Installing Ubuntu on a laptop that has Windows 7 and Linux Mint

[Liam Proven]

On 2 March 2012 17:55, Pongo A. Pan <pongo_pan at fastmail.us> wrote:

> This can be very problematic.  If you do this you will have competing
> and conflicting configuration files (often in the form of hidden
> directories in your home).  A better (but somewhat more complicated) way
> to do this is to have a small separate home for each distro and a
> common /data partition with things like Documents and Pictures linked
> with simlinks.

I personally would disagree, but it is one way of doing it, true.

Me, I would probably have a separate *FAT32* partition, allowing one
to readily share data between Windows as well as multiple Linux
installations. However, I don't symlink folders into there - that
strikes me as hazardous.

>   You need to learn more about the basics of partitioning
> before you try any of this.

Concur.
> In the first instance I'd shrink the Win7 sda2 down to 50 GB or so and
> expand the extended partition to take up the new space.  Then I'd make
> two 20 GB or so partitions for the linux systems and use the rest for
> the two homes.

There is no need for 2 /home partitions so long as different usernames are used.

>  The swap partition seems about right and can be shared.
> Then install the distros.  Win7 may have to be booted in recovery mode
> the first time after you shrink it.  GRUB will handle the booting.
>
> Please back up everything dear to you in multiple places before you do
> any of this.  It usually works but the one time it will fail is when you
> don't have proper (and tested) backups.
>
> Do you have an old computer you can practice and learn on?  That would
> be the best thing.

Agreed with all this.

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