Partition handling LM18 (Xfce) – Setup Swap
Partition handling LM18 (Xfce) – Setup Swap
You're dealing with a situation where your Linux setup is limited by existing filesystem constraints. Since the drive is filled with an Ext4 partition, shrinking it for swap space isn't straightforward. The tools available don’t offer a direct way to reduce the size of this volume. You might need to consider alternative solutions like using a larger initial partition, creating a separate swap file, or exploring advanced partitioning methods if your hardware supports them. Let me know if you'd like guidance on any of these options.
It seems you're questioning the value of a swap partition given your RAM capacity. You might find no advantage even with 4 gigabytes! The best approach would be to install gparted Live, adjust the root partition size, set up the swap space, and then restart Mint. After logging in, use swapon in the terminal. Be cautious though—activating the swap this way may not persist after a reboot.
Sorry, the change won't apply consistently across every boot, but I can create a script to run it at startup. It’s not usually helpful with such a large amount of RAM, but I can handle it. I’ll skip it for now. Thanks.
I'm unsure about swapping on your very large SSD or whether it's necessary with 16GB RAM. I have 16GB of RAM and only require swap for my virtual machines. I prefer using swap files for flexibility, not for everyday use with plenty of RAM. https://wiki.debian.org/Swap
It actually assists in what I already understood. Initially, I thought Linux relied on RAM for disk caching as well, not just programs, because wasting free RAM means unused memory. When a program isn't running but data remains, it swaps the data to disk and moves RAM back to speed things up. Swapping also helps during hibernation. For automatic mounting at boot without scripts, adding it to /etc/fstab is surprisingly simple—just append the line: <device> none swap defaults 0 0 Device can be either by /dev/sd*, UUID or label. Try to avoid /dev/sd* if you can. For further details on fstab: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fstab
Generally, SSDs perform better than HDDs in terms of access speed. Swap files tend to be much slower compared to RAM, especially on hard drives. They aren't the best choice for storing data that should stay in memory, unless you have enough RAM or no space left. My guidance on adding swap is helpful. Thanks. (P.S. I’m actually planning to reinstall the OS because it makes me really want everything to start perfectly.) I’ll keep this note for later. ❤???? EDIT: Clarification: The issue isn’t slower RAM caching, but lack of available memory space. My goal is to reserve a certain amount of RAM (around 3GB) for stability and system needs, while letting other apps run smoothly without needing fast disk access.) Essentially, swap isn’t used for regular applications—it’s meant for specific tasks where speed isn’t critical.)
It seems the results might differ based on your HDD setup and what you actually run. I've been recommending saving a bookmark to the Arch Linux wiki, even for those not using Arch, because it offers a lot of helpful information neatly organized. A treasure trove of knowledge.
I really have a bookmark—I should make better use of it. Since I'm using Manjaro, it's a huge help. Checking it out would be even more useful. Thanks!
Sorry if you missed it! Understanding is strength! The ability to lead everyone! LOL Jokes aside, be careful as it can quickly pull you into a deep rabbit hole with "I can do this, can I do this too?" and start delaying real work by just trying new things out of boredom. I remember it the hard way with my old Arch setup—completely broken, KDE notifications showing in windows instead of popups, and similar issues. Still, I’ve gained some valuable lessons along the way.