CrunchBang Linux

Linzt

Member

From: England

Registered: 2009-04-21

Posts: 35

Partition advice

Hi all,

After finally purging my Vista partition (I wasn't using it much, and OpenOffice 3 has replaced my need for using Office) I have the following [and shocking] partition structure:

• /dev/sda1 - ex-Vista partition of 55GB now formatted to ext3

• /dev/sda3 - This is my ReiserFS DATA partition

• /dev/sda2 - extension

• /dev/sda5 - 100MB BOOT partition

• /dev/sda6 - This was for testing other distro's some time back, now however it is an unused etx3 partition

• /dev/sda7 - #! installation, ReiserFS

• /dev/sda8 - 2GB Linux Swap

Admittedly, when I was partitioning all of this I was a real newbie. Still a newbie but with more experience this time ;P I am aiming for a set-up as in the following:

• /dev/sda1 - #! installation, of 10GB and ext3 this time...

• /dev/sda2 - installation of 'x' distro (I want to install F10 but the LiveCD wont boot for some reason, it hangs? Having said that I was thinking of installing Slackware or Knoppix, I hear that they are great for getting the user to use the terminal more often, which is definately something I'd like to learn more about, i.e. being fluent with the terminal) also of 10GB and ext3

• /dev/sda3 - a Linux Swap partition to used by either #! or 'x' distro, 2GB

• /dev/sda4 - a large /home/ partition to be used by both #! and 'x' distro, in ReiserFS

However I'm stuck at how to sort the mess out which is the current state of my partition - any ideas?

Danke.

Last edited by Linzt (2009-05-03 12:25:30)

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fhsm

#! Junkie

From: New Hampshire, USA

Registered: 2009-01-05

Posts: 445

Re: Partition advice

I had a similarly out of control drive.  I found that the best solution was to back up and wipe it.  Because the drive layout is actually sequential it's going to take you a long time to move all those partitions into the correct order, reformat and then merge them down.  The end result may not even be all that satisfactory.  (I spent the time doing it and ended up with a system that was never quite right).

If you do want to try use the gparted on a live CD.  I've had good luck with the actual gparted live cd instead of the copy of gparted on a distro.

Linzt

Member

From: England

Registered: 2009-04-21

Posts: 35

Re: Partition advice

Thanks fhsm.

I have gparted in my draw. I was hoping that I'd not have to resort to using it cos atm I've no external drive for back-ups!

Looks like I'm going to have to borrow my friends sometime today!

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Mehall

#! Die Hard

From: Scotland, Cold

Registered: 2009-01-17

Posts: 850

Website

Re: Partition advice

if I'm totally honest? back up data and config stuff and everything to an external HDD, wipe the lot, start again with what you want.

Messing about with a partition table to get what you want from a screwed up start point is VERY dangerous for any files you haven't back up.

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Ex-KDE user.
Collects old PC's (Coz he can't afford new ones =P)
Crunchbang @ Distrowatch
My Blog (updated infrequently, and on the #! Planet too.)

alex2035

Member

From: Buenos Aires - Argentina

Registered: 2009-04-21

Posts: 22

Re: Partition advice

I tend to agree with the opinions, from experience, this is the way to go.

Linzt

Member

From: England

Registered: 2009-04-21

Posts: 35

Re: Partition advice

Agreed.

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