1 Topic by Onibubu

  • Onibubu
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Topic: New Computer, Partition Noob

Hi,
I will get a new computer soon.
I want to use Win7 for gaming and for my father (because he dont want to change to linux) but I will use Ubuntu for everything else (browsing ect).

So I want to have the the partitions like this.
Primary:
1: Win 7
2: Unix Swap
3: Unix root
Logical:
5: Unix Home
6: Win7 Data (My fathers personal Data, Programms and Games)

Problem is that if i make the partitions with Win7 (which will be the first installed OS on a dualboot base, as recommended by many people)
it will AUTOMATICALY make the first 3 partitions primary ones.
So if i make Win7 and Win7 Data i just can have 1 primary for unix root but non for the swap partition.

I thought i can make ALL partitions with Gparted and then just install Win 7 and Ubuntu on the respective partitions.
Is gparted able to make primary and logical partitions the way i like it?

Greetings Bubu

2 Reply by class413

  • class413
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Re: New Computer, Partition Noob

Hello Bubu.

GParted Livecd can make such a partition structure.
I am not aware of the install details for win7, but I think it must be possible to use some non-automatic partitioning scheme (I guess fully automatic would be to everything delete and take the entire hard drive).

Furthermore, I think that you have to make the partitions with the same order they appear in the hard drive space, especially for the logical partitions. Their structure in the interior of the extended partition is somehow complicated (there is no "partition table" as for the 4 primary partitions). This makes that some disk & partition tools can't understand logical partitions out of order, reporting error, unknown structures or empty partitions.

This operation has no risk for you, because the system is all new.

*** It is highly recommended to backup any important files before doing resize/move operations. ***

3 Reply by Allnsmth (edited by Allnsmth 2011-03-01 12:45:26)

  • Allnsmth
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Re: New Computer, Partition Noob

Hi,

Sometimes your hard disk is provided with an extra recovery partition provided by the computer manufacturer (generally hidden). Never delete this partition, unless you know what you are doing! Ordering new recovery CD's takes a long time and most of the time they are not for free!
The page about resizing the Windows partition in case there is a recovery partition describes how to start the recovery partition to install Windows on a newly partitioned hard disk.