Dual Boot Best Practices?
Will be installing either Mint or Pop_OS on a new laptop which has a 512gb SSD. Will keep Windows for gaming, at least for now, with the games installed on an external HD. But otherwise, this is to experiment with living in Linux.
I understand that I can unallocate HD space from Windows in order to make room for the LInux OS, leaving at least 25 or 30gb for the Linux OS itself.
Do I then extend that space further, so to speak, to allow for any other programs I might install as well as for data? Do I create a third partition for data that will be shared between the two OS?
What's a reasonable breakdown?
e.g.
Windows 100gb; Linux 400gb or
Win 100gb; Linux 30gb; Data (NTFS) 370gb?
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I know this is not an answer to your question, but I’ve found everything to be immensely easier with a second drive. I’ve screwed my pooch before!
This is my comment. 2 drives and you won't have to worry.
This is with a laptop. So one would have to be on an external drive. That wouldn't slow it down?
It would slow it down a bit depending on USB 2 or 3, HDD or SSD and such. But, allowing each OS to have its own boot partition on its own drive usually prevents Windows from overwriting your linux boot. Solves some big dual boot headaches.
I've also had updates on the Linux side cause the bitlocker stuff to freak out and require a recovery code with sharing a boot partition.
I would check out your laptop, especially if it's somewhat new. I have one that is dual booting from an M.2 NVMe drive and a SATA SSD. Even if it didnt, I have easy panels that pop off when I wanted to swap.