[ale] Linux install breaking windows?

[mike at trausch.us]

On 02/08/2012 07:13 PM, James Sumners wrote:
> Before resizing an NTFS partition, especially with use at your own risk
> tools, you should do two things first: run a complete chkdsk on the
> volume and defragment the drive. Failure to do either of those things
> could result in the loss of vital system files/areas of the disk. If
> this has happened, the least you can try is a repair using the Windows
> install disk.

Yes, defragmenting is a good step, but only if it is necessary.  Often
it isn't; it really depends on what the last actually used block in the
filesystem is.  99% of the time, at least IME, it is no further than 60%
in and I rarely cut more than 40% from an NTFS partition.  After all,
it's not like I need 11 GB for a minimum installation of (any!)
Linux-based system.

Of course, if the NTFS partition is (or was) full, that's a totally
different story.  But I haven't encountered that sort of a situation in
a little while now, with drive sizes being what they are today and all.

> The best solution would be to mount the partition with the NTFS driver,
> copy off all the important data, and install Windows _to its own
> physical disk_.

While that is a nice thing to be able to do, it's often not practical.

I actually rather like running it in a VM, but that is also often not
practical; most people's Windows licenses won't allow them to reinstall
it inside of a VM, because OEM licenses are bound to the hardware (that
is, "legally" speaking).

	--- Mike

-- 
A man who reasons deliberately, manages it better after studying Logic
than he could before, if he is sincere about it and has common sense.
                                   --- Carveth Read, “Logic”

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 729 bytes
Desc: OpenPGP digital signature
Url : http://mail.ale.org/pipermail/ale/attachments/20120208/340d182a/attachment.bin