Primary / Logical Partitions

Agricola

Im wanting to install Ubuntu to a partition that I need to make on this laptop. Im using EaseUS partition master freeware. The problem Im having is that this laptop has 4 primary partitions already on its hard drive. Apart from the C: directory, theres a System, a recovery and an unnamed partition.

Ive tried to resize C: so that I can get some unallocated space to make a new partition for Ubuntu, but Im getting a message telling me I need to convert some of the primarys to logical partitions. Thats fine I can go that, but I wondering if I convert these Samsung recovery partitions to logicals, will I be unable to boot from them in the future If I have a problem?

Capt'n Midnight

at a guess I would say not

each partition has a 2 character code telling what type it is

Dell for example use a microsoft partition with a different code for their hidden recovery partition

IIRC windows will only start from a bootable primary partition ( unless you use a boot manager ) and I'm guessing that the BIOS can boot the recovery partition


Ubuntu has it's own partition manager

or use parted magic live CD



but yeah you need to pick one partition that you don't boot from (ie data drive) back it up / change type and then split


or you could use wubi.exe to install ubuntu into a large file on the windows partition

dahamsta

Isn't the problem that there are 4 primaries already in use, and 4 primaries is the max so they can't split? Or is that no longer the case?

Capt'n Midnight

yip that's the problem

you have to change one of the primary partitions to an extended
you can't change the one your boot loader is on
extrememly unlikely you could get away with changing the recovery partition


and I don't think it's as simple as changing IIRC the extended partition tables are half a cylinder offset or something ??

Torqay

Life can be so much easier... Why don't you use WUBI?

dahamsta

I wonder what the System one is for, that's a new one on me.

WUBI is all well and good for playing around with Linux, but it's not suitable for a permanent install.

Agricola

Thanks for the replies lads.

I dont know what exactly these partitions do. The System one is only 20gb, while the one listed Other is 100gb. Ive checked the directories in them and they all contain "boot" folders and other files that look like OS install stuff.
The problem does seem to be Windows allows a max of 4 partitions. So I was thinking maybe If I merged 2 of these partitions into 1, I could then make a new one for Ubuntu. I dont know if that will be possible though as Ive noticed that the options available to shrink, extend etc these partitions are mostly greyed out.

Yeah, I know I could install it alongside Windows but in the long run Id rather a proper setup. Im running it on USB stick at the moment.

dahamsta

Seems an odd setup, like they have 3 recovery partitions. Is something else installed for backup/recovery perhaps, like Norton Ghost?

If you can't figure it out you'll just have to take your chances and hope that the one you convert isn't important if you need to recover

You wouldn't happen to have thought ahead to separate recovery disks when you ordered? I always get them when I can, the recovery partitions are a nonsense.

Torqay

Agricola wrote: »

Yeah, I know I could install it alongside Windows but in the long run Id rather a proper setup.

In the long run, we're all dead.

What is there not "proper"?

Rather than fiddling with partition tables, WUBI will reserve a part of an existing partition (container) for Ubuntu. Everything else is the just same.

dahamsta

Sorry, but it's not. Disk writes in particular will be slower. If it's for evaluation, WUBI is fine; if it's going to be permanent, installation to a partition is a much better idea.

https://www.google.ie/search?q=wubi+performance

Torqay

dahamsta wrote: »

Sorry, but it's not. Disk writes in particular will be slower.

Which you'll only notice if the container is fragmented.

Anyway, before you start fiddling with partitions, ghost the drive to avoid nasty surprises.