FOUR factory DEFAULT Partions PREVENTs DUAL BOOT LINUX install

[hpng]

HP laptop: dv7-4173us

Current hard drive partitions:

Volume                         FileSystem               Status                          Size (Approximate)

(C 🙂                              NTFS                            Primary  Partition    444 GB

HP_TOOLS (F):         FAT32                         Primary partition       99 MB

Recovery (D:)          NTFS                           Primary Partition         21.28 GB

SYSTEM                   NTFS                             Primary partition              199 MB

I came across this link:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-performance/windows-7-disk-management-uti...

I hope to install linux as dual boot, but the above link from Microsoft said a MAXIMUM of

4 PRIMARY partitions is allowed.

Currently I already have FOUR PRiMARY partitions on my HP laptop as factory PARTITION default!

What is SYSTEM partition?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/what-are-system-boot-partitions#1TC=windows-7

Excerpts:

“.... The system partition contains the hardware-related files and the Boot folder that tell a computer where to look to start Windows. By default, Windows 7 creates a separate system partition when it's installed from scratch (as opposed to upgraded from a previous version of Windows) on an unpartitioned hard drive. This partition is 100 MB in size. “

It looks like I need to remove one of the above primary partition.

And it also looks like my choices are:

HP_TOOLS (F): FAT32 Primary partition 99 MB

Recovery (D:) NTFS Primary Partition 21.28 GB

What are the implications of deleting any of above partitions from HP.

I suspect the above HP_TOOLS (F:) and Recovery(D:) are dependent on each other.

I understand it is likely I will loose ability to recover, and have to reinstall windows directly from CD/DVD.

But I HAVE to install Linux as DUAL BOOT.

What options do I HAVE?

Please advice.

Thanks.

[pepe999]

---

@hpng wrote:

HP laptop: dv7-4173us

Current hard drive partitions:

Volume                         FileSystem               Status                          Size (Approximate)

(C                               NTFS                            Primary  Partition    444 GB

HP_TOOLS (F):         FAT32                         Primary partition       99 MB

Recovery (D          NTFS                           Primary Partition         21.28 GB

SYSTEM                   NTFS                             Primary partition              199 MB

I came across this link:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-performance/windows-7-disk-management-uti...

I hope to install linux as dual boot, but the above link from Microsoft said a MAXIMUM of

4 PRIMARY partitions is allowed.

Currently I already have FOUR PRiMARY partitions on my HP laptop as factory PARTITION default!

What is SYSTEM partition?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/what-are-system-boot-partitions#1TC=windows-7

Excerpts:

“.... The system partition contains the hardware-related files and the Boot folder that tell a computer where to look to start Windows. By default, Windows 7 creates a separate system partition when it's installed from scratch (as opposed to upgraded from a previous version of Windows) on an unpartitioned hard drive. This partition is 100 MB in size. “

It looks like I need to remove one of the above primary partition.

And it also looks like my choices are:

HP_TOOLS (F): FAT32 Primary partition 99 MB

Recovery (D NTFS Primary Partition 21.28 GB

What are the implications of deleting any of above partitions from HP.

I suspect the above HP_TOOLS (F and Recovery(D are dependent on each other.

I understand it is likely I will loose ability to recover, and have to reinstall windows directly from CD/DVD.

But I HAVE to install Linux as DUAL BOOT.

What options do I HAVE?

Please advice.

Thanks.

---

Hi,

The system partition is created by Windows at the installation. The purpose is to install BitLocker or any hard drive encryption programs because the program must be on a different partition than the operating system. It's also used to store some boot files as stated. Do not mess with it. 

Install HP Recovery Manager: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01868333

Then create the recovery disks.

After that the recovery partition is not needed anymore. Shrink the C: drive (Windows) as much as you can, delete the recovery partition and create a new extended partition at the free space. I prefer root and home folder on different partitions so you can split/resize the extended partition as you want and create one partition for root (/), other for home (/home) and perhaps a small one for swap. Grub or the bootloader must be on sda (MBR). 

[hpng]

thanks.

i did back up using before trying dual boot:

Control Panel\System and Security\Backup and Restore

Is that the same as Recovery Manager's recovery disk creation?

Recovery manger would not let me create recovery disk.

What about potential problem with deleting HP_TOOls partition?

[pepe999]

---

@hpng wrote:

thanks.

i did back up using before trying dual boot:

Control Panel\System and Security\Backup and Restore

Is that the same as Recovery Manager's recovery disk creation?

Recovery manger would not let me create recovery disk.

What about potential problem with deleting HP_TOOls partition?

---

No, it's a Windows feature. Recovery disks are a pre-installed image of the system. Means the laptop will be in the same state as when you bought it (no Windows updates etc..). You could copy the content of the Recovery partition to an external storage as a possible solution just to save it. If something goes wrong create a new recovery partition with the same name and approx size and copy the content back on it. Then you can perform a factory reset by pressing esc and then F11. 

If you think that you have a solid backup delete both partitions. I always do that.

[hpng]

I finally got it to work, including using:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair

Hoot Hoot!

In Ubuntu 14.04 LTS install, it allows for lights-out auto side by side install.

I notice the file type ( e.g. NTFS, FAT32) is not shown for Ubuntu's partition in WInd 7's disk management.

So what is its file type?

There are two Win 7 boot loader when laptop boots up.

Here are the boot options for dual boot:

Ubuntu

Advanced Options for Ubuntu

Memory test ...

Memory test ...

Windows 7 (loader on dev/sda1)

Windows 7 (loader on dev/sda2)

The first one boots up Win 7.

When I select the 2nd (last) choice, I got error "Info:  The boot selection failed b'cos a required device is inaccessible."

What partition does dev/sda2 corresponds to?

How do I find out?

I also tried to delete HP_TOOLS partition after successfull installing Ubuntu and dual boot,

but WIn 7 said it is in use, and forcing delete can cause problem.

What should I do?

Thanks for all the help.

[pepe999 · Accepted solution]

---

@hpng wrote:

I finally got it to work, including using:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair

Hoot Hoot!

In Ubuntu 14.04 LTS install, it allows for lights-out auto side by side install.

I notice the file type ( e.g. NTFS, FAT32) is not shown for Ubuntu's partition in WInd 7's disk management.

So what is its file type?

There are two Win 7 boot loader when laptop boots up.

Here are the boot options for dual boot:

Ubuntu

Advanced Options for Ubuntu

Memory test ...

Memory test ...

Windows 7 (loader on dev/sda1)

Windows 7 (loader on dev/sda2)

The first one boots up Win 7.

When I select the 2nd (last) choice, I got error "Info:  The boot selection failed b'cos a required device is inaccessible."

What partition does dev/sda2 corresponds to?

How do I find out?

I also tried to delete HP_TOOLS partition after successfull installing Ubuntu and dual boot,

but WIn 7 said it is in use, and forcing delete can cause problem.

What should I do?

Thanks for all the help.

---

Linux uses a different labeling than Windows. Windows use C, D, E.. drive but linux use sda1, sda2, sda3 (sda means the disk and 1,2,3 means the partition) labels for partitions. The sda2 partition is probably the System 100MB one. Linux also use different file systems incompatible with NTFS/FAT32 file systems for Windows. The most common are EXT2/3/4 and also swap which is something like a page file (pagefile.sys) on Windows. You can delete the HP_TOOLS partition from linux but if everything works and you don't need more partitions don't do that. There are stored diagnostic utilities. However, you can create a USB drive with the same properties like HP_TOOLS partition:

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03801890

[hpng]

I got another problem.

I try to upgrade the driver to those from manufactuer AMD, its ATI Radeon driver via the Ubuntu software Center 

because I think the fan is running to hard, and maybe their have better power mangement ...

Then I got the blank screen after I signed into Ubuntu, and got the dreaded blank screen.

So I decide to fo this:

http://askubuntu.com/questions/202586/how-to-install-ubuntu-remove-mint-and-set-up-a-separate-home-p...

since I could not recover from my bad driver install.

So repartition the existing ext4 into root, / , at (10GB) and /home at about 140GB.

In doing the repartitioning,  I lost all the previous ext4 user data.

In teh future,  if I want to install , say CentOS, and use data from /home,

how do I add aextract a new partition from /home for the new OS, and still keep

/homewith all its data,  but obviously with less storage now, after the new partion for the new OS.

Thanks.

[pepe999]

---

@hpng wrote:

I got another problem.

I try to upgrade the driver to those from manufactuer AMD, its ATI Radeon driver via the Ubuntu software Center 

because I think the fan is running to hard, and maybe their have better power mangement ...

Then I got the blank screen after I signed into Ubuntu, and got the dreaded blank screen.

So I decide to fo this:

http://askubuntu.com/questions/202586/how-to-install-ubuntu-remove-mint-and-set-up-a-separate-home-p...

since I could not recover from my bad driver install.

So repartition the existing ext4 into root, / , at (10GB) and /home at about 140GB.

In doing the repartitioning,  I lost all the previous ext4 user data.

In teh future,  if I want to install , say CentOS, and use data from /home,

how do I add aextract a new partition from /home for the new OS, and still keep

/homewith all its data,  but obviously with less storage now, after the new partion for the new OS.

Thanks.

---

DO NOT mess up with the graphics drivers. I think it requires more than just installing the drivers. Go to Ubuntu wiki and see what to do.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/AMD

Keep approx 15GB at least for the / partition so if you want to have two different distributions split the partition at 15GB for / then 60GB for a /home partition for Ubuntu and then again 15GB for /  and 60GB /home for Cent OS or anything similar as it fits. You can always mount the other home or even root directory from the other system. When you reinstall the system, format the root partition and install the system BUT do not format the /home partition. It will keep all data and settings on it.  

[hpng]

Oops , i already format the ext4 partion like so:

/  is 10 GB

/honme is about 1040 gb

can I expand root, / ,into 30 GB, and then split it?

Can Isplit /home into two /home, one for each OS....

Or do I have to delete them and start over?

-------------------------

[pepe999]

---

@hpng wrote:

Oops , i already format the ext4 partion like so:

/  is 10 GB

/honme is about 1040 gb

can I expand root, / ,into 30 GB, and then split it?

Can Isplit /home into two /home, one for each OS....

Or do I have to delete them and start over?

-------------------------

---

Well, 10GB might be fine. I don't know how much it takes in Ubuntu but I always have about 15GB for the root. Keep the root but shrink the /home as much as you can. Then resize it as you want to 10-15GB for another root and the rest for home. Use Gparted for that.

http://www.howtogeek.com/114503/how-to-resize-your-ubuntu-partitions/