Arch Linux

GunnDawg

Member

Registered: 2015-04-14

Posts: 86

Should I start over?

I successfully setup Arch on my 500GB drive with a 50GB /root, a 16GB /swap, and remainder /home. That being said I've been doing some more reading and more youtubeing and see that a lot of people are creating yet another ~512mb sized /boot partition as well. Is this the norm now days for a typical desktop use partition table? I assume my boot is probably rolled into my /root, so I would probably have to start all over if I decided to add a separate /boot partition.

So give me some input folks, I have a UEFI board but i'm not using a UEFI boot, my install and partition table seems pretty basic as is, should I start over and try to make that extra 512mb boot partition or should I save myself the hassle and just continue on how I currently am set up?

Scimmia

Fellow

Registered: 2012-09-01

Posts: 12,426

Re: Should I start over?

Why? What do you expect to gain with a separate /boot partition?

GunnDawg

Member

Registered: 2015-04-14

Posts: 86

Re: Should I start over?

Why? What do you expect to gain with a separate /boot partition?

I suppose I'm not 100% sure, that's what I'm trying to figure out here. It seems that the majority of the "Installation Guides" and "videos" create that /boot partition, though the guide I used did not, so that's why I"m curious.

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 24,072

Re: Should I start over?

If you didn't use https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Installation_guide you are doing it wrong. People on youtube provide instructions for their own personal setups, and that information might not apply to you. That's why the installation guide in the wiki guides you into your own decisions, so that you know exactly what you've set up.

If you want to know why people create that partition read: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/EF … _Partition

GunnDawg

Member

Registered: 2015-04-14

Posts: 86

Re: Should I start over?

If you didn't use https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Installation_guide you are doing it wrong. People on youtube provide instructions for their own personal setups, and that information might not apply to you. That's why the installation guide in the wiki guides you into your own decisions, so that you know exactly what you've set up.

If you want to know why people create that partition read: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/EF … _Partition

Interesting. The guide I followed used a /boot partition but was not using an EFI system.

ray731

Member

Registered: 2018-01-27

Posts: 23

Re: Should I start over?

I would make a separate partition on the same drive for a full backup of the system by dd command, and take drive space not more than required.

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 24,072

Re: Should I start over?

All of my what? Creating a separate partition for "backup" on the same drive that will be affected in the case of where a backup will become relevant is likely to be quite useless and also completely irrelevant to the OPs question.

c00ter

Member

From: Alaskan in Washington State

Registered: 2014-08-28

Posts: 421

Re: Should I start over?

I have a UEFI board but i'm not using a UEFI boot, my install and partition table seems pretty basic as is

Have EFI but using BIOS-emulation? Everything working as intended? No problems? Boredom eating your lunch? <grin>

You got this!

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UNIX was not designed to stop you from doing stupid things, because that would also stop you from doing clever things. -- Doug Gwyn

ngoonee

Forum Fellow

From: Between Thailand and Singapore

Registered: 2009-03-17

Posts: 7,358

Re: Should I start over?

All of my what? Creating a separate partition for "backup" on the same drive that will be affected in the case of where a backup will become relevant is likely to be quite useless and also completely irrelevant to the OPs question.

I suspect that, while the word used was 'backup', he was just recommending a separate partition to be used for copying over the existing partition to a new, smaller, partition.

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Allan-Volunteer on the (topic being discussed) mailn lists. You never get the people who matters attention on the forums.
jasonwryan-Installing Arch is a measure of your literacy. Maintaining Arch is a measure of your diligence. Contributing to Arch is a measure of your competence.
Griemak-Bleeding edge, not bleeding flat. Edge denotes falls will occur from time to time. Bring your own parachute.

Head_on_a_Stick

Member

From: The Wirral

Registered: 2014-02-20

Posts: 8,795

Website

Re: Should I start over?

just continue on how I currently am set up

^ This.

UEFI only offers an advantage over the legacy method in respect of multibooting (and only then if the firmware works), don't bother changing if you're only running Arch on that machine.

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Jin, Jîyan, Azadî