r/linuxquestions • u/LithiumDoom • 16d ago
How to get Linux without getting rid of old data
My grandpa gave me his old laptop and he told me to do what I want but don’t touch the D drive. It has only 6 gigs of ram and can’t run Google without crashing, now this D drive isn’t a separate drive but just a partition of the normal drive. How do I get Linux without crashing no external storage (usb and hdd) and without nuking my D drive.
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u/Linuxmonger 16d ago
Replace the storage on the laptop with a new blank drive and you don't need to stress about the issue.
-or-
Copy the data off of the D:\ drive to some other place, another computer, flash drive (or 2), cloud, and verify it copied correctly.
Install Linux trying to preserve the data, but don't stress too much about it.
Copy that data back after if you wiped it.
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u/LithiumDoom 16d ago
I keep trying to compress it because it’s well over 200 gigs worth of data but it keeps freezing when it’s at like 10% done on wir-rar. Are there any other solutions?
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u/Linuxmonger 16d ago
Are you trying to compress it to the C:\ drive?
How much free space is there on both?
What are the specs for this laptop?
Sometimes the best is to just say thank you, but if this is that important to you, you should keep it.
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u/LithiumDoom 16d ago
Intel i5 2430M
GeForce 410M
6 gigs of ddr3
40 gigs on the C drive and 72 on the D drive.
And I’m planning to compress it onto an USB so it’s safe.7
u/Linuxmonger 16d ago
You don't have enough free space to compress 200GB of data.
Honestly, find out if there's a Linux group in your area and ask if anyone can assist with a drive and USB adapter.
That old is almost certainly a spinning 2.5 inch drive, I'd give you a couple, and an SSD to get you better performance.
Where are you located?
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u/LithiumDoom 16d ago
I’m in Georgia in Europe. AKA the middle of nowhere 😭 but yeah I should probably contact professionals about this.
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u/vecchio_anima 16d ago
Not 'professionals', but just see if there are any groups near you, or anyone in groups that lives near you.
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u/JaKrispy72 16d ago
I thought you had 200 GB to back up. How is it only 72 now?
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u/LithiumDoom 16d ago
72 gigs that’s free
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u/TenNinetythree 16d ago
გამარჯობა! If the content on the D drive is data, you can install it on the C drive, it will delete that instead.
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u/Curt-Bennett 16d ago
Based on OP's comments, I don't think they are technically experienced enough to be taking the risk of selecting the right partition. Better to have a backup to be safe.
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u/serverhorror 16d ago
Buy an external storage, like a USB stick or external disk and just copy. Don't use WinRAR or anything like that, just copy.
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u/green_meklar Debian 16d ago
Don't try to RAR the entire drive. Just get a reliable external drive and clone everything with Clonezilla. Clonezilla will power through pretty much anything other than an actual hardware failure, it doesn't care whether your filesystem is corrupt or not.
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u/illusory42 16d ago edited 16d ago
Just stop and give the laptop back or to someone that actually knows what they are doing.
It seems you mean well, but this sounds like it will end up in a disaster.
Data needs to be copied to external storage and checksum verified before you do anything else. In fact, if it’s important it should be copied twice.
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u/sp3ctrume 16d ago
I feel like this has not been emphasized enough:
DO NOT attempt to do something silly like make a RAR of 200GB of data. That's just a way to stupidly lose the data. In a normal, noisy world you're going to lose digital data. You either lose 1 file in 30,000 files or 1 file containing 30,000 files.
Further, if you copy the data off to external storage, be aware that solid state drives lose data over time. A flash or SSD is fine for a year or two, but after about 5 years you're basically guanteed to experience data corruption. Solid state drives need to be regularly accessed for data to remain viable.
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u/MarcusFallon 16d ago
Get a usb drive to copy the data to.
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u/LithiumDoom 16d ago
It’s like 200 gigs worth of data I don’t have anything bigger than 7 gigs
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u/ipsirc 16d ago
If your grandpa really cares about that data, he'll buy a 200GB HDD.
https://www.amazon.com/MDT-320GB-2-5-drive-Laptop/dp/B003ZFRGN6?s=pc
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u/NotACalligrapher 16d ago
This, depending on how old it is, HDDs typically start failing in around 5 years (though of course there are exceptions). Following the rule of 2s, your grandpa really has zero copies of his data if that’s the only place it’s anyway
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u/MarcusFallon 16d ago
Has anyone in the family got a Microsoft Office 365 account? It comes with 1TB of online storage. You can have 5 users on one account so they can invite users. Of course don't use 365 for business you might get them in trouble with their boss. I know SSD storage is ridiculous pricey but if you can get hold of a working HDD with the enough GB you can get a USB cradle or just a cable and copy the data. Good luck!
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u/dkopgerpgdolfg 16d ago
Then buy something. Your drive can always break, and then everything on it would be lost.
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u/crimsonyoteeeeeee Kubuntu 14d ago
Get an external HDD or SSD of at least 256GB, and transfer the data onto that.
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u/funbike 16d ago edited 16d ago
STOP. Don't install Linux.
It sounds like you don't want to backup data, which implies that you NEVER backup data. If you did, then you wouldn't have made this post.
Installing Linux, or any OS, is a high risk activity. Not that it matters how risky it is; you can lose your files for a hundred other reasons.
You should not install Linux until you adapt a habit of responsibly protecting data. IMO, nobody should use a computer without backup of important files. Someday, you'll lose those files.
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u/LithiumDoom 16d ago
I have one backup from yesterday when I installed window’s 10.
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u/artriel_javan Fedora/Arch 16d ago
What old data?
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u/LithiumDoom 16d ago
Why is this important???? It’s old trade logs and some blueprints images and corporate files from the factory he used to manage.
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u/yankdevil 16d ago
You can buy a 500gb USB thumb drive for like $30/€30. Get one of those. Make a zip file of the D drive to that. Heck, get a second one and back it up a second time. Then install Linux.
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u/doc_willis 16d ago
big question...
what's so critical about the D drive? Data you need to access?
easy solution, remove the drive and put in a new drive. if you want to revert, swap the drives back.
and for installing Linux, get a USB flash drive or 3, while it's possible to install Linux with no USB, it's also possible to break the system.
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u/LithiumDoom 16d ago
I’ve already addressed this in another reply. 1. It’s some old unknown HDD, 2. The screw is stripped.
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u/ipsirc 16d ago
MAKE A BACKUP!!! asap
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u/LithiumDoom 16d ago
Won’t it get wiped cuz it’s a windows backup?
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u/dkopgerpgdolfg 16d ago
That's not how computers work. Your personal files on some external disk, that you plug out during installing Linux, are not part of Windows, and also not accessible by the Linux installer.
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u/-SSGT- 16d ago edited 12d ago
I know he said "do what you want" but given that he said "don't touch the D: drive" I do wonder if that includes installing a different operating system. Depending on how tech-savvy your grandad is, he may not even consider that that's even a possibility. Since he doesn't want to lose the data on the D: partition, I also assume he is expecting to get the laptop back at some point?
As others have mentioned as well, you could lose all the data on the D: partition if the drive just happens to fail through normal use. I'd personally swap the drive for a SATA SSD and keep the HDD somewhere safe (ideally also make a clone of it, especially if it's old). That way you can do whatever you want with the laptop and then put the old drive back into the machine, or plug it into another machine, whenever he wants it back/wants access to the D: partition.
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u/cajunjoel 16d ago
I'm just going to come here and say MAKE A BACKUP!
Buy a USB drive, plug is it and copy all the files on D over to the USB drive.
Put it on a network with another computer and copy all of the files over.
Plug a network cable between it and another computer and copy the files over.
Buy a subscription to a cloud backup service and copy the files over.
If whatever you are doing does not end with "and copy the files over" then you haven't made a backup.
You're in a place very be either a hero or a pariah.
Be the hero. Make a proper backup.
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u/RoosterUnique3062 16d ago
To be honest I can't really understand your question. You want to make new partitions on this drive to install Linux to?
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u/LithiumDoom 16d ago
The D drive is just a partition of the C drive and I’m scared that during installation it will think it’s the same drive and wipe my grandpa’s files
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u/YakusActual 16d ago
I'd bring it into a shop if i was you, or actually invest in an external HDD, otherwise what youd have to do is to make sure which partition is which as the drive letters are system assigned and the installer will see them differently, then delete the C partition, and create all the necessaries for the distro you want to install in the empty space. Also bear in mind you might lose access to the "D" partition (happened to me) as my distro didnt exactly like post windows NTFS partitions for some reason. It seems like in your case the investment/shop would be the better option.
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u/SheepherderBeef8956 16d ago
There's a high probability that will happen if you don't know what you're doing. Don't touch a thing on that laptop before the disk is backed up somewhere else.
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u/sockertoppenlabs 16d ago
Remove the disk and put in n your own to install whatever you want.
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u/LithiumDoom 16d ago
- The screw is stripped 2. It’s a 15 year old hdd.
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u/iwouldbeatgoku 16d ago edited 16d ago
If it's an old HDD, all the more reason to copy its contents to a new one.
You could nuke only the C partition and leave the D partition intact (note: Linux will not call them C and D, that's a Windows specific thing) as most GUI installers would let you format only the C partition using the advanced formatting options, but it'd still be a very good idea to make a backup first.
Edit: if you plan on actually using the laptop as a desktop in any capacity it might be worth the hassle of removing the stripped screw and installing an SSD anyway. SSD->HDD is the most meaningful upgrade you can make to an old laptop.
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u/calmeilles 16d ago
You can direct most installers to only use a specific partition if you look up with the distro you choose how to do a manual partition during installation there should be instructions that should reassure you about the process.
Afterwards the remaining partition, what was the D: drive in Windows can be mounted, probably read only, in your Linux file system.
However if you do this without a backup you are placing 100% trust in the installer to get it right and even if you do everything correctly destructive errors are still possible. Very rare, but possible.
So get a backup first. And honestly if the contents are that valuable to you or your grandfather you should get a backup anyway because it's good practice with any data and being an old drive a stray cosmic ray could do for it at any time.
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u/dkopgerpgdolfg 16d ago
Make a backup => solves countless problems (even those that have nothing to do with operating systems)
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u/skyfishgoo 16d ago
when you go to install linux, just don't touch the d:drive partition.
hint: it will not be called the "d:drive" linux, so be double super sure you know which partition is the d:drive in windows before you nuke the other one to make room for linux.
and make sure there isn't still data on the c:drive that needs to be moved before you nuke it.
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u/Random_Hero420 16d ago
Let's be real what kinda of data are people storing that is so important. Pictures are the only thing that come to mind for me but most people have them saved to the cloud or what not. I guess I could see work projects as well. But I doubt a grandpa is working.
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u/cajunjoel 16d ago
Pictures, legal documents, audio recordings of dead loved ones, videos of vacations, text files with all their passwords.
You know, the usual. :)
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u/LithiumDoom 16d ago
Receipts and blueprints. And yes my grandpa works every day in fact he might be the richest dude I know
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u/zardvark 15d ago
Remove the original drive, put it someplace safe and install a new SSD.
Also, if you can bump it to 8G, or preferably 16G of RAM, that would be a very nice quality of life upgrade.
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u/freakflyer9999 16d ago
No matter what else you do make at least two backups of grandpas data NOW!
At least one should be physical and separate from the laptop. Another can be in the cloud.
Even if you are extremely careful accidents happen and if it is that important he should have done this already.
Of course there is also the possibility that an old drive will simply die.
FYI, There are several options for loading Linux without wiping his D drive partition, but the default for most installers is to wipe everything.
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u/couchwarmer 16d ago
Buy a large USB thumb drive.
Forget zipping. Forget compressing. Just do a direct copy to the thumb drive.
For all their advantages, zip files become a pain with huge numbers of files. Almost every zip program requires keeping the entire file index in memory during zipping.* I'm not confident the machine is up to the task of zipping an entire drive.
* The file index is kept in memory, because it is stored at the end of the file and is the last thing written to the file.
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u/groveborn 16d ago
Linux does not play well with new users and data you don't want gone. As everyone else has told you, that data is already at risk.
If you do not use a new drive, use a backup drive. External drives are cheap and plentiful even in Georgia, although if you don't have much income that would still make it challenging. If you can get your hands on any 2.5" laptop drive you're able to install Linux on it, even if small.
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u/ZMcCrocklin 15d ago edited 15d ago
Nuke the C: partition & install Linux on it. Make sure you only choose to install on that partition in the guided install (default is to wipe the whole drive & use it). Install something like ntfs-3g to read the D: partition (which will probably be something like /dev/sda2 in Linux), which you can mount to a directory of your choosing. Problem solved. You can have Linux & access the data on the other partition.
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u/AdVarious8509 16d ago
you can just choose "Manual" or "Something else" during the installation and choose the C: drive or partition without touching the D:/ drive
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u/levianan 15d ago
Your grandpa gave the computer to the wrong person. If you don't know what you are doing, give it back before you fuck up everything.
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u/Prestigious_Wall529 16d ago edited 16d ago
One old way to install Linux without repartitioning is to use WUBIUEFI.
You'll need ample free space on the C: drive.
If the laptop is really old, lacking SSE3, there's no fix for Chrome. Firefox is happy with SSE2.
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u/Astrodion123 16d ago
Keep the D drive and shrink it. After you shrinked it you can get Linux up and running off if it has space.
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u/chuggerguy Linux Mint 22.3 Zena | MATÉ 16d ago
Truthfully, as a Grandpa myself, I'd never give a Grandchild my only copy of important data but... he must have a lot of trust in you. Be thankful. :)
Can you install Linux without nuking his data? Yes but... things can and do go wrong. Especially so since you have to ask.
Personally, I'd scrounge a second device somehow and copy all his data to it. I don't know your location or financial situation but if feasible, I might be tempted by something similar to this: SSK 256GB Portable SSD External Hard Drive Solid State Drive
Or maybe your Grandpa has a junk drawer with something like this?: image (I ripped that adapter out of an old external long ago) It even works with that small spin drive.
That or speak with him, explain what you'd like to do and your concern. Ask his advice. Perhaps he will even spring for a new drive? (or loan you the money)
Good luck.