Top choice for Linux Mint using a 25GB SSD and 300GB HDD
Top choice for Linux Mint using a 25GB SSD and 300GB HDD
Hey, I’m just starting out with Linux. You picked Linux Mint because it’s the one most beginners recommend. I have a 128GB SSD and a 1TB HDD, and I’m using Windows as my main system. I wanted to dual boot with Linux Mint, but the guidelines suggest about 25GB for it. Since I have around 40GB left on my SSD, I created a 25GB partition and used the rest of my HDD for about 300GB. I placed the root folder on the SSD partition and the home directory on the HDD, and everything worked fine. The OS started up really quickly—almost instantly. After about two weeks, I installed a lot of software and noticed my free space on the partition dropped. One day it showed “0 bytes left” in a notification. I checked and saw my root folder was empty, but the applications folder still had everything. I thought maybe I’d messed up the setup and decided to give it a try again tomorrow, then shut down and booted back into Windows. While I was in Windows, I realized I couldn’t log into my user account. I was worried and looked up possible reasons—maybe a graphics driver issue or storage problem. After some research, I figured it might be related to my recovery mode settings. I found a way to free up space and it fixed the issue. When I tried to install apps, they wouldn’t load properly. Eventually, I deleted my Linux partitions and removed the GRUB bootloader. Now I’m planning to install Linux Mint from scratch again, this time on a fresh 25GB SSD and 300GB HDD setup. Before I start, I need your advice: what’s the best way to organize my storage? Should I keep essential boot files on the SSD, use the HDD for larger downloads and software, and avoid mixing apps between directories? Are there settings in the app center or terminal commands I should use to manage this? I’m completely new, so any tips would be a huge help. Thanks!
Boot partition typically holds the kernel files. Was it mounted separately from the root drive? Ensure your software is placed in usr/bin. Check the PATH command to verify where executables are located. If they appear in unusual directories such as /boot, there may be a configuration issue.
Maybe you added too many programs. When you install games or similar apps, they tend to consume your root partition fast. Your home directory isn't the standard spot for software installation, particularly when using the apt package manager. You might want to clear out your root partition. Use a disk utility to identify which files are using the most space. Just note that software is usually placed in your user/bin folder, which resides within the root partition.
I just realized this. Initially I assumed my apps would stay in /home, but I deleted my Linux partitions and will install fresh. I'm wondering how to best utilize my 25GB partition and 300GB HDD partition. Should I adjust settings during OS installation or look for a setting in the app center that I missed? Is there a command I should run before installing apps from the terminal?
You could create a separate partition and attach it to /usr/bin or even just /usr. In reality, most Linux distributions start up quickly even on a hard drive, so unless speed is your main issue, you might skip this step and simply install mint on the hard drive at /OppositeCube... or opt for a new 250GB SSD, which are now affordable. There isn’t any built-in option—you’d need to mount a dedicated partition during installation.
I’d design a combined solution... During startup, the kernel should reside on the SSD while keeping /usr/lib, /usr/bin, /etc, /home, and /sbin as primary locations. Larger files could be placed elsewhere, which is simple to manage during installation. Ensure fstab is set up correctly, using symlinks if you prefer a unified partition instead of separate ones. The fstab should initialize this shared partition first.
Suggest extra room to clear old kernels and packages occasionally http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2016...ntu-16-04/