Arch Linux

Sameer

Member

Registered: 2013-09-16

Posts: 18

[SOLVED]Deciding on partitioning for Arch (dual boot with Win 7).

Hi guys!

I have Windows 7 32-biit installed and want to have dual boot with Arch 32-bit.

I have an ASUS motherboard which supports both Legacy & UEFI boot.
In BIOS settings, both Legacy and UEFI are enabled. Windows shows partitioning style as MBR.
I am going to install Arch in the remaining HDD.

I am going to make only one big partition for root ( / ).
But the wiki also talks about a separate UEFI partition. Do I need to create that?

I am going to install GRUB and not Syslinux.

Should I make the Arch partition GPT or MBR?
Should I use cfdisk or cgdisk?

Also in future I am planning to install 64-bit Windows 8.

Should I install Win 8 64-bit before Arch?
What should I do?

Please help me...

Last edited by Sameer (2013-09-24 11:35:40)

qinohe

Member

From: Netherlands

Registered: 2012-06-20

Posts: 1,498

Re: [SOLVED]Deciding on partitioning for Arch (dual boot with Win 7).

Hi, welcome to ArchLinux, if you just want to start, install Arch with a MBR, you don't need UEFI, MBR boots just fine.
However, if you want to take full advantage of the hardware you own. you need to install both OS's at least 64 -bit to use UEFI.
edit:typo

Last edited by qinohe (2013-09-17 11:29:16)

satanselbow

Member

Registered: 2011-06-15

Posts: 538

Re: [SOLVED]Deciding on partitioning for Arch (dual boot with Win 7).

I have Windows 7 32-biit installed and want to have dual boot with Arch 32-bit.

I have an ASUS motherboard which supports both Legacy & UEFI boot.

Are you sure your Windows 7 is 32bit?

In BIOS settings, both Legacy and UEFI are enabled. Windows shows partitioning style as MBR.
I am going to install Arch in the remaining HDD.

Unless you are prepared to reinstall W7 it follows that the rest of your OS will be MBR installs

I am going to make only one big partition for root ( / ).

You haven't stated the size of your HDD - regardless a 40G / (root)  would be considered ample (if not over large by some)
It may be better to then fill the remaining HDD space with a separate /home partition for your personal data - make reinstalls / recovery a whole lot simpler down the line

But the wiki also talks about a separate UEFI partition. Do I need to create that?

Not if you are using MBR

I am going to install GRUB and not Syslinux.

That is entirely up to you. More of a Syslinux guy myself - but your choice entirely and i'm not gonna preach either way.

Should I make the Arch partition GPT or MBR?

You cannot "make" a partition GPT/MBR - both refer to a partitioning scheme that must be applied to a whole disk

Should I use cfdisk or cgdisk?

There is no cgdisk in Arch... I'm lazy and tend to use gparted on a livecd wherever possible...

Also in future I am planning to install 64-bit Windows 8.

I can't think of anything sane to say about that...

Should I install Win 8 64-bit before Arch?

Windows OS should typically be installed before nix where practical.

What should I do?

Do a lot of reading about partitioning and the differences, bonuses and pitfalls of all the things you have mentioned above... you probably should have done the reading before you posted truth be told.

Please help me...

Given it a go - but there is nothing here that couldn't have been answered by helping yourself...

PS - The Wiki is awesome you can lookup all this good stuff on there.

Last edited by satanselbow (2013-09-17 13:08:16)

clfarron4

Member

From: London, UK

Registered: 2013-06-28

Posts: 2,165

Website

Re: [SOLVED]Deciding on partitioning for Arch (dual boot with Win 7).

One warning: Using gdisk to partition your drive (without care) will convert any partition table to a GPT one. I've seen people caught out by this one.

---

Claire is fine.
Problems? I have dysgraphia, so clear and concise please.
My public GPG key for package signing
My x86_64 package repository

b1tH1de0

Member

Registered: 2013-06-05

Posts: 17

Re: [SOLVED]Deciding on partitioning for Arch (dual boot with Win 7).

Hi guys!

I have Windows 7 32-biit installed and want to have dual boot with Arch 32-bit.

I have an ASUS motherboard which supports both Legacy & UEFI boot.
In BIOS settings, both Legacy and UEFI are enabled. Windows shows partitioning style as MBR.
I am going to install Arch in the remaining HDD.

Both are supported but Windows 7 uses MBR as the default (to be honest I don't know if there even is a possibility to utilize the other one) thus, if You don't plan on wiping the whole disk (MBR->GPT would require creating a new partition table), stick with MBR.

I am going to make only one big partition for root ( / ).
But the wiki also talks about a separate UEFI partition. Do I need to create that?

As other user stated above, You don't. Only one partition is not a good idea. I would go with at least 3: /, swap and /home. Do some research on partitioning schemes to find out what each directory contains. That should help You create Your own scheme.

Also in future I am planning to install 64-bit Windows 8.

Should I install Win 8 64-bit before Arch?
What should I do?

Linux in general is much more flexible when it comes to installing other OSes on the same disk thus it would be easier to install both Windows system before it and then setup GRUB (which, when installed in MBR, will replace Windows bootloader) to be able to boot all of them.

Last edited by b1tH1de0 (2013-09-19 11:50:59)

Sameer

Member

Registered: 2013-09-16

Posts: 18

Re: [SOLVED]Deciding on partitioning for Arch (dual boot with Win 7).

Thank all of you!
Sorry for late reply...
as my net died, I couldn't connect for a while...

Thanks again!

nomorewindows

Member

Registered: 2010-04-03

Posts: 3,415

Re: [SOLVED]Deciding on partitioning for Arch (dual boot with Win 7).

The trick to getting Windows 7 to use GPT is if it installs it when a GPT has been "mysteriously" created.

---

I may have to CONSOLE you about your usage of ridiculously easy graphical interfaces...
Look ma, no mouse.