Troubleshooting question ‍♂️

[TechfulMind]

Hello,

I recently switched to Linux and think I may have done it incorrectly. I downloaded Oracle VM Virtualbox on my windows 10 Laptop. I then downloaded Linux 19.3 as well as the USB preference in VM set to an external 3.0 2TB USB HHD where I then set up the virtual Linux machine. I then went into my laptops BIOS and changed the boot settings to boot from USB. Being I was new to Linux I thought as I was in a “Virtual Linux Machine” I wouldn’t be able to adversely effect anything outside the VM. After realizing that I have formatted my C Drive and can no longer boot into windows. I’ve tried to Troubleshoot to get back into my windows OS and realize I’m set on Linux any-who so want to know how to properly set up my pc to function at the best performance while using Linux. Is there a way I canFormat my C Drive to use it for Linux? Do I need to restore it to windows first? I’m currently upgrading my Linux from the 19.3 to the 20 version through the terminal. Any help is much appreciated. Thank y’all so much!

 

[gvisoc]

You're only in a VM if you boot it from VirtualBox. What you did is to boot it natively from the USB drive (rebooting) and then you smashed your windows into oblivion, as booting from USB gives your USB-OS privileged access to all hardware.

If you have a spare USB port, what I would recommend (given you want to install Linux into the internal hard drive), is the following:

• Download Balena Etcher or Ventoy -- follow one of the many tutorials in this forum for the last one, e.g.: https://www.linux.org/threads/usb-linux-boot-ventoy.29944/).
• Download the Linux Mint (I'm assuming you're using Linux Mint) installation ISO for your architecture -- I assume x86_64, and load it into a USB stick using either Balena Etcher or Ventoy.
• Power off the machine, unplug the external HDD you have with 2 TB, and plug the newly flashed USB Stick
• As you have unplugged the 2TB external HDD, the only drive you will see with space to install will be the internal hard drive.

Once done, you may consider boot back into your external 2TB drive to copy your personal files to a USB drive in order to pass them on to the internal drive installation and move on...

 

[KGIII]

This is possibly a candidate for my favorite, "And that's how I ended up being a Linux user" stories.