Duel Install Mint on Windows 7 partitioned drive

Vrai: I just realized last night/this am that I was really thinking about Mint 'Live'...I equate Life with Freedom and my brain got stuck using the wrong term. I've been writing and thinking 'Free' and it should be 'Live'...sorry for the confusion. This will be 5 wks this Sunday I've been focused on this bone, yet I've been thinking wrong from the get go.

Wizard: Thank you for the info and direction. I'll try those programs, yet if we get Mint installed it will be a moot point, which I'll still pursue. I will have to wait till next hispeed connection to do that, and I don't know when that may be. What do you think of indicating the 'sys' sda1 partition for the 'boot loader' selection at the bottom of the installation program, and '/root' in the sda3 'ext4', with sda 6 partition being designated '/boot? I was able to get Rufus from dial up!
 


Vrai: I just realized last night/this am that I was really thinking about Mint 'Live'...I equate Life with Freedom and my brain got stuck using the wrong term. I've been writing and thinking 'Free' and it should be 'Live'...sorry for the confusion. This will be 5 wks this Sunday I've been focused on this bone, yet I've been thinking wrong from the get go.
That is perfectly understandable. I just wanted to be sure we were all on the same page and talking about the same thing :)
Your patience and persistence is commendable! You will be a 'Linux Guru' by the time this is all hashed out.
 
Rufus appears to be awesome. Had to uncheck 'quick format' in order for rufus to download the missing 'idlinux.sys' and 'idlinus.bss' files, which it finally did automatically. Now hopefully between windows and easus partition master I can clean and clear the usb of previous attempts with unstbootin, which I've been trying to clear for days. Rufus is also wiping disk and testing device for bad blocks. Will let you know how it goes later in case I get kicked off dialup.
It didn't work. Trying again.
 
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I've tried several different approaches to get a viable usb with persisitence of Mint 18.3 and 19.3 using unetbootin, and rufus. Nothing is working.

I tried to get the wvdial configured as well. Can someone tell me how to edit the wvdial.conf file which is read only using the text editor or some other method, or updating or editing the file in terminal?
 
1. vicktoria do you want to get linux mint installed on that computer first?

if so, forget about the dialup.

2. if you want to test the dialup on a linux mint live usb you will either have to have a stick with persistence working, or else follow my instructions on how to get the needed files downloaded through windows 7, transfer them to a blank usb stick formatted to fat32 or ntfs, and then run a live session of mint and transfer the files to the mint stick and install them. this will work only for that one session to see if the gnome-ppp dialer detects and sets up your modem

3. do not use EaseUS Partition Master on the computer unless it supports EXT4 format.


What do you think of indicating the 'sys' sda1 partition for the 'boot loader' selection at the bottom of the installation program

NO - a it is too small, you need 100MB to 300MB - you will break your windows and linux install will fail


'/root' in the sda3 'ext4', with sda 6 partition being designated '/boot?

root will be ok in /dev/sda3 IF you let the installer do the partitioning. anything beyond 3 should be deleted

so what's it to be on 1, 2, and 3, vicktoria?

wizard
 
Absolutely Number 1. It has always been my goal to get Linux installed on my HD along side Windows 7. I'm sure the rest will follow, with the usb with persistence then being useful, only for using linux when away from my machine.

Yes, I understand there is no purpose to work wvdial without persistence, and I understand that when Mint is installed I will be able to connect through dial up.

Yes, I will not use EaseUs partition master. It is all I knew before this adventure and can't hold a candle next to GParted.

I await your instructions. Thank you for your efforts, as always.
 
i have a better idea than linux mint and that is to install mx-19.1 which has gnome-ppp and wvdial fully installed, also available in the live version

back in next 24

wizard
 
Thanks Wizard, will download it next hispeed connection. I was wondering if you have ever succeeded in getting someone to install a Linux program along side an already installed Windows 7? It seems like there are several people trying to install Linux along side their current windows systems...I was wondering if Windows 7 is particularly uncooperative, or if because Mint is so self-sufficient it was more challenging to figure out how to get them to mesh? My brain is just trying to understand the subtleties. I'm attempting hispeed tomorrow. Also, if the only reason to switch from Mint is the dial up issue, I did get wvdial installed, [must be already in Mint], and nano edited the conf file...it was just a persistence issue. So Mint will work once it is installed.
 
I was wondering if you have ever succeeded in getting someone to install a Linux program along side an already installed Windows 7? It seems like there are several people trying to install Linux along side their current windows systems...I was wondering if Windows 7 is particularly uncooperative,
I have never had a problem with it. I think in some ways a machine which came with Windows 7 installed as the default may be less problematic than newer machines.

The BIOS and/or hardware of certain manufacturers can be problematic. You will want to be sure 'Secure Boot' is turned off. I think I recall some manufacturers even put 'blocks' on the hard drive.
 
Thanks again for info. I don't think Win7 has 'Secure Boot, think that was 8 and up.' Haven't found that, and may have had conformation it does not have it, somewhere along this trail. My notes are volumous! Yes I'm reading that different bios can be a problem. I'm lucky in having things pretty basic I guess. I just don't understand why the installations aren't working. Will start from the beginning and rework this. St. Louis is or was an awesome town, and Kansas City Kansas wasn't bad.
 
I just don't understand why the installations aren't working.

a large part of that is because you have been putting esp flags in and they are not intended to be there.

esp is EFI System Partition and intended only for UEFI computers, not BIOS-MBR.

unless you have gotten rid of those flags, any install will fail.

i have asked you to get rid of them at least twice.

wizard
 
Here is an example of a wvdial configuration file:
Code:
The configuration file /etc/wvdial.conf is in Windows "ini" file format, with sections named in square brackets and a number of variable = value pairs within each section.

Here is a sample configuration file:

    [Dialer Defaults]
    Modem = /dev/ttyS2
    Baud = 57600
    Init = ATZ
    Init2 = AT S11=50
    Phone = 555-4242
    Username = apenwarr
    Password = my-password

    [Dialer phone2]
    Phone = 555-4243

    [Dialer shh]
    Init3 = ATM0

    [Dialer pulse]
    Dial Command = ATDP

I got this from an on-line version of the man pages at:
On-line man pages
 
Yes Wizard, I see that the EFI system partition does not work on MBR system. I did take them off as you asked, yet did not understand not to put them back when the installation process asked for it. I thought that the partitions just needed constructed in a certain manner and then it would work. Now I have what I assume you refer to as a brick. I tried following the 'How to install Ubuntu along side windows 10' link that you recommended. As you say...it didn't work, and now 'repair boot' does not boot, in order to repair the HD. The installation completed totally this time...for the first time ever. Yet upon reboot I'm stuck on the boot menu with only ubuntu showing, but does not boot upon hitting enter. Is there any remedy do you think? Thanks for your patience.

jglen: Thanks, I've got the config, I just can't get it saved, probably because no saving on Mint Live
 
Yet upon reboot I'm stuck on the boot menu with only ubuntu showing, but does not boot upon hitting enter.

1. do you mean ubuntu or linux mint?

2. how are you communicating with us at this point?

3. can you tell us exactly what the menu says? eg it may have at the top something like

GNU GRUB 2.03

followed by a line to enter the distro itself eg linux mint 19.3

and a line i am particularly interested in -

advanced options for linux mint 19.3

so let me know what it says

wizard
 
Hello Wizard...You didn't say 'I told you so'...certainly I deserve it! I'll try to be more clear and organized in my communication. I'm looking for my notes. I want to answer what i can in case I get booted from dial-up. I'm talking to you tonight finally from my back up xp machine from home and dial up. Had to reconstruct dial-up, this machine has not been on line for a decade. The menu said 'boot menu' I believe, and had 2 tabs 'Boot menu' and 'Applications' which contains only one page with manufacturers info...Phoenix, and address I think; and a second diagnostic page which checked cpu, memory and HDD which I ran and got not flags. The 'Boot' tab had '1. Ubuntu'. I took explicit notes. I'll find them and continue.
 
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Well, notes weren't as complete as I'd like. I did not write the title at the top of the window. Wait I can boot the machine again. The window on a black background shows two tabs
1. Boot Menu which contains '1. Ubuntu' and nothing else
2. Application Menu

There is a line of instructions at the bottom of the black space saying to use the arrows to move, hit [enter] to select, [esc] to exit, and [tab] to switch menus.

That's it and hitting [Enter] has no effect. Thanks soooo much for continuing to talk to me.
 
OK, if you still have your Linux Mint Live stick, all is not lost.

can you boot into that and using either of GNOME Disks ( which you used here) or GParted, tell us what it shows of the drive - /dev/sda1 to /dev/sda5 or whatever

wizard
 
also, what is the name of that astrology program you use?
 
Hello Wizard, The Astrology Program is Kepler.

I tried all the bootable fixes when it happened, and again just now. Nothing will boot. The usbs show their lights running in an attempt to boot, but no success. I tried Mint, Boot Repair, and Gparted. All with the same result. The Ubuntu boot menu comes up and nothing else can boot. I don't know if I told you that I tried the several Windows Repair Disk as well as System Restore disks from 2012-2014 and the last one from last month along with the external drive with the Repair and Restore images, without success. The disks in the optical drive tried to run, yet no results.

Do you think that putting in a new hard drive might make this machine usable as a linux machine? Do you think taking out the HD and putting it back in might get us back to a place to use this machine. I've built towers, from the box up. Never opened a laptop except to add memory, yet I'm up for new adventures. What say ye? I am most grateful for all of your help. I intend to be on hispeed tomorrow. It is my normal day in town. I think I may have this machine able to access hispeed, so that I can download things. I look forward to hearing from you, Thanks.
 

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