Mint 18.3 Cinnamon Dual Boot Issues with Win7

Haven't forgotten you, Dick, had family matters to attend to.

Back on deck Friday my time.

Cheers

Chris
 


Hi Chris...and hey, you're the one that is doing the sacrificing and I wouldn't know where I would be on this project without your willingness to continue to help. I can wait!

Hope the family matters are not so severe they can't be resolved quickly. Thinking about you!

Doc
 
G'day Dick - gotta job for you, on Timeshift, before we move on to the T5 &c.

I'll show you you 3 pics, from my environment.


w3NF0zo.png


SCREENSHOT 1 - WIZ'S HOME ON A LINUX MINT


05PAbHz.png


SCREENSHOT 2 - WIZ'S HOME ... LET'S VIEW HIDDEN FILES AND FOLDERS!!


JC9A9TV.png


SCREENSHOT 3 - WIZ'S HOME FOLDER - HIDDEN FILES AND FOLDERS REVEALED



So, all I want you to do is to show me your equivalent of Screenshot Three. :)

Screenshot 1 is the standard most users see by default. 8 Folders/Directories, plus perhaps any added by themselves since install, and/or those added by introduced software.

Screenshot 2 - In Nemo File Manager, I can can click View - Show Hidden Files, or as the entry to the right shows, click Ctrl-h, and then enter, and Screenshot 3 view will appear.

This Ctrl-h or View - Show approach is known as a "toggle switch", once used, it is like a light switch in your home, it will stay on untill you switch it off, stay off until you switch it on.

I always leave it on.

So if you come up with a pic of yours, we'll go on. Yours will be a little different to mine, no worries.

Cheers

Wiz
Avagudweegend :D
 
O.K., here you go!

Doc
 

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Close but no cigar :)

Note in Screenshot 3 where my green highlight was, it was over Home, yours is on File System.

So repeat the exercise with Home, please.

Wiz
 
Sorry...my oversight.
Doc
 

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OK, that's fine, thanks Dick :)

If you still have your install USB stick for Linux Mint 18.3 handy, then how about for our next magic trick we blow away your Linux Mint install on the Toshiba, and then use Timeshift to re-install it?

Cheers

Wizard
 
Really sounds like a scary thing but this very step is what has scared me ever since I installed Macrium Reflect on the Win7...I've never done a restore before. I've got a Rufus with the 18.3. Will that work?

Tell me step by step what to do...including using the thumb drive with the 18.3 on it...and let's do it!
Doc
 
Will that work?

Yes.

Get a little practice with the stick first, on the Toshiba. Your startup utility (BIOS) will be available to you via one of the following keys - Esc, F2, F10, F12 or Delete.

Try it without the stick, first, to establish which key it is. Boot/reboot the Toshiba, and as soon as a "splash" screen or logo (might be Toshiba) appears, start tapping continuously one of those keys. Sometimes the computer will include which keys to press at the splash.

When you find which one it is, navigate to where it has boot (order) settings, and see if there is one for placing a USB ahead of the hard drive in the boot sequence.

F10 will usually save settings and exit, then reboot.

See how that is, first.

Wiz
 
Will that work?

Yes.

Get a little practice with the stick first, on the Toshiba. Your startup utility (BIOS) will be available to you via one of the following keys - Esc, F2, F10, F12 or Delete.

Try it without the stick, first, to establish which key it is. Boot/reboot the Toshiba, and as soon as a "splash" screen or logo (might be Toshiba) appears, start tapping continuously one of those keys. Sometimes the computer will include which keys to press at the splash.

When you find which one it is, navigate to where it has boot (order) settings, and see if there is one for placing a USB ahead of the hard drive in the boot sequence.

F10 will usually save settings and exit, then reboot.

See how that is, first.

Wiz
 
That was all spot-on, Wiz.
On the Toshiba, it's the F12 that brings you to the Boot Order. I did that and the F5/F6 are the up/down means of moving the existing USB T5 shows as the device so that'll have to be unplugged at the time of plugging in the 18.3 stick? Anyway, the USB slot right now is in the #1 Boot Order. F10 saves.
Doc
 
When I do the F10 (save) and it shuts down, it of course fails to Boot because it goes to the T5 and there's no O/S on it...only the Timeshift backups, if I'm understanding this. My guess is that when we insert the thumb drive with the 18.3 into the 2nd usb slot, both the T5 and the thumb drive will be seen on the Setup Screen and I'll need to put T5 in some other position?
Doc
 
Good work, so far, Dick :)

However, the tab or page in your BIOS I am thinking about is one where there is an "if, then" sequence, there may be a part you have not found yet.

The idea is that your computer will say, effectively, to itself:

"If there is a USB device, then try it first".

and

"If there is No USB device, then try the next one in line, which is the Toshiba HDD"

This list I refer to might also include an optical drive, such as CD/DVD drive.

So after the laptop looks at the T5 and finds there is no OS on it, it should next try the Toshiba, and then boot to your Linux.

You see, the idea we are looking at, in blowing away your OS and then using Timeshift to restore it, hinges upon our being able to access both of the USB install stick, AND the T5, where the Timeshift snapshot is stored. So both need to be plugged in at the same time.

But yes, your "My guess..." could be right on the money, so perhaps restore to the way it was, with the F5/F6 actions, then power down the machine, insert the stick and go back onto the BIOS and see.

In your own time, and well-rested.

Wiz
 
Hi Chris...

Under the F12 (Boot Menu) are the following options:

1. USB
2. HDD/SSD
3. CD/DVD (Recall unit this was replaced with the 500GB SSD)
4. FDD???
5. LAN

I fired it back up with a blank thumb drive and it comes of course to the USB because that's how I ordered these last night. But now when I click on the usb option I just get the blank screen with a blinking cursor in the upper left. So it is not automatically moving to the HDD/SSD. What do I need to do?...choose something from the F2?
Doc
 
In the Setup Utility...Boot are the same 5 options but with the blank thumb drive also inserted, it is not recognized as say 'Item 6. Item 1. is the USB Samsun Portable SSD T5.

On the far right under 'Item Specific Help' it clearly says to select the priority for booting the computer. I guess that means there is not auto selection by the Toshiba. Since it fails to see the blank thumb drive, I'm wondering if the physical usb slot selection on the notebook (where I've plugged in the T5 as opposed to where I've plugged in the blank usb plays a role in the online Boot only showing the T5?

I'm grasping Wiz.
Doc
 
O.K., I switched slots and while it did not change the Boot order, it now shows the FDD as "SMI USB DISK". So I can move this FDD (which will ultimately be the 18.3 thumb) into the #1 priority and move the USB T5 into 2nd priority. Will this work?
Doc
 
So I'll just keep on tinkering and yaaking since I can't take snapshots of what's going on.

It should have been apparent to me that neither the T5 nor the blank thumb drive will be recognized by the boot process sine neither contains the 18.3 (nor any other) bootable operating system. So when I insert the 18.3 thumb, it will do its' thing, I think...boot that O/S, but without manually moving from the #1 slot down to the T5, I'm uncertain as to how we'll access the most recent Timeshift backup (Feb 23).

Doc
 
Have you tried any of this yet with the USB drive containing the LM 18.3 placed in the port?

Wiz
 
No, we have not discussed using the actia; 18.3 thumb drive...yet. What will happen to the existing O/S on the Toshiba should I do that? We've yet to talk about any consequences. I have no problem shutting down, inserting the 18.3 and coming back up to Boot. I just want you to tell me what to do, Wiz.
Doc
 
What will happen to the existing O/S on the Toshiba should I do that?

Nothing adverse. :)

OK, just let me check if I have read the above correctly.

The F12 key provides a one-time Boot Sequence of choices numbering 1 to 5.

The F2 key provides access to your full Setup Utility, and included in that is a section where you can change the Boot Sequence using the F5 and F6 keys, moving entries up and down.

Is that so? Or have I got that arse-end about?

Wizard
 

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