Duel Install Mint on Windows 7 partitioned drive

Vicktoria

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Firstly I would like to salute the Masters of the Forum for their excellent work. I live with dial-up and was unable to ask my questions due to the slow speed of my internet connection and inability to verify my registration. I'm at a friends sharing hispeed and can finally ask my latest question. I have spent a week reading and working to get Mint-Mate 18 to duel install along side Windows 7, in it's own partition, on my Fujitsu Lifebook 300GB laptop. I could not have succeeded without the forum, thank you all. I succeeded in making a bootable usb drive using BalenaEtcher after verifying the checksum. I partitioned the drive and now have 4 partitions: System, C, Mint, and Swap. I use Easeus partitioner to accomplish this. The system, C, and Swap partitions are NTFS and the Mint is ext3. When I attempt to install Mint to the Mint partition I get the message 'no root file system' and am prompted to correct in partition. The Mint system from the usb boot does function, although I couldn't succeed in getting connected to my dial-up. I'll try to connect later via wireless now that I have temporary access. Please assist me in getting this properly installed, and maybe giving some guidance in how to get the dial up to work, although that may not be an issue when installed to the partition.

I do have a tower with Kubuntu 4 on it. I've wanted to kick MS for years, yet I need my astrology program to function fully, and this is the only reason I am still stuck with windows currently. Thanks again for all your assistance. Vicktoria
 


I partitioned the drive and now have 4 partitions: System, C, Mint, and Swap. I use Easeus partitioner to accomplish this. The system, C, and Swap partitions are NTFS and the Mint is ext3. When I attempt to install Mint to the Mint partition I get the message 'no root file system' and am prompted to correct in partition
That is an *odd* partition scheme :/ but perhaps it is just the nomenclature used.
Nevertheless - it looks as though you may need to format the partition intended for the Linux Mint installation. Nowadays ext4 is generally used. GParted would be a very good tool for this. I don't know if Easeus can format the ext4 file system. Also - I don't know if the 'Swap' partition will work if formatted as NTFS. Generally it is just formatted as 'Swap' or Linux Swap.
 
I was just about to reformat the Mint partition to ext4. I assumed that since windows may need to access the swap that it needed to be ntfs. I will reformat both for ext4. Thanks. I am able to access internet from the Mint jump. So that is working. Do you think a dialer program will solve the dial-up connection issue? Thanks for your reply.
 
Do you think a dialer program will solve the dial-up connection issue?
That's really hard to say without more information - but Linux does have settings for dial-up modems.
 
I was just about to reformat the Mint partition to ext4. I assumed that since windows may need to access the swap that it needed to be ntfs. I will reformat both for ext4. Thanks. I am able to access internet from the Mint jump. So that is working. Do you think a dialer program will solve the dial-up connection issue? Thanks for your reply.
have you thought about any other options? for instance if you have a smart phone ,then you could turn that into a "hot spot" and connect to it by wifi from your pc to phone. It might even be as fast as a dial up.

I agree with @Vrai swap should be formatted to "swap" not NTFS and ext4 is the more modern of the ext2,ext3 file systems
 
Thank you for your thoughts. Unfortunately I have no smart phone and no access to wireless at home. But I really need assistance now. I finally got the jump drive to install Mint by selecting EFI for the intended Mint partition, to be mounted on /Boot with 4th partition set as Swap. Installation began and then there was a message that there was a crash because Grub2 was not placed in /target properly. Now when I try to access windows by shutting down linux and starting as normal it opens to the Bios and although I can select various options there, when I exit and save it does nothing. Just a lighted blue or black screen. The Mint Boot Jump does still function so far. I did go to terminal in Mint and enter 'sudo install Grub 2 and it said it did, and the Grub2 menu comes up when the jump boots which allows section of boot Mint, boot Mint in compatibility mode, etc. Please assist me in returning this machine to its starting point and succeeding in my duel boot intention. When I tried the install again the gpartitioned shows Windows ect still there Thank you for your assist.
 
i've been using slackware for so long i'm out of date with everything else but i do remember using "wvdial" with antix to connect ppp and all that stuff

"WvDial is a program that makes it easy to connect your Linux workstation
to the Internet via modem lines. It will automatically detect your modem, and it
can log into almost any Internet provider's server without any special
configuration."


you need a Mint expert for Mint /Windows install
 
Thanks a bunch, I'll make a note. Right now I'm in crisis mode since the install crashed and I can't boot windows now. Any ideas there?
 
Firstly I would like to salute the Masters of the Forum for their excellent work. I live with dial-up and was unable to ask my questions due to the slow speed of my internet connection and inability to verify my registration. I'm at a friends sharing hispeed and can finally ask my latest question. I have spent a week reading and working to get Mint-Mate 18 to duel install along side Windows 7, in it's own partition, on my Fujitsu Lifebook 300GB laptop. I could not have succeeded without the forum, thank you all. I succeeded in making a bootable usb drive using BalenaEtcher after verifying the checksum. I partitioned the drive and now have 4 partitions: System, C, Mint, and Swap. I use Easeus partitioner to accomplish this. The system, C, and Swap partitions are NTFS and the Mint is ext3. When I attempt to install Mint to the Mint partition I get the message 'no root file system' and am prompted to correct in partition. The Mint system from the usb boot does function, although I couldn't succeed in getting connected to my dial-up. I'll try to connect later via wireless now that I have temporary access. Please assist me in getting this properly installed, and maybe giving some guidance in how to get the dial up to work, although that may not be an issue when installed to the partition.

I do have a tower with Kubuntu 4 on it. I've wanted to kick MS for years, yet I need my astrology program to function fully, and this is the only reason I am still stuck with windows currently. Thanks again for all your assistance. Vicktoria


may i ask why you have dial up? is there no broadband/fibre available where you live???is it a rural area you live in???
 
Hello out there. I am new and so I hope this is how I continue expanding my quest to fix my issues. In my continued reading I wonder is my issue was caused by my partition configuration and wonder if Linux needs a separate EFI area to place the boot manager. BTW is that what MBR means? Boot Manager for Windows? If so, what is it likely to be labeled, and how would I get the grub on it. It seems to me like I can't access my windows because the crashed installation altered the original boot protocol. I'm wondering if I make another partition separatley for the EFI and another for Mint labled /home it may fix issue. Any thoughts?
 
Because I have no other option. I live in the country in the woods.
At least you have a connection thats the main thing. I used to have dial up a few years back i can stil remember the dial sounds my modem used to make. Hopefully you will get a connection out to your way. Have you ever looked into applying for a connection, get a few locals together get a petition signed and ask local representives to put a request forward for a fibre optic /faster connection
 
well boot loading and boot manager are the elements ; now mbr is the master boot record and is a relatively small space of from the top of my head something like 512 bytes and is at the start of a drive. Then uefi came into the equation and is on newer computers . i bought a Hp laptop a few months ago and it has uefi. Now in the case of using uefi a partition is used. The file type is EF00 from memory and the efi partition 100mb. See my partitions in image.


Then you also have boot managers in my case on slackware elilo (legacy was lilo) and GRUB.
 

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At least you have a connection thats the main thing. I used to have dial up a few years back i can stil remember the dial sounds my modem used to make. Hopefully you will get a connection out to your way. Have you ever looked into applying for a connection, get a few locals together get a petition signed and ask local representives to put a request forward for a fibre optic /faster connection
I just got notice that the county is evidently looking into, that thanks for tip.
 
now my PC came with Windows 10 and already had and used an EFI partition. in my case i mdae a mistake and wiped the whole drive including the efi partition. you can and i did set up a new efi partition. basically when installing the boot manager will write what it needs to to that efi partition
 
To Captain-Sensible Thank you soooo much for the clear and concise direction. I suspected this was the case or at least I understood part of it, and this helps me very much understand the structure I'm shooting for. So this says to me that I want to get the grub boot manager on the MBR which is probably labled 'sys' in my case. So, since all I have is gparted to interact with the partitions through the Mint usb drive, and/or the terminal, at which I am a novice, how do I accomplish getting the missing grub onto the MBR? Again I am so appreciative of the assist.
 
It seems I can't repartition just the sda3 partition on which I want to put Mint, which is suggesting that part of the Mint install already exists from the crashed install attempt. I've tried to repartition so that I could try making a small EFI partition on which the Mint boot might install. Any ideas or suggestions will be of interest.
 
Im only running on 3 cylinders due to events over last 13 days. Will try to pick up tomorrow.

probably you will need to remind me what windows version you have; is it still working/ running and can you get a screen shot of your partitons so we can see.
 
Im only running on 3 cylinders due to events over last 13 days. Will try to pick up tomorrow.

probably you will need to remind me what windows version you have; is it still working/ running and can you get a screen shot of your partitons so we can see.

hats off to people like you captain sensible who take the time to help others and off great advice even when you have issues of your own your still out there helping. :)
 

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