Proper set up for SSD with Linux and HDD for files and media

fx9

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Hello all!

I got busy, but I'm ready to dump the Chromebook for good. I need help to set up my drives. I've searched, but haven't found a clear tutorial. If you could link to a page instead of having to take the time to walk me through it, I would be most grateful.

I'm really liking linux, but used mint basic setup and recommended partitions just to get to learning it. I didn't want to move files over before getting the drives sorted. I would like to know how best to partition the SSD for the OS, and how to set it up the HDD for file, media storage, Timeshift etc.

If it matters..

Dell 7472
128 GB SSD
1TB HDD
Mint

Thank you gents.
 


maybe start from looking at how its set up now. you can use gParted which has a drop down to select different drives, then take a screen shot.

From your booted up Mint at a terminal type:

Code:
mount

that will show how partitions are currently mounted eg on wifes laptop command ..

/dev/mmcblk0p2 on / type ext4 (rw,noatime)


so thats telling me /dev/mmcblk0p2 is mounted / , i.e root which i knew because i installed to that partition. What comes up with that command for you ,for instance for /home ?

it would be interesting to see which drive Mint chose to install to the ssd or the hd
 
128 GB SSD

That's adequate space to use it as the solitary drive and just manually save large files (and backups) to your larger drive.

Unless you're a heavy gamer. Modern games are often pretty large. If that's the case, you might just as well install straight to the larger drive.
 
With partitioning you can't go wrong with gparted.:)

You can use it Live or you can use the partition manager that comes with the distro that you want to install. Just make sure that you have the correct drive selected that you want to install Linux to.

 
I did have options installing Mint and installed it on to the SDD. Recommended settings partitioned it at 537 Mb of which 528 are free, Fat 32-bit mounted at /boot/efi, and saved the OS on the remaining 127 GB Ext4 mounted at filesystemRoot

I realize the SSD is plenty big. I don't game, but would like to set it up so all programs run on the SSD and all files and media are saved on the HDD.

Maybe I'm just wounded from every PC I have ever owned getting bogged down with files, fragmented data and what not, but I feel this will give me the best chance to keep the system clean and organized.

I do store a lot of large files, pictures and video mostly, so it would be nice to have it manage the file allocation itself.
 
The HDD was partitioned by windows. 134 MB reserved, no auto mount. contents unknown. The remainder, basic data NTSF, not mounted.
 
fwiw

i have a 2 tb hard drive

I 'divided' it up according to my needs

1TB goes to TV shows & Timeshift

1TB goes to Backups, Pics, & "Important stuff" (highly technical term---stuff!)

I occasionally create a new folder to house particular pictures, taken on particular dates etc etc.....whatever it takes to organize the whole show

My needs are actually fairly simple. I go out of my way to keep them just that...Simple.

All the tv shows and videos come to me via qbittorrent. I have made the "default save Path" in qbittorrent, .... /media/brian/TV & Timeshift/
(I access the tv shows and movies via qbittorrent itself. I use vlc to play them. By doing that I watch them in the order they were downloaded, because qbittorrent attaches a date to them)

As far as anything else is concerned etc, I right click them, and either copy to...or move to....that tv & timeshift partition....or the Backups, Pics & Important stuff partition...depending of course on what it is.

Simplistic?...Yes
Does it work for me?.....Yes

I also download many, many books.
I send them all over the world to people who do not have the luxury of being able to do that themselves.
They also go to the tv&Timeshift partition....not into any particular folder.....as soon as I have sent them they are deleted on qbittorrent.......which also deletes them from tv&Timeshift
If i wish to read the book myself, I input my email address as well as those I am sending to....then I simply store them in a folder on gmail (via thunderbird mail) which means I use gmails free 15 gb storage instead of mine. I regularly clean out that storage of gmails (it is located at/more info at...Google Takeout & Google Dashboard

I am currently thinking about transferring all of my stored email to my own storage ....not sure how to go about that just yet.

Anyway....divvying up your TB hard drive....it is all about mindset. Organise the grey cells...decide what you need......and then do it.

If for some reason it doesnt work/screws up.....do it again

The command lsblk in Terminal will list all devices

Write them down...legibly...so there are no mistakes.

(You should easily recognise the TB hard drive simply because of its size)

My SSD is 120GB.(/dev/sda5) It is currently 29.4% full ....84 GB free

I used GParted on the 2TB drive

lsblk looks like this on my pc

lsblk.png


There is 1 SSD...sda5
3 HDD sdb1.....sdc2.......sdd1&sdd2(1Tb divided into two partitions)
 
Last edited:
I realize the SSD is plenty big. I don't game, but would like to set it up so all programs run on the SSD and all files and media are saved on the HDD.

That's adequate space to use it as the solitary drive and just manually save large files (and backups) to your larger drive.

So, you'd basically make directories on that drive and then just do things like set your browser's download location. You'd change where you save your files when you create them, sometimes using 'save as'.

This sounds laborious, but it isn't. Once you do many of these things, the system will remember or at least start the save dialogue will/should open in the general area.

You can also change system directories in ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs easily enough, and the system will follow them. That's a bit advanced for a new person, but it's not terribly difficult. So, you can use that to change the default Downloads, Documents, Music, Pictures (and more) directories to new directories.
 
Thank you gents. I guess I was overthinking it. I've never used partitions much because it has always been OS and personal files on a single drive. I found a very complicated (and confusing) thread, I think Wizardfromoz responded to a fellow asking a similar question, but it made me think it was important to keep the SSD clean for optimal performance and that you guys were doing all kinds of fancy partitioning for OS, boot performance, and who knows what else. So, I'm learning. I appreciate you guys sorting me out. I'm gonna move all my data over and drop the Chromebook completely. I'll post a new thread on how happy I am to be on board.
 
you guys were doing all kinds of fancy partitioning for OS

I'll tack this on for greater clarity...

I don't think the majority of us do. I'm pretty sure the overwhelming majority of members just let the installer take care of partitioning - unless there's something broken or they need to do something like have more than one OS installed.
 
OK, I really did it now. Things were going very well. I was going to set things up as you guys had suggested, but I stumbed on an instructional to copy home to the HDD. It worked, and as far as I can tell I had set up all my home folders, downloads, music, etc. all to read and write to the HDD and that left the SSD just for the OS. I was just about to sign in and share the drive and partitions allocations I had set up, ( I was quite pleased with myself considering I didn't even understand what lsblk showed when I first saw it) and I decided to do one more thing. I previously couldn't find my USB drive in the menu, ( it was read only, had to format it, but it wouldn't show up in the mint menu) so I mounted it. I unmounted it to remove it while I was configuring the others to remove it so I had one less thing to confuse in the commands. I went to remount it, I think I left mount on boot unchecked in gparted, and now... I can't figure out how to get back in. When I restart I get the Dell screen, the LM logo, then back to dell screen (it didn't show this before), then it boots to password screen and when I type my password we're back to Dell screen, back to psswd and on and on.

I have tried to boot through my original USB drive that I used to install linux and it fails. I also tried recovery, but the tutorial only took me so far and I didn't have enough info to fix anything, just access things I don't understand. I'm stumped. I clearly figured out just enough to be dangerous.

I can post this as a new thread if need be.

HELP?? :oops:
 
Not that I can tell. I have only done this once, it was a month ago and I can't remember how it all went, but I don't seem to have any of the same boot options. Using f12 I can boot through USB which fails, or boot through SSD first partition which says can't find boot sequence.

This is the only USB drive I used when I installed and I didn't change the files at all so I can't imagine I need to start from the beginning with a new download, but I have no idea why it doesn't recognize the files.
 
mmm if you are going to have to do a fresh install unless you PC has a dvd drive then you will need to boot up an OS live from a usb. The live OS from a usb can also be used for instance to check if esp partition has boot checked if it uefi.

So unless anybody has other approaches you really need to use a live OS from usb.

You should still be able to get into bios from a cold boot using one of the keys , check if boot from usb is enabled etc
 
I've got nothing to add, except that OP should also keep a bootable USB around and know how to use it. Additionally, this is the kind of situation where good backups would help.
 
Do i remember you saying elsewhere that you had set up Timeshift on an external drive...?


If you have, that should save you.

Use the original usb stick you used to boot into Linux.

Do you have a second pc you can test that usb stick on?....just to be sure that it will boot.
If so, then you should be good to go

When it has booted to the "live" os....just open timeshift...click on Location...select the location the snapshots are stored at.....click on restore....I am having trouble remembering how the procedure goes....click on restore ?......Sorry for my frozen memory...I have not used that procedure in quite some time!
Select rsync in Type...then location....with luck that should show the saved snapshots....click on one to highlight it to restore......then click on restore.
Sit bakc and watch the magic!

bring us up to date....where are you at now?
 
I believe Timeshare was set up on the SDD. When you start mint there is a welcome and things to do first guide. I set it up, but don't know how to access it. I made the original USB boot disk to install mint, copied the files to another comp, and neither the original disk or the files on the other PC will offer any boot choice. I have a lot of files, is it likely I moved my bootable image and only have the download file so I need to create the bootable again?

I've been in the bios and have booted from the USB which fails. No option for live OS, but the setting are all good to run from USB.

I didn't move any data or set up anything I can't reinstall easily enough. I was thinking I would need to format and start again to set the partitions. I just want to get up and running again and even if it's from scratch I'm happy.
 
loading up a new bootable, then going to try to get into Timeshift
 
Looks like I corrupted my boot disk, thus the mass confusion.

I am still alive. :D

I did something hinky because I have no restore points, but I know I set it up and set a save point. Gotta dig into the drives I guess.
 
Wellllll. I have no idea how I did it, but I messed up the drives real good. I unmounted both the 512MB boot and 120Gb Filesystem. I also lost the Home mount and somehow I created a loop0 1.8 GB Loop mounted at /rofs. I don't even have a clue, but it wasn't anyone else.. So, yay for me!

I'm gonna go for a fresh install.
 

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