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Linux and windows 10

slitherjef

slitherjef

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 8, 2012
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Yeah so, windows 10 is really starting to annoy me and I don't think I can trust it due to forced updates and some other issues, I have barely installed anything on the machine if that tells you anything, long and short I think I am going to give Linux a try on the box

I know I can boot a live iso from a drive. Since I'm using a ryzen 7 CPU and a 1080 gtx (overkill for a Linux box for sure) I'm wondering if there are going to be some driver issues. In other words I need to test things out before I totally remove windows.

I can get another SSD or clean nvme drive and pop the first one out, seems a bit of a hassle, or I can partition and install along windows on my current drive. Or just totally overwrite windows which is drastic and I may want win10 here and there.

Partitioning my current drive would be the cheapest option and I can use my almost clean 3tb hard drive for extra storage (for both systems)

Thoughts?
 
The nVidia drivers on Linux are fine just make sure you use 17.04 or 17.10. Personally I'd clone the Windows drive to another drive and store it then write over the Windows drive. Any additional drives should be in exfat and formatted in Windows. I'd also strongly consider a Linux Mint varient to Ubuntu since Unity is going away and there's no real point in getting used to a dead desktop.
 
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lowendlinux said:
The nVidia drivers on Linux are fine just make sure you use 17.04 or 17.10. Personally I'd clone the Windows drive to another drive and store it then write over the Windows drive. Any additional drives should be in exfat and formatted in Windows. I'd also strongly consider a Linux Mint varient to Ubuntu since Unity is going away and there's no real point in getting used to a dead desktop.
Click to expand...


Can you recommend a tool (free preferable) to do the cloning? Is it something I can do from a bootable usb stick?

I'm at work right now so looking is a wee bit hard but do able I suppose.

Mint would work, the last live iso I ran well didn't run because it didn't know what my video card was. Maybe an actual install will find the proper drivers for me.

Edit: found this page...

http://lifehacker.com/5891933/the-best-disk-cloning-app-for-linux
 
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Acronis is what I use but if your booted from a live DVD/stick then you can use DD..

Nouveau can drive the 1080 and any wonkyness will come from that, but you also need to see what nvidia driver is in the Ubuntu repo and check it's compatibility with your card. If the repo driver is to old then you're going to have to find a PPA with the driver you need or install it manually which will be an almost impossible task for a newb.

The thing is if you like newer hardware set release distro's really aren't what you need to be using since they always lag. If I were installing Linux on your computer I'd install and Gentoo or Arch derivative so I was always on the latest SW, the drawback is updates can break stuff and you don't really have the skills to fix it.

Burn a few different distros before you pull your windows drive so you have options but make sure they actual different distros not respins of the same base i.e. Ubuntu and Linux mint are the same base and both are based on Debian.

Burn a Fedora (Red Hat base), Manjaro (Arch based), Sabayon (Gentoo based), Linux Mint (Ubuntu/Debian based)
 
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I'm thinking a new ssd to install and test distros and maybe forgo cloning windows all together and leave it as is and just boot to it as needed.

A hack intosh has crossed my mind as well.
 
Ordered a 250 gb Samsung 850 Evo SSD this morning for delivery tomorrow for Linux testing on my desktop.

Debating on a MBP for my actual "serious" photography work...and my 2011 probably needs an update.



I should have bought the MBP first go around instead of opting for this Windows build. At least the Windows box gave me something to do and tinker with.
 
Hmm for some reason Ubuntu wants to install either to the nvme with Windows on it or my 3tb drive and not the new ssd.

Ubuntu will not mount any drive clicking on them on the desktop.

I'm pretty sure everything is plugged in. Maybe I need to format the new ssd?

---

Ok in the file manager when I click on the drives I get unable to access, windows hibernated, operation not permitted resume and shut down windows fully.

Say what?
[doublepost=1505527065][/doublepost]Windows is refusing access to my drives through Linux.

Windows 10 really is a virus huh?
 
Ok got one issue solved kind of. Had to disable fast boot.

Linux still wants to install either to my (for some reason) split storage drive or windows nvme. I can select the new SSD to install the boot loader.

Is this what I want?

Should I unplug the storage drive for now along with the new SSD and just partition the nvme? Or pop out the windows nvme and everything but the new SSD?
 
I pretty much give up.

I removed my storage drive, booted things back up and was still UNABLE to select the new SSD to install to in the installation to drop down menu.

I could go to advance and it would let me select that new SSD for the bootloader and running a live ISO I could access the drive, but no way to install to it.

I remember back in the day before all this EUFI crap and windows 10 junk I could get things up and running no problem.

I have formatted, tinkered with changed volume and while I could access the drive via either system, installing to was a total no go
 
I'm not sure what's up with that drive, but have you tried running Linux in a VM for a while to see how you feel about using it as a daily driver?

That'll let you see how the available software works for you before having to deal with install/driver issues.
 
Altis said:
I'm not sure what's up with that drive, but have you tried running Linux in a VM for a while to see how you feel about using it as a daily driver?

That'll let you see how the available software works for you before having to deal with install/driver issues.
Click to expand...

That may work. It could be a driver issue in the Linux installer and the drive. Yeah I'll need to boot windows.

I may be able to install Linux to a USB drive instead of a live iso then run that in a VM.
 
lowendlinux said:
My gut tells me you're going to have to reset your UEFI NVME makes some changes kinda like UEFI did in the beginning.
Click to expand...


Sounds a bit nasty from a tech stand point. I guess that is why I was thinking just pulling the nvme drive to kind of "start from scratch"

I think windows kind of took over :confused:
 
slitherjef said:
Sounds a bit nasty from a tech stand point. I guess that is why I was thinking just pulling the nvme drive to kind of "start from scratch"

I think windows kind of took over :confused:
Click to expand...

Haha, I don't think Windows can do anything that would affect being able to install Linux to a drive.

The good news is that Windows can see and format the drive, so your hardware is working. I don't know enough about boots and drives to be of any help though.

Maybe try posting over at the Ubuntu or Mint forums since they seem to be pretty active and helpful and have undoubtedly seen this before.
 
Altis said:
Haha, I don't think Windows can do anything that would affect being able to install Linux to a drive.

The good news is that Windows can see and format the drive, so your hardware is working. I don't know enough about boots and drives to be of any help though.

Maybe try posting over at the Ubuntu or Mint forums since they seem to be pretty active and helpful and have undoubtedly seen this before.
Click to expand...

Fastboot and secure boot do exactly that
 
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lowendlinux said:
Fastboot and secure boot do exactly that
Click to expand...

Hmmm maybe there is something in the uefi I need to disable (secure boot).... But.... that kind of don't explain why the Linux installer don't see the drive?

Still thinking the vm option for now.
 
slitherjef said:
Hmmm maybe there is something in the uefi I need to disable (secure boot).... But.... that kind of don't explain why the Linux installer don't see the drive?

Still thinking the vm option for now.
Click to expand...
You can try the VM and if that works..great

I you reset you BIOS you can see if it see's your drive
 
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lowendlinux said:
The nVidia drivers on Linux are fine just make sure you use 17.04 or 17.10. Personally I'd clone the Windows drive to another drive and store it then write over the Windows drive. Any additional drives should be in exfat and formatted in Windows. I'd also strongly consider a Linux Mint varient to Ubuntu since Unity is going away and there's no real point in getting used to a dead desktop.
Click to expand...

Ubuntu is actually slowly moving towards GNOME. This time next year, it'll probably have switched over to GNOME entirely. In the meantime, it's transitioning to GNOME one piece at a time.
 
jblagden said:
Ubuntu is actually slowly moving towards GNOME. This time next year, it'll probably have switched over to GNOME entirely. In the meantime, it's transitioning to GNOME one piece at a time.
Click to expand...
Which is why I said there was no use getting used to Unity. Ubuntu started on Gnome and is returning it never actually should have left.
 
lowendlinux said:
Which is why I said there was no use getting used to Unity. Ubuntu started on Gnome and is returning it never actually should have left.
Click to expand...
I didn't know they were going back to Unity. Well, I guess it doesn't matter that much since you could always get Unity with GNOME. I actually started with stock Ubuntu, then I switch to Ubuntu GNOME, and now I'm running Debian with GNOME on my Linux box. The neat thing about Debian in that regard is that it lets you choose your desktop environment during the installation instead of only having one desktop environment per ISO.
 
jblagden said:
I didn't know they were going back to Unity. Well, I guess it doesn't matter that much since you could always get Unity with GNOME. I actually started with stock Ubuntu, then I switch to Ubuntu GNOME, and now I'm running Debian with GNOME on my Linux box. The neat thing about Debian in that regard is that it lets you choose your desktop environment during the installation instead of only having one desktop environment per ISO.
Click to expand...

They're going to Gnome.
 
lowendlinux said:
Yes but the initial post you quoted turned around what I said

"I'd also strongly consider a Linux Mint variant to Ubuntu since Unity is going away and there's no real point in getting used to a dead desktop."
Click to expand...
Okay. I think I just misunderstood "Ubuntu started on Gnome and is returning it never actually should have left." I read it wrong.
 
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