Install new hdd or sdd for ubuntu while keeping hdd w W7

George Knoppe

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Since I have an existing system w W7 (64 bit) on a PC I am unable to shrink the drive to accommodate the space needed for ubuntu. I can install another hdd or sdd and wonder how or if I can install a new drive soley for the ubuntu. Motherboard is a Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H 3D BIOS. I'm looking for the easiest way to do this without reinstalling or formatting the existing hdd. Any input greatly appreciated.
 


You should be able to shrink the windows partition via Disk Management. Follow the steps found here: https://www.disk-partition.com/articles/shrink-c-drive-3889.html. I personally try to upgrade my hard drive when doing this type of install, cloning my Windows drive to a new larger drive and then installing the Linux after a successful Windows boot to the remaining unallocated space. Though your thought process should work too but you may have to do some creative bios or partition tagging to get the grub loader to come up and provide the boot option.
 
Well, even though you have an existing Windows installation, if you have adequate freespace on the drive, you can shrink it. You can boot to a Linux Live USB, install Gparted, and in there shrink it. That's the easiest/cheapest solution. You can also add an additional disk. This is likely the best solution, but of course will cost you more money. Between SSD and HDD, SSD is the better solution in my opinion. You're going to see lots of performance improvements using the SSD. The main issue for me is that you really pay through the nose for larger disks. Now, you don't need a lot for Linux, you could easily run Linux on a 32 gig drive, although I personally would suggest nothing smaller than 64 gigs. And if you have a large music catalog or are a gamer, you may want even more space.
 
You should be able to shrink the windows partition via Disk Management. Follow the steps found here: https://www.disk-partition.com/articles/shrink-c-drive-3889.html. I personally try to upgrade my hard drive when doing this type of install, cloning my Windows drive to a new larger drive and then installing the Linux after a successful Windows boot to the remaining unallocated space. Though your thought process should work too but you may have to do some creative bios or partition tagging to get the grub loader to come up and provide the boot option.
Disk Management does not shrink the drive. I have 1.12 TB free.

Idk, diskpart yields:

The arguments specified for this command are not valid.
For more information on the command type: HELP SHRINK

I suppose the software could do it but not sure shrinking will get me ahead as the greyed out area is not usable afaik. There are options to split or create new partition. I'm not certain what to do.
 
As "TechnoJunky" said, it is better to use new HD, and the best choice is SSD.
I am a beginner too, I am searching for that same issue since more than a month, the best result is to use Caddy DVD/SSD as an adaptor, inserted instead of the DVD driver, and containing the SSD.
For myself, I choose 120GB SSD, it is not expensive.
 
I'll start with George, but @Guend1 pay attention too, as these are similar issues between your Threads, and welcome to linux.org :)

First things first.

1. Make sure you have Windows 7 safeguarded, have a Rescue or Recovery disk/stick created, using the onboard facility.

2. RUN A DEFRAG - Windows have historically had a bad record for storing immovable system files near the end of the drive or disk, a defrag can sometimes draw these recalcitrant files and folders back in closer, allowing us to reduce the size of the affected partition.

3. Windows Snipping Tool defaults to .png, and each of you can provide a screenshot from Disk Management to give us a better idea of how your partitions are placed currently.

The following shots are from my Disk Management in Windows 10 I only keep on a leash to help here, your Disk Managements may differ slightly.

If you want to Post fullsize screenshots here, see my Thread at

https://www.linux.org/threads/posting-screenshots-at-this-site-read-this-for-easy-way.21722/


CU5pyuv.png


SCREENSHOT 1

If you need to enlarge further, hold your Control button and click your Plus + button as necessary, Control-0 (zero) will reset.

This is derived from my, at left side, right-clicking Disk 0, then Properties and Volumes. It shows MBR as being used because I use this drive for helping here with older computers. This is my 2TB internal SATA HDD.


QeEhlbU.png


SCREENSHOT 2

This one shows my performing the same exercise but with Disk 1 which is my 256 GB SSD formatted to GPT.

This holds my Windows 10 on C: , neutered down to 55 GB, but that is a bit low for most. You need to allow an overhead of about 15% for defrags.

If I could not have done that with the inbuilt SSD, then I could use (& do) my Disk 2 which is the external 4 TB WD My Book, formatted to GPT. In total, I run about 50 Linux on this system setup. Dell Inspiron 5770.

On my secondary rig, a Toshiba Satellite laptop with 1 TB SATA, I have 50 partitions (about 45 Linux).

Just a word to the wise - GParted is one of my fave tools, but best used after shrinking Windows. We are better using Windows to trick itself to allow us to shrink it, then Linux from there on.

Cheers

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
 
I'll start with George, but @Guend1 pay attention too, as these are similar issues between your Threads, and welcome to linux.org :)

First things first.

1. Make sure you have Windows 7 safeguarded, have a Rescue or Recovery disk/stick created, using the onboard facility.

2. RUN A DEFRAG - Windows have historically had a bad record for storing immovable system files near the end of the drive or disk, a defrag can sometimes draw these recalcitrant files and folders back in closer, allowing us to reduce the size of the affected partition.

3. Windows Snipping Tool defaults to .png, and each of you can provide a screenshot from Disk Management to give us a better idea of how your partitions are placed currently.

The following shots are from my Disk Management in Windows 10 I only keep on a leash to help here, your Disk Managements may differ slightly.

If you want to Post fullsize screenshots here, see my Thread at

https://www.linux.org/threads/posting-screenshots-at-this-site-read-this-for-easy-way.21722/


CU5pyuv.png


SCREENSHOT 1

If you need to enlarge further, hold your Control button and click your Plus + button as necessary, Control-0 (zero) will reset.

This is derived from my, at left side, right-clicking Disk 0, then Properties and Volumes. It shows MBR as being used because I use this drive for helping here with older computers. This is my 2TB internal SATA HDD.


QeEhlbU.png


SCREENSHOT 2

This one shows my performing the same exercise but with Disk 1 which is my 256 GB SSD formatted to GPT.

This holds my Windows 10 on C: , neutered down to 55 GB, but that is a bit low for most. You need to allow an overhead of about 15% for defrags.

If I could not have done that with the inbuilt SSD, then I could use (& do) my Disk 2 which is the external 4 TB WD My Book, formatted to GPT. In total, I run about 50 Linux on this system setup. Dell Inspiron 5770.

On my secondary rig, a Toshiba Satellite laptop with 1 TB SATA, I have 50 partitions (about 45 Linux).

Just a word to the wise - GParted is one of my fave tools, but best used after shrinking Windows. We are better using Windows to trick itself to allow us to shrink it, then Linux from there on.

Cheers

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz




I'm trying to think back to when I built two identical systems, but it's been like 6 years. Seems I remember some issue with the large disk and Windows. I haven't had any issues except for the usual microsft bs. Idk, I am half cocked to erase everything, format the hdd, relaod. I have en axternal ssd with most everything on it.


windows mgmt.PNG
defrag.PNG
 
OK that's good work, George :)

Now with the 1st shot you can see that that horizontal scroll bar has room to be dragged to the right, to show something more that is to the right of the 746 GB unallocated.

You could drag the right-hand handle of the window or make it fullscreen and snip it again.

With my Post at #6, Screenshots 1 and 2, I have modified the first to show as follows. Now I am rusty on Windows 7 as to whether its Disk Management has this facility.


MBY5iHb.png


SCREENSHOT 3

So if you can run that exercise for us and tell us whether the existing HDD has a Partition Table of MBR or GPT, that would be good.

No need for a screenshot if you know the answer, and you can also tell us about UEFI or not - you can find the info like the linked article, through Panther and setupact.log. Where it has step 5. Use Ctrl-f (find) to search, just paste

Callback_BootEnvironmentDetect: Detected boot environment:

into it.

https://kb.parallels.com/en/115815

Cheers

Wizard
 
Okay, MBR

Nothing in setupact.log for

Callback_BootEnvironmentDetect: Detected boot environment:


Using the Run and msinfo32 yields no BIOS Mode entry

MBR .PNG
nosetupactlog.PNG
 


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