Mint 18.3 Cinnamon Dual Boot Issues with Win7

[whazzupdoc]

O.K...I followed and it printed. So the L210 is A-OK. Now I've forgotten what it was that took us in this direction. How do we get back to dealing with the gobbs of space I'm dealing with on this Toshiba? It appears that TimeShift is backing up to the T-5...something we should make sure of since I am wanting to replace the HDD that contains the 18.3 O/S and don't want to lose any of all this hard-fought territory we've taken. I'll need to replace the existing HDD with the new internal SSD 1TB that's been shipped to me.

I know this must get confusing but let me restate this...it's important to separate the storage devices and not forget the existing internal 500GB internal SSD that right now is just sitting there. I think I've partitioned it but don't have a clue as to how sensibly I did that...i.e., how much space I allocated for each of the partition-types I selected. I am totally lost here and not knowing how to use what I've got.

My reason for buying the new internal SSD1TB was really that I wanted to get rid of the HDD and its' potential for crashing...plus I got a good deal on price. In the end though now I've got an awful lot of storage space and simply don't know what to do with it. I'm still learning Linux though and realize I may be overlooking things for the future that could possibly make me glad I've got all this storage space.

Doc

 

[wizardfromoz]

Now I've forgotten what it was that took us in this direction

Can't say as I blame you

It was so you can print a document I will start working on, today, that will give you instructions on what to do to that effect - getting the T5 set up, &c and can be used with either rig (desktop or laptop), focusing first on the Toshiba, which is set up with the T5.

I will add my guide here as an attachment, and it will be in .pdf format aka PDF. You may have seen these, if not an example featuring Arch Linux (not related to you and I, just an example) is here

https://media.readthedocs.org/pdf/eal/latest/eal.pdf

Now that example has a lot of white space, ours won't have that, to save on your printing

Our site's security software won't allow me to paste up Word Docs or Libre Office docs, but PDF is secure and will accept.

You could confirm for me that you use US Letter as a page size (we use A4 in Australia), and if so, I can write the document in that mode to be printer compatible.

One last bit of "homework": GParted.

This should be, or get installed, on both your Linuxes, but particularly the Toshiba for now.

You can check this in either of 2 ways

Via GUI (ie from the Desktop)

Go to Menu and start to type in

gparted

If it doesn't show, it's not installed yet.

Via Terminal

Type in both of the following just to see the differences (a # precedes a comment by me, not a command to be typed)

which gparted

# AND/OR

apt-cache policy gparted

My output looks like this



chris@SylviaCinnamon-WD ~ $ which gparted
/usr/sbin/gparted
chris@SylviaCinnamon-WD ~ $ apt-cache policy gparted
gparted:
Installed: 0.25.0-1
Candidate: 0.25.0-1
Version table:
*** 0.25.0-1 500
500 http://mirror.intergrid.com.au/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
chris@SylviaCinnamon-WD ~ $

With the first, it tells me it is installed, with the executable file being in /usr/sbin.

With the second, we also get the version number. If there was a more up-to-date version available, it would show in Candidate.

With the 500 and 100, 500 means I could install it from my download mirror (your mirror will be different) which is Australian.

The 100 means that it is actually installed.

If you need to install GParted:

Via GUI (ie from the Desktop)

You can use Synaptic Package Manager from Menu - Administration

or

The Software Center, as you did with the GDebi utility.

Via Terminal

Type and enter the following

sudo apt-get -y install gparted

We can use the -y option as Yes - when we are installing from our Repositories, because the packages held there are safe, tested and supported. It simply removes one step of Linux prompting us eg "Do you wish to install Y/n).

Once you have confirmed that GParted is installed on at least the Toshiba, we can look at the status of partitions on the Toshiba itself, and also the T5 to see how to organise it.

I will start on a short document on how to use GParted to find the information we need, and publish it here when completed. We can use that to test the printer part of the equation before we look at the Action Plan of what to do.

Wizard

 

[whazzupdoc]

Hi Chris,

Just a brief confirmation on a couple of your points. Paper size I use is 8 1/2" x 11.0"...I think that's your A4?

Next, I already had GParted installed. I downloaded it from the Software Mgr and used both it and Disks to do what I've already done...right or wrong.

Nevertheless tomorrow I'm going to attempt to follow your Terminal instructions. I've got to learn this stuff and really begin feeling comfortable with the commands and doing them right. I've got to get some sort of perspective.

You're really like someone special sent to me, Chris. This all means so much.
Doc

 

[wizardfromoz]

A quote from the internet

A4 paper measures in at 210mm by 297mm (8.26" by 11.69") whereas US Letter paper measures at 8.5" by 11" (215.9mm by 279.4mm).

So you'll be on US Letter and I'll accommodate that with my documents. Printers really get indigestion if you give them the wrong size

 

[whazzupdoc]

Just a heads-up...your Guide shows up as a .404 error. I'm now trying out the Terminal stuff.

 

[whazzupdoc]

Here's 2 shots I took. One is the result of the Terminal commands you showed to me. The other is what happened when I tried to open gparted from within my /usr/sbin. How do I give myself permission to do sudo type things from within this folder?

 

[whazzupdoc]

I guess a more basic question is...how do I make sure my admin privileges cover anything I want to do in Linux? i.e., when I attempted to use sudo commands before I had no problem. But here trying to open gparted from within sbin, I was denied???

 

[wizardfromoz]

G'day Dick, I am just not clear on how you were trying to run it, were you trying to double-click a file from inside your File Manager. Or trying to run it from Terminal, or what?

The correct way to run GParted is to choose it from your Start Menu (or load it onto your panel with other icons at bottom of screen), click that, enter your sudo password and away you go.

Have you tried that?

Chris

 

[whazzupdoc]

Hi Chris,

I was following your instructions on how to access gparted from Terminal commands (/usr/sbin/gparted). There I found the executable and tried to do so. I was only trying out ways to do things and thought that was what you wanted me to do.

Being much more familiar with the GUI means of reaching programs like gparted. That's how I would have done it and that's how I did it several months ago. However that doesn't mean I know what I'm really doing once I'm inside the program...or why I'm doing it maybe...well, I know I'm trying to partition drives but I don't have a game plan for doing that or how and what type of partitions I should consider.

Sorry...I didn't mean to further complicate things.
Doc

 

[wizardfromoz]

No mate ... don't fret . I have confused you a little with my Post at #82, where I said, in part

Via Terminal

Type in both of the following just to see the differences (a # precedes a comment by me, not a command to be typed)

Code:
which gparted

# AND/OR

apt-cache policy gparted
My output looks like this



chris@SylviaCinnamon-WD ~ $ which gparted
/usr/sbin/gparted
chris@SylviaCinnamon-WD ~ $ apt-cache policy gparted
gparted:
Installed: 0.25.0-1
Candidate: 0.25.0-1
Version table:
*** 0.25.0-1 500
500 http://mirror.intergrid.com.au/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
chris@SylviaCinnamon-WD ~ $

Software that is introduced to our Linux typically install an executable binary file in either of /usr/bin or /usr/sbin - gparted goes to the latter.

By showing my results for those 2 commands, I was showing 2 ways of determining that gparted was installed.

I did not mean for you to go, in Terminal, to /usr/sbin and try to launch GParted. That needs sudo or root privileges.

Being much more familiar with the GUI means of reaching programs like gparted.

... and we'll stick with that, wherever possible. The old "point and click" has its value.

So GParted from your Menu, or you can find it and right-click (if you know that on your touchpad) and choose "Add to Panel", and it will put an icon there.

Sorry...I didn't mean to further complicate things.

Not so ... I am off to work on this GParted doc.

Wiz

 

[whazzupdoc]

All is really clear to me in this post, Chris. I had assumed that the /usr/sbin was just one more way to get to gparted (maybe in some emergency). I've been continuing to read and now understand as well that messing with root privileges is not such a wise idea. But I'd still like to know about them...like su does give those privileges.

Doc

 

[wizardfromoz]

First part to using GParted for what is ahead is attached, formatted to US Letter for you - Landscape orientation, intended, allows for large picture size. But save it to your hard drive, so that you can view it and Zoom if necessary.

Cheers

Wizard

Edited - corrected attached document.

 

[whazzupdoc]

I don't have (can't afford) Adobe to handle .pdf files. I managed to get a landscape printout on Win7. Graphic was bad though. I'll try to do this on the Toshiba and see if things work any better there. Hopefully!
Thanks for the effort and extra mile, Chris!
Doc

 

[whazzupdoc]

O.K., I opened GParted and took 3 shots of the respective partitions. Sda is the HDD, Chris. Sdb is the 500GB internal SSD I had installed to replace the dvd drive. And the T5 is Sdc.

I've tried to open your 1st Report in Libre Office. i'm able to copy the link to a new doc, but no image. What am I doing wrong?

SCREENSHOT 1 - /DEV/SDA - TOSHIBA LAPTOP'S HARD DRIVE

SCREENSHOT 2 - /DEV/SDB - SAMSUNG 500 GB SSD - INTERNAL

SCREENSHOT 3 - /DEV/SDC - SAMSUNG T5 1TB SSD - EXTERNAL

 

[whazzupdoc]

What is optimum partitioning for the T5, Chris? At this point in time, what I want to be sure of is that anything related to my O/S (plus all my own data, files, pics, etc). is on the T5 and ready to be restored. I'm of the understanding that TimeShift only does certain types and another program called Aptik-GTK does oher types...but I don't understand how to set it up to be automatic, like TimeShift.

When I have the HDD replaced in a week or so, Iwant the tech to be able to restore everything to that new 1TB internal SSD. And if you can direct me as to how that new drive should be partitioned, I can have that done prior to the restoration.

 

[whazzupdoc]

Well, I ventured back into Aptik-GTK and it appears that TimeShift stores there on the 315GB partition of the HDD. Here's some shots.

 

[whazzupdoc]

Oh, I failed to agree with your assessment of reformatting T5. No problem as it appears to me TimeShift is backing up to it. Other than the used space, how to tell?

 

[wizardfromoz]

I don't have (can't afford) Adobe to handle .pdf files.

In Linux, you do not need it. You can right-click and Open With ... Viewer or Image Viewer.

I made a mistake in the guide where I mention Libre Office using 175% to view the screenshot better. I wrote the document in LO then exported it to PDF format, so that does not apply.

I have corrected and replaced the document.

In #94, where your screenshots of the 3 drives is, I have edited it to put some space between the shots, and captioned them for easy reference. You're getting good with the screenshots now, isn't modern technology grand?

When you post a screenshot, you can press Enter 3 - 4 times to place space between them, add a caption, &c.


WITH ALL THREE DRIVES' SCREENSHOTS REFER

You'll note the left-hand pane with each which shows device information.

We can lose that, by going to the Menu at top of GParted, choose View and uncheck the box Device Information, you'll see we instantly get more real estate on the right, showing.

That device information was good though, for showing us that the 500GB internal Samsung SSD is formatted to GPT, the others are MS-DOS. And you'll know where to find it if you need it.

We want to be able to see all headers from Partition on the left, to Flags on the right.

So we need a better view of the Toshiba Screenshot 1 and the T5 Screenshot 3, please.


APTIK

Forget Aptik for the time being, we can deal with that after we have the T5 &c sorted, either as a new Thread, or I can deal with it at my tutorial here

https://www.linux.org/threads/aptik-have-settings-will-travel.4529/


TIMESHIFT

If you have set up Timeshift properly, then you should be able to launch it and see a screen like this (fewer entries for yours, and maybe no descriptions.

If not, then you will only get a small window pop up featuring a Wizard, and referring to btrfs and rsync (rsync should be checked).

In either event, I'd like you to re-visit Timeshift - Settings - Location.

Revisit #21 on Page 2, or link direct from here

https://www.linux.org/threads/mint-18-3-cinnamon-dual-boot-issues-with-win7.18281/page-2#post-63383

If not a lot has changed, since then, other than the space consumed by snapshots, then you are actually backing up to the Toshiba, not the T5. That does not matter, for now, we'll get it sorted, when the T5 is formatted right.

Cheers for now

Wizard

 

[whazzupdoc]

You stated above that in Linux I don't need Adobe...just right-click on the .pdf andchoose Open w/Viewer or Image Viewer. I;m not given those options, Wiz.

 

[whazzupdoc]

O.K...re-did the Sda & Sdc + revisted TimeShift - Settings - Location.

Sda - GParted

T-5 - GParted- Sdc

TimeShift - Settings - Location

How's this?