This is a Follow up to my last Topic Post from Last Week. I am trying to install Zorin OS and make it dual-boot between Windows OS and Zorin OS and i get these options (i did not touch anything) but what i did was take pictures of these options and what are these options i select or make? Before anyone asks
yes
Secure Boot is off
TPM is off (been off even before i installed Zorin Because i don't want Windows 11 on it and is sticking with Windows 10)
Fast/Quick Boot is off on Both BIOS and Windows
Yes its GPT And for BIOS its UEFI (Non-CSM)
Here are the Pictures.
https://imgur.com/a/z8EWAi6
I also want to mention the 1TB is SSD (which I am trying to dual-boot between windows and Zorin os) and the 2TB is HDD (does not have any boot)
The first step must be to shrink the windows partition.
What you need to know - How much space is free on the Windows OS partition? You want to shrink Windows, leaving it plenty of room for safe growth, allowing plenty of room for Zorin OS (More than 64gigs).
You must first defrag Windows OS (Zorin OS and GnuLinux uses journaling filesystems so does not ever need defragmentation).
Once defrag is done, I recommend using the Windows partition tool if it is more familiar to you...
Or booting the Zorin Live USB and not launching the installer, but first running Gparted if neither partition tool is familiar to you (Because we can guide you in real time on Gparted).
In Gparted, select the Windows Partition, then right click and select Resize.
You will see a slider bar at the top you can adjust or you can enter in absolute values in the entry fields.
It will take time to resize the drive as that involves moving files - but it will be a lot faster if Windows is defragged.
When that is done, you will see the Free Space as a line in Gparted. You can format that to ext4, primary, beginning of drive space and mountpoint set simply as /
Launch the installer and select Something Else to manually choose that partition - though with the Gparted work done prior - the automated "Install alongside Windows" option should just use the partition your formatted earlier.
If you are confident defrag is not needed, that is a choice you can make.
I would only advise caution if you had been running windows for quite a while and it was a messy pile of cobwebs.
You do not want to install one OS only to have to struggle to repair or salvage the other... And Windows is... touchy...
My own opinion is that for Windows, it is best to always defrag - just because of how Windows OS writes to disk.
Even Brand Spanking New - it just kind of throws pieces of files everywhere. It begins fragmenting immediately.
Ext4 Journaling is more logical. It allocates set blocks for files - buffering them with additional room for growth - so that files are not fragmented, ever.
It is a 'better safe than sorry" opinion. Because not defragging will probably turn out alright. Probably...
But if it doesn't... Fixing it could be like pulling teeth.
is defrag only needed if it i added more than windows Suggested? (The top arrow button) or i dont need to worry about anything if i just do it less than suggested? (the bottom arrow button when you shrink)
Whether it is needed and how dire that need is is a pure guess on my part. I cannot truthfully narrow that down any...
You have before you a decision, that is founded on what information you have so far.
Defragging first can help in this specific situation, even if on an SSD it normally would not be of benefit to offset the cost.
How necessary or how much it can help is a variable - that really boils down to the risk of results, not the odds of success.
If not defragging, given your recent Windows Install and allowing plenty of space for it, the odds are in your favor.
Just more in your favor with defragging.
The worst case scenario is that your Windows OS gets borked. Oh no.
/dev/nvme0n1p3 is where your current Windows resides. You need to Shrink this partition and make some free space for Zorin. Then create partitions (one efi and one / ) using that free space for Zorin to install. You can follow this video for making the new partitions: https://youtu.be/emH32aCEZVk?t=328
If you are unsure, after making the changes and before proceed final installation, share the screenshot for confirmation.
Open the “Device for boot loader installation” drop-down menu and select the device where you created the new Zorin OS partition in step 5. Do not select a specific partition in the drop-down menu (with a drive identifier ending in a number, like “/dev/sda3”).
