I initially installed Zorin 17.3 on an SSD which already had another flavor of Linux. As a result, I had 4 partitions:
Btrfs - BIOS Boot
FAT32 - EFI System
Ext4 - Linux (non Zorin)
Ext4 - Zorin
Then, using Rescuezilla, I cloned the partitions 1,2,4 to a new SSD. I got rid of another Linux, so now my SSD is Zorin only. It boots with no issues.
Because the other Linux partition was located before the one with Zorin, I now have a free space gap:
BIOS Boot
FAT32 - EFI System
Unallocated space
Ext4 - Zorin
I want to move the partition with Zorin next to the 2nd partition.
When I opened GParted and set this action, it gave me a warning that moving a partition with boot can cause issues with booting, so I cancelled it.
How do I determine if this is my case and how do I successfully move this partition and prevent any issues.
Thanks
Do you have any screenshots with Gparted showing the partitions as well? It would just be nice to get a visual as to which partition has what flags applied to it. You are generally able to move a partition to the left, then resize once moved to take up the remaining space on the right. It is going to require you to do it from a live system off a USB for example (like a live Zorin instance), and I would HIGHLY recommend backing up anything important before doing so.
Moving to the left is generally a little more dangerous than just to the right or expanding, but as long as you're careful it should be no different than anything else.
This Warning Message is normal. And You will get it in any Case because there is a common Risk to move Partition. You could expand the Zorin Partition to the unallocated Space. then You would have it directly beneath the others.
Other Question: Why did You keep/clone the Btrfs BIOS Boot?
You could go another Step, too: Save Your Data and make a fresh Install of Zorin and choose during the Installation the Option ''Erase Disk''. That will wipe the whole Disk and erase all Data on it and install Zorin only. The Installer makes all that automatically.
According to your screenshot, your partition 2 contains your boot info. You can see this from the "Flags" portion beside the entires. I'm not sure if your system even needs the bios_grub partition anymore, but given it's so small, it's not a big deal to leave it.
What was most likely occurring was Gparted giving you a warning as since you're moving the partition that has your data on it, it may cause the system to not boot properly. Since all you'll be doing is moving the partition to the left, then increasing size to take up all the space to the right, I don't believe this should be an issue, but as always; Backup your critical data before doing any partition fiddling.
I don't think, that You need it - at lest You shouldn't because for Zorin You have the FAT32 EFI Partition. I guess, it is from Yourother Linux. So, in Theory, You shouldn't need it. But it doesn't need much Space and when it doesn't make Issues with booting or running the System of Course, You can let it like it is.
To the actual Thing with moving: Like @applecheeks37 already wrotes, there is nothing what should interfere the moving of the Partition. But because You move it, You get the Warning because it can be a Risk. So, You should be prepared with a Data BackUp and a USB Stick with Zorin on it for Repairing or Installing if needed.
thanks for the info. I'll give it a try.
The main reason for not reinstalling is not because of data but because of quite a few apps/packages I've installed. Going through the same process would take time, mostly because I didn't really keep track of what and how I installed.
I've looked for reliable ways to capture/backup all installed software and recover it on a fresh install, found one post here but there were many steps and too tedious. So that's why I decided to clone.
Thanks again!
I ran GParted and successfully moved the partition to the left. No issues with booting.
Thanks for clarifying regarding boot partitions. Appreciate your help.
