This is my first experience with Linux. I recently created a new partition on my ssd and installed Mint so I could dual boot with Windows that also lives on the same drive. I really like Mint, but have already run into a lack of space on the partition. I would like to re-install Mint on its own ssd without messing up my dual boot ability. I am ok with wiping the first installation from the original drive and giving that space back to Windows. I don’t have any data that I need to save. Any advise?
You shouldn’t have any problems with a two disk setup. I’d say: It’s probably even the better and cleaner way.
You can still dual boot without problems.
Hello Mina,
So I assume that I willsimply delete the partition, which will get rid of the current installationof Mint. I am not sure what happens to the option to dual boot (bootloader?)at that point. Does deleting the partition remove the bootloader software?When I do a clean install of Mint on the new ssd, will it set up a new dualboot feature? Is it likely that some corruption will be inflicted onthe dual boot?
Sorry for so many questions.
You can delete the partition, this will not uninstall the bootloader.
If you want to do this, check out the following:
https://www.diskpart.com/articles/fix-mbr-command-prompt-7201.html
Once you install Mint on the new disk, it will either update the previously installed bootloader or install a new one.
This is really no big deal.
Thanks, I’ll give it a try.
@KCrane I do hope you understand that when you delete the linux partition from the Windows drive,
that Windows will no longer boot. You will have to restore Windows MBR by either using a backup or
booting windows with some sort of W10 boot media. You will have to use the command prompt and
use the bcdedit commands like bootrec /fixmbr to restore Windows MBR.
When installing linux on a separate drive and to keep from writing over the Windows MBR, then unplug
the Windows drrve and install linux and use the sudo update-grub command to put Windows in the
Grub boot menu. You may also have to edit your bios to make the linux drive the boot drive.
Hello,
Please be careful when you delete the Linux partition. Make sure that you can boot into boot manager first:
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@abhishek That may and mat not work, depending on how W10 is installed. I do not
boot W10 in UEFI, so I have to boot Windows and use the command prompt. Since
I keep an updated W10 system image I will wipe the whole drive and reinstall W10 from
the system image. Either way, @KCrane is going to be unable to boot W10 if the linux
uninstall is not done correctly. Unless @KCrane is sure of what he is doing then the smart thing to do is just leave it alone.
@KCrane could have installed linux in a VirtualBox VM first, to give Mint a try.
In my own experience when dual booting, always use two different drives if possible? That way you’ll know which is which and also W10 won’t try deleting your Linux Partition, as I’ve had happen before. Even though by default W10 cannot read ext4 drives, having it on the same drive can lead to W10 wanting more room and begin encroaching onto your Linux partition. My old Windows 7 dual boot done that very thing and really ticked me off. I have Icy Dock which is housing four separate SSD drives on my own Ryzen 5 2600 build, am able to hot swap SSD’s, as Icy Dock is front mountable, like a DVD drive. A lot of people were taking out their booted OS and wondering why it was crashing. I have all my SSD’s labelled with what they are. Since building this computer I have had no problems. So my best advice is always use a separate SSD or hard drive to dual boot W10 with.
@clatterfordslim …That is all true for an experienced linux user. Their is very little compatibility between
linux and windows, so if one just wants to try linux, unplug the windows drive and install linux on
another drive, or run linux in a VM. With the newer breed of cpu’s, I am not even sure if isolating the
windows drive is even advisable. Like you, I build my own PC, but it is built to run windows, and use
linux in a VM.
Answers to this kind of recurrent question always seem very complicated to me, even though I have done plenty of linux installations on the free repair-shop circuit. I guess many “ordinary” computer users will be reluctant to take the risk of losing access to Windows on their only machine, because they don’t feel confident about messing around with grub, MBR, bcdedit, etc. (see replies below).
Most people in this situation will want to be able to switch simply between the two OS and be able to pass files from one to the other.
In my opinion, the trouble is due to the fact that the BIOS/UEFI is still - after 40 years - effectively the property of a private company. We need legislation that ensures computers of a certain category are totally neutral regarding OS and the order in which they are installed. While remaining politically neutral, one might propose that politicians everywhere (including the European Union) seem to have been brought up to cultivate ignorance of anything to do with technology.
I am convinced, there is already plenty of regulation at work, yet it rarely works. At least in Europe. The USA is in some regards still the wild west it always was.
The best medication against wrongful behaviour from companies is by letting customers stop being customers. If you want a free bootloader, buy a computer that has e.g. coreboot pre-installed.