Accessing non-OS drive using Mint.

[linuxfriend]

Hi,
I wanted to try out Linux and installed Linux Mint on a USB.
During booting process I select USB from the menu and Mint just works.
As a developer I can not express the feeling of joy I had when it loaded the desktop. No less than magic
I have been using it for over a month now and the experience is very good to say the least.

Now I want to go to the next level of installing it on the HDD.
This is a classic case of having Windows already and dual boot.

My laptop has two partitions C and D.
C has Win8 on it and I have to stay with it, at least for a while, for the job purpose.
D has data on it like photos, music and anything and everything that a mortal would have.

The question I have is, if I install Mint along side Win8, will Mint be able to access the D drive?
Currently when I run it through the USB and try to write something onto D it's Read Only.

Appreciate any help.
Thanks in advance and take care.

 

[stan]

The question I have is, if I install Mint along side Win8, will Mint be able to access the D drive?

Yes, it can. It should be able to access it now. (See below)

Be careful that your C: drive has enough room for both operating systems. Mint will split this partition into two (so you'll have at least 3 total, possibly more, depending on circumstances). It's usually a good idea to run a full defrag on C: before you begin so it can maximize the free space for Linux. A full defrag can take a long time. Also be sure to make a good backup of anything important on both C: and D: drives in case things go badly. It happens sometimes, even with people more experienced than you.

Currently when I run it through the USB and try to write something onto D it's Read Only.

My suspicion is that Windows 8 (and Windows 10 also) does not shut down completely when you tell it to... instead it "hibernates" so that it will start faster. This definitely causes a read-only situation on C: but may be the reason for D: also. To test this, boot into Windows 8, and then choose restart, not shutdown, with your Mint USB plugged in... and boot into Mint from this restart. See if you can now read/write to the D: drive. Windows does not hibernate with a restart command. If this works, you can permanently disable the hibernation of Windows 8.

 

[linuxfriend]

Your suspicion is correct Stan. Disabling hibernation made it work.
Thank you for the help.

Regards & Take care.

 

[Alexzee]

After you install Linux Mint run this command in the terminal as root.

sudo update-grub

That way the next time your pc boots you will have the option to choose between Windows or Mint.

Enjoy!

 

[stan]

Disabling hibernation made it work.

I would suggest using this trick again when you go to install Linux Mint... or disable hibernation permanently before you begin. To disable permanently, follow Microsoft's instructions here.

 

[stan]

After you install Linux Mint run this command in the terminal as root.

sudo update-grub

Mint should do this when grub is installed. But it's a good command to know.

 

[Brickwizard]

My suspicion is that Windows 8 (and Windows 10 also) does not shut down completely when you tell it

Tell me about it, I found out the hard way when trying to fix daughters lappy