Linux partitions do i need ?
  2. How big should they be ?
  3. If i want to retrieve these partitions back to ntfs later, can i do that ? Can i do that inside Opensuse ?

Thank you.

#2

if you don’t have a working backup/restore solution then I or anyone would say that’s a priority before trying any new installs/resizing.

And your “obsolete” disk. Is that just the size you mean? And it is one of your important containers?

Suse could be happy even in <10Gb :slight_smile: It depends what you might want to have for data - big database, photos, music, video.

Q-1.
Basically 1, at least 10Gb and a swap 1Gb or maybe equal your RAM.
However it can be best to have 4 minimum giving each “breathing space” for their expanding needs.

Q-2.
swap 1Gb, a partition is needed unlike just a file in windows

/boot 100Mb -maybe, it holds startup files and can take different distros’ files also

/ 15Gb which is a “catch-all” root for the main system directories and temp

/home 15Gb+ as said above this will be your own data space and will have your browser cache, documents and maybe large virtualisation files if you want to try that.

These sizes would even work in an old 40Gb.

Q-3

You’re asking that if you resize them to make Linux partitions could they be resized/restored as ntfs. With the correct tool yes but, IMHO as they say, I would not do it with the openSuse installer or any other Linux installer. There is a bootable Linux rescue system with a partitioner GParted (you’d need to get the iso file and burn it to cd) which allegedly can resize any partitions. To bring in another acronym, YMMV (your mileage may vary). My mileage with it was short.

I’ll get abuse no doubt but I rely on a paid-for dedicated tool where disk setup is concerned - Acronis TrueImage.

I’ll leave that just now but the important point to establish, you could restore your setup now before any Linux installs?

#3

On 2010-07-03 22:36 GMT all names taken wrote:

> To make your thing easier, if there is a pictured tutorial kinda thing
> somewhere about partitioning in Opensuse installer, please link me
> there. If there’s no such thing, just help me out please.

There is a book, it comes with the DVD, and browsable somehwere, with
all sort of information for new and old users going to install openSUSE.

> 1. So how many Linux partitions do i need ?

Need: you can make do with one. The complete answer is not that simple.
skoco gave you good info.

> 2. How big should they be ?

Many answers.

> 3. If i want to retrieve these partitions back to ntfs later, can i do
> that ? Can i do that inside Opensuse ?

Rather not, you can not format a system partition from any running
system: you have to use another. You can reclaim those partitions from
windows, but you will have to have care with the bootloader: it is
replaced or changed when you install linux.

There are dedicated mini linux-distros specialized in disc
partitioning, recovery, or booting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_disk_cloning_software

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SystemRescueCD

http://www.supergrubdisk.org/

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” GM (Elessar))

#4

Welcome here!

I want to install this thing, but i need a little bit help. I actually did a few partitioning before, with NTFS. I know that i need some of my hard drive to be partitioned to Linux. I’ve looked at the partitioning section of the installer, and i kinda got baffled.

With the openSUSE partitioner, it can be confusing. Firstly it makes a guess at what it thinks it should do. examine that closely and proceed only if it is sugguesting right. You can define your own partition plan by selecting custom partition and then telling it ‘in-order’ what you want to do as in shrink partition x, make new partition of size part of free and assign it as root ‘/’, make additional as rest of free assign it as ‘swap’, when you are satified you may continue where it will show the list of actions to be done, it these also are fine go ahead.

Now with that said, it is very important to make sure you have backed up all data and other things before trying any low level routine such as partitioning.

To make your thing easier, if there is a pictured tutorial kinda thing somewhere about partitioning in Opensuse installer, please link me there. If there’s no such thing, just help me out please.

I have 2 hard drives, one has two partitions, and the other one is obsolete. All of the partitions have important data in them. So i can’t format any. But they all have free space.

  1. So how many Linux partitions do i need ?
  2. How big should they be ?
  3. If i want to retrieve these partitions back to ntfs later, can i do that ? Can i do that inside Opensuse ?

The way you set up your system can approach the infinite.
Q-1 How many are needed?
A-1 Minimum is 2, one for entire root tree, 1 for swap. Swap should be at least the size of RAM memory installed. I generally, recommend not trying to allocate less than 10GB for the Linux system cause at only 10GB and modest work load you may be cramped for space.

Q-2 How big should they be? See last statement
On one of my systems for example I have 160GB drive, Windows Vista has 21GB, openSUSE has 20GB as root tree, Windows then has 2 data NTFS shared with Linux of 80GB, Linux swap of 4GB, and finally remaining ~32GB for a /home.

Q-3 Can you resort back to NTFS?
As others have mentioned … yes just use any LiveCD and wipe the Linux partitions out as unallocated space and let Windose figure it out. Note the MBR will also need to be restored back to a Windose one.

#5

Hi, also a good read:

New User How To/FAQ (read only)

Look at the stickies…

Lenwolf