Setting up a dual drive for the first time. Help!

Wow! And I thought I was ready to go...
First, thank you all, for your input, ideas and suggestions. I'm learning a lot and that is pleasing to me. Give me a day to digest this new information. I'll make adjustments to my install sequence and run it past you before screwing up my computer :)
Katie
PS- My name is Katie. And you can call me that.
 


Katie

But I’m scared

and

...run it past you before screwing up my computer

This was new territory for us all once, and it is perfectly normal to be apprehensive at the beginning. As for dual drives, I got this Dell Inspiron with a similar config to yours but with 16 GB RAM, as part of a pigeon pair I scored for my wife and me, saving $1,800 AUD in July last year. Love the dual drives. :cool:

Linux can't trash your computer. We have a saying "PEBKAC" - Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair. Lol.

If anything heads south for the winter, we'll help you fix it - we've got your back, and not just because of your Gender or an attractive avatar :)

Friday here in Oz, so my friends will expect me to say

Enjoy your Linux (experience) and

Avagudweegend.

Wizard

You can call me @wizardfromoz , Wizard, Wiz, Chris - anything but late for dinner ;)
 
Thanks for the @ tip, @wizardfromoz. Never knew that one but it will be very useful.

Interesting about the Zorin 15 security issue and here’s my problem. I’m in a small fishing village in the Dominican Republic where it can take up to four hours to download an ISO file. And a lot can go wrong in four hours, and usually does. Power fluctuations, and outages of both power and wifi. I hang out in a small bar where I can usually pick up a signal. Some days are better than others.

So, when I was in Florida, I downloaded but didn’t install a ton of packages, including Zorin 15 (not 15.1), and I really hate not using that download for my install. I have had a lot of trouble with Linux over the years. Much of that disappeared when I started purchasing my ISO files preinstalled on bootable sticks. That was from OSDisc but they are no longer in business.

Of course the obvious question is can I use my stick and then update to Zorin 15.1 or is there another “fix” for the security issue.

Thanks for the kind remarks. I’ll make up a short bio this weekend and post it next week. And have a good weekend your own self!

Katie
 
G'day Katie :)

Yeah that's a shame about OSDisc they seemed to have been around forever, I read about it a few weeks ago.

Of course the obvious question is can I use my stick and then update to Zorin 15.1 or is there another “fix” for the security issue.

Historically, their updates and upgrades feature would handle the dot point releases. So 12.1 to 12.2 to 12.3 etc, handled within the framework.

Don't know yet with 15.

I will be looking at the fixes with the current 15 tomorrow my time.

Cheers

Wiz

I’ll make up a short bio this weekend and post it next week.

Cool.

And have a good weekend your own self!

Ta (pron. tar - Aussie for thanks)
 
It’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. I get pieces of information from here and there but still don't see the full picture.

I read the Help files for the Zorin Partition Manager and they are surprisingly vague. Much more and better information is available for Gparted. I got a bunch of videos and information downloaded for that. There is good detail on unmounting, deleting, renaming, sizing and mounting partitions. But no one seems to want to tell me when I should stick in my Zorin live stick :)

I know that the first partition, sdb1, is to be a EFI System Partition and, I believe, I select FAT32 from the drop down menu; mount point is /boot/efi. This is also in a menu I believe. The EFI partition is sized to 512MiB and flagged boot,esp. This EFI partition is already installed for the computer, but can I retain it? Or should I start from scratch and delete sdb1? Might learn more that way.

Next, a small Swap file of 2GB. I see Swap Area in the drop down menu. I think I just label it and select it.

Now, lastly, build sdb3 to hold the Zorin OS. Now do I boot from the live stick? Or has it been in the slot all along? And am I installing from Something Else?

Do I Mount all three partitions at once, or each individually after building them? And do I need Trim for the SSD, being everything will be stored in /home, the second (spinning) drive, sda1. And being that drive is already set up as one big partition for storage, do I need to fool with it?

I know once I start the procedure I’ll wonder why I didn’t just go ahead and do it from the beginning. Oh well. If someone can just clear up these last points for me, I’ll screw up my courage and give this thing a try. The big question is how do I work from my Zorin live stick using Gparted? I think once I get that, a lot of this other stuff will just fall into place. One thing for sure, I’ll be taking a ton of notes!

Thanks everyone,

Katie
 
Currently the Clevo has Ubuntu/Mate installed as root on the SSD. There is nothing on home, the HHD.

That is because Ubuntu was set up with a Home folder under the / at /dev/sdb2.

You may want to check within eg Documents, Downloads, Pictures and Videos and see if there is data you wish to keep, and safeguard it, because you will lose that Home and its contents with the Zorin install.

I would advocate the following plan (yours, revised)

Make a bootable stick from the Zorin ISO file, (done and tested)
Insert the stick and boot up from BIOs, f2 on my machine
Select “Try Zorin” and connect to the internet
Select “Install” and “Something Else”
Select /dev/sdb, (no number) in the menu that features "drive or destination to install bootloader to"
Select /dev/sdb2 (currently Ubuntu root), there will be a list perhaps defaulting to Do Not Use This Partition, click for choice and scroll to top, select EXT4 Journaling System
Choose Format Partition (this will erase Ubuntu)
Choose / from next list of choices that appears, this will make /dev/sdb2 Root
Create a 512 Mb, FAT 32 partition for UEFI, (is this in a drop down menu?)
- no need, already created
Select /dev/sdb1, if need be choose Use Existing Partition
Choose Format to get rid of Ubuntu data from /dev/sdb1
Choose /boot/efi from next list if not defaulting to that
Create a 2 Gb swap file, Ext4
No need - see my comments on Zswap and swapfile, they will be used.
Use the remaining space on the drive to install Zorin, Ext2, (or Ext4???)
No need, you are using /dev/sdb2 for Zorin
Scroll up the partitions until you find /dev/sda1 Home. Click its line, choose Format, then from list choose /home
Close out of Gparted
You are not in GParted, you are in the Installer known as Ubiquity.
Choose to install now - the Installer will show a summary of changes to be made, OK it.
If it prompts about no Swap set up, OK it to go ahead without.
Once the Installer completes, reboot, if it prompts you to remove the USB stick do so, otherwise just let it reboot into
Zorin
Done, and report outcome back here.

Cheers

Wizard
 
Whadda you mean, "report outcome back here?" It's going to be perfect, isn't it?
Your quote: "That is because Ubuntu was set up with a Home folder under the / at /dev/sdb2"
/dev/sda is the HHD. (see screen shot in post #11). You make it sound the system is using the SSD (/dev/sdb), for storage. When I said there was nothing on the HHD, it was because I haven't been writing to it. Nothing to back up.
Thank you for THE PLAN. I've copied it to my x230 and will have it beside me when I set up the Clevo. Having said that, maybe I should just start in and let the chips fall.
Thanks,
Katie
 
It's going to be perfect, isn't it?

Of course it is ... oh and the cheque is in the mail ;)

/dev/sda is the HHD

I understand that, and just for accuracy, HDD - hard disk drive.

You make it sound the system is using the SSD (/dev/sdb), for storage. When I said there was nothing on the HHD, it was because I haven't been writing to it. Nothing to back up.

Wasn't my intention, if I have confused you, regrets.

It was or may have been, under Ubuntu. That is, if this is the first time you have used the HDD to house Home, and you said

I haven't been writing to it.

You may have had documents, pictures, downloads, videos and music on Ubuntu, and by default they would have been stored in Home.

In your new environment coming up, they will be stored in the Home partition set up on the HDD. But if they exist already in your root partition /dev/sdb2 on the SSD, then you will want to safeguard them before you make the changes, because they will not transfer to the HDD except manually, they will be lost.

Any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Cheers

Wiz
 
Okay. Thanks...
Still not sure I know what you're talking about but I'm going in. Cross your finge
 
Got as far as "Choose / from next list of choices that appears, this will make /dev/sdb2 Root"
/ was not in the menu.
Now the Clevo will not boot.
Katie
 
Clevo will not boot in either Ubuntu nor from the Zorin live stick.
 
I'm coming in here a bit late. Do you know how to get into the BIOS?
(usually ESC or DEL or F2) . Is there a place in the BIOS that says "Boot"
where you can select the USB stick to boot from?
 
Hey there,

Late to the party, but if you're looking for a good OS for your Clevo, you may want to try Pop_OS.. system76 sells their 'own laptops' which are basically just Clevo models re-branded.. and they've created Pop_Os to make sure there are drivers, etc.. for the specific hardware.

It's basically Ubuntu with some of their changes.. free, etc..

I'd take your Clevo model number and pair that with system76 in a google search to see if they use your particular model for any of theirs.. for instance, my system76 'darter pro' is a Clevo N151CU.

Good luck!
 
Hey Katie :)

You're catching zzz's now, but I am putting together a video in a few minutes that will take us through the install in circumstances as close as I can to duplicate your situation.

I can't match your circumstances, as I have 50 Linux running on this rig, but see how you go.

Wizard
 
Hey @wizardfromoz...
Persistence pays off.

Went back to the boat and tried all this again, for a fourth time. In Bios, I selected “Boot from File” and got “No Volume Label” for both Sata and for USB. I selected USB and got some options including BOOT. I think I selected that, anyway the Zorin home page came up. No wifi on the boat so I went straight to Install>Something Else.

The window opened and I selected /dev/sdb like you said. I mistakenly chose from the upper menu on the first try and the install screwed up. Using the lower menu worked but /dev/sdb had something written beside it. I think it was indicating the SSD. I selected whatever it was anyway, even though it didn’t match your description. Then selected /dev/sdb2 from the upper menu and right clicking on it brought up a window (surprise!!!) with your “Do Not Use This Partition.” I scrolled down in this new window and selected EXT4 Journaling System (I chose the green box at the top the first time, so screwed up again), There was no “Choose Format Partition” but I found “/” and I believe, after that, I just hit “Install.”

Anyway, Zorin installed. I don’t know where or how, but Zorin boots up when I start the computer. Who knows about the 1TB spinning HDD storage drive. How do I test the installation? Find out where my information is going? And without internet I couldn’t select Download Updates and Install Third Party. I need to go back in and change this stuff.

A lot of surprises I wasn’t counting on but a step in the right direction, I guess. Maybe I should connect to wifi and just redo the whole install from scratch while I can still remember some of what I did. The video will really help, thank you. Now what made me think you had Zorin installed?

Katie
 
Thanks for joining the battle @dos2unix. This is my first computer with dual hard drives and I'm trying to replace Ubuntu with Zorin on the SSD. Bios on my machine, a Clevo, is F2. I can get in there just fine, it's figuring out what to do once I'm in :)
As you can see, I've been getting lots of help but feel free to toss your ideas into the mix. It helps me, and others.
Much thanks,
Katie
 
Funny you should mention PoP, @Rob. I started my Linux adventure with Mint on a Thinkpad 11e. It took me some time to realize that the 11e was just a crappy computer and the main source of my problems with Linux. At the suggestion of a friend, I moved to PoP with Budgie installed. It actually seemed to fix my computer! The 11e ran great for about two months and then the problems started again. It finally crashed, and out of frustration, I tossed it. I moved on to Ubuntu, then Mint again. There were a few "in-betweens" before Manjaro came to my attention. I like it a lot but I'm in the third world with really bad wifi. A rolling release isn't for me. But I liked the look and feel. It made Mint seem stodgy. So Zorin/Gnome, with it's slick space-age look has been my main OS for almost a year. Zorin has been around for ten years, now, and does everything I need.
Thank you for your comments,
Katie
 
Hi kay-dee!

Best wishes on your linux adventure!

IMHO, it's a wise move to install distro's on separate hdd's, in the beginning. In fact, I'd recommend you get 1 distro up and running and learn how to backup and recover before installing another one.

I learned that lesson the hard way. Loosing all the notes and "How To's" I had accumulated was worse than loosing the OS/ hdd!
 
G'day Katie :)

All hail the Brave :D

You've done well but we can do better. If you didn't actively choose to establish Home on the 1 TB HDD as a Partition, then it will have installed as a Folder/Directory on your Root, which is /dev/sdb2 on the SSD.

That can be moved but with difficulty. Better is to reinstall, now that you are getting familiar with the steps.

I have everything set up to do the vid. I have to take my wife to the Doctor first, and I am mindful of the time in DR, you are 14 hours behind me. So you'll be ready to hit the sack when it is published, but it is better anyway, to do this when you are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

See you as soon as I can.

G'day @pfreeman and welcome to linux.org :)

After we get Katie sorted, we can teach her about Timeshift, which would go perfectly in a bit of her Home space, and that will cover circumstances such as you describe.

Later

Wizard
 
Video's done, Katie :)


Also, the Plan I have attached as a .PDF if that assists.

Cheers

Wiz

Vid is about 15:43 long, oops
 

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