Partition Table for Dual Boot with Windows8

Solour · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 01 Jul 2006 Posts: 107

Hi everybody,

==== SITUATION ====
I have a computer here with windows 8.1 installed.
The documentation contains a default/recommended partion layout
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:AMD64/Installation/Disks#Default_partitioning_scheme

However, having a partition for windows has implications I guess.
The windows partition starts currently at 1MiB...

parted reports

Keruskerfuerst · Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 2:33 pm Post subject:

You should add
1. /home partition with ext4 (~100 GB)
2. /var partition with ext4 (~50 GB)
3. /tmp partition with ext4 (~50 GB)

DONAHUE · Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 3:05 pm Post subject:

Must the bios-boot partition be located at the beginning of the drive? No on an msdos labeled disk.
IF SO:
Then I would have to move the windows partition? Not SO.
Is windows8 then still bootable? Maybe.
IF NOT SO:
should I create the 2MiB partition after the windows partition? Yes, but MBR (msdos labeled disk) in a legacy bios computer does not need this partition at all
Gentoo runs perfectly well in an msdos labeled disk with only a single / partition (if memory is large enough to obviate a swap partition and suspend/hibernate does not require swap). Partitioning beyond / and swap (if required) is a matter of choice and "religious" conviction
_________________
Defund the FCC.

cwr · Veteran Joined: 17 Dec 2005 Posts: 1969

It might be easier to add a menu entry for Grub to the Windows boot menu;
that way the Windows partitions are unchanged, and Windows doesn't have
a conniption fit (and bootup takes ten seconds or so longer).

EasyBCD is one app that handles Windows boot menus - there are others.

The other approach is to boot to the grub menu, and boot Windows from
Grub, which is also pretty straightforward. I use the first approach because
it avoids problems with recovery partitions on laptops.

As far as partition layout is concerned, I keep Windows on 1 and 2 to stop
complaints, put Grub on 3, and put Linux on 5 and upwards.

Will

Keruskerfuerst · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 2:26 pm Post subject:

I don´t know any problems recovery partititons of win and Grub2.

Solour · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 01 Jul 2006 Posts: 107

I have used boot+swap+/ as in the documentation and used grub2 and windows was also detected using sys-boot/os-prober
that is mentioned in the grub2 guide but not in the main install guide...