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    How to set up my OS and data partitions?

    Discussion in 'Linux Compatibility and Software' started by pixelot, Sep 22, 2009.

  1. pixelot

    pixelot Notebook Acolyte

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    I would like to use Ubuntu as my primary operating system and have /home as my data partition, but I would also like to be able to access this stuff from Windows 7 that I plan to install. So what is the best way to do this? Do I need to put everything on an NTFS partition and then access that from either OS (meaning I don't have the data partition as my /home folder)? That's what I have on my desktop. Or have my stuff on Windows partition and mount that from Linux (that's what I had on my old laptop hard drive, but doesn't make much sense with Ubuntu as primary OS)? Right now I have Ubuntu on one partition and a separate data partition as /home. I really wouldn't be opposed to having an NTFS data partition distinct to either OS, but then Gnome Do wouldn't be able to index this info... unless I'm missing something. :rolleyes:

    Sorry to rant about my troubles, but I'm just kind of attached to Ubuntu like I have it set up now, and although I'm willing to go through the customization process again, having my data on an NTFS partition will just make a few things less seamless and intuitive. :eek:

    TIA,
    -pixelot
     
    pixelot, Sep 22, 2009
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  2. theZoid

    theZoid Notebook Savant

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    Good on Ubuntu for primary OS btw :) Well, I went ahead and just moved all my work, documents, photos, music, et al to my linux partition. Before I was accessing many of those things on the Vista partition. I find it easier that way to stay organized and keep everything backed up and secure. I've relegated Vista (soon W7) to a game launcher and back up OS. You can just keep shared things on your Win7 partition if you want to, no need to create a separate d drive (or whatever letter) in windows unless it helps you organize things.
     
    theZoid, Sep 22, 2009
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  3. pixelot

    pixelot Notebook Acolyte

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    Thanks, Zoid. :)

    That's what I'd like to do (put everything on my Linux partition), but I'd like to be able to access pretty much all of that from Windows if I need to. :rolleyes:

    Hmm... well, I suppose I could really just leave it as a game launcher, and if I want to access install files and so forth, I'd have to boot into Linux and move them to the Win partition. I may do something with that... wow it really is a different thing having Linux as primary. :p
     
    pixelot, Sep 22, 2009
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  4. The Fire Snake

    The Fire Snake Notebook Virtuoso

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    If it were me and I had your requirements, then I would just make my /home partition NTFS and share it between both OSs. Thats the way I know how, but I am sure there are other things out there(like maybe there is a utility in windows that allows a user to mount an ext3 partition in windows?)
     
    The Fire Snake, Sep 22, 2009
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  5. theZoid

    theZoid Notebook Savant

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    I've found it to be very very nice having moved everything to linux :D
     
    theZoid, Sep 22, 2009
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  6. pixelot

    pixelot Notebook Acolyte

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    Thanks a bunch for the suggestions, but unless I'm mistaken, you can't have an NTFS partition as /home in Linux. :eek:

    Also, I tried ext2fs IFS for Windows, and it kept corrupting my data. :rolleyes:

    I dunno... I may just end up doing what I described above. I like this rebellious, dependent-on-Linux setup. :D
     
    pixelot, Sep 22, 2009
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  7. The Fire Snake

    The Fire Snake Notebook Virtuoso

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    Really? :eek: I have never heard of that. I never actually tried but I thought that would be easy You must have tried so I am sure you are right. At one point I had a partition that was fat32 that I used. I used it to share any data I wanted between Linux and WinXP, but that was before ntfs write support was stable.
     
    The Fire Snake, Sep 22, 2009
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  8. pixelot

    pixelot Notebook Acolyte

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    Yep... I tried it and it wasn't allowed. But I was clueless until Thomas pointed me in the right direction. Unix, permissions and NTFS don't get along so well, which is as it should be. ;)
     
    pixelot, Sep 23, 2009
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  9. mr_raider

    mr_raider Notebook Consultant

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    Make a single partition for root and /home, and keep it ext2/3/4. make a another partition called data, format it as fat32. Mount it within home as /home/data. Then create symlinks from your /home folder to /home/data for anything you want to be accessible to windows, i.e. videos, photos, etc...
     
    mr_raider, Sep 23, 2009
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  10. pixelot

    pixelot Notebook Acolyte

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    Interesting. I may look into that at some point. I would have assumed fat32 an inferior filesystem, but the /home/data setup sounds intriguing... and I honestly am clueless about symlinks. :eek:
     
    pixelot, Sep 24, 2009
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  11. mr_raider

    mr_raider Notebook Consultant

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    http://linux.about.com/library/gnome/blgnome6n6l.htm

    As far as Linux is concerned fat32 and ntfs are equally crappy. I found the ext2/3 handling programs in windows to be sketchy at best.
     
    mr_raider, Sep 24, 2009
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  12. puter1

    puter1 Notebook Deity

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    puter1, Sep 25, 2009
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