Unable to install CentOS on my new Windows 10 computer

General support questions
MartinR
Posts: 714
Joined: 2015/05/11 07:53:27
Location: UK

Re: Unable to install CentOS on my new Windows 10 computer

Post by MartinR » 2018/07/17 10:07:32

I would never put a backup partition on the same spindle as the partitions it is backing up. If the disk goes you've lost both original and backup. Remember the best way to develop a backup plan is to mentally start with a new system and consider how you would rebuild it if the old one had been stolen or gone up in flames. You need external data storage which is kept away from the machine (preferably well away in a different location).

desertcat
Posts: 843
Joined: 2014/08/07 02:17:29
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: Unable to install CentOS on my new Windows 10 computer

Post by desertcat » 2018/07/17 17:09:22

MartinR wrote:
2018/07/17 10:07:32
I would never put a backup partition on the same spindle as the partitions it is backing up. If the disk goes you've lost both original and backup. Remember the best way to develop a backup plan is to mentally start with a new system and consider how you would rebuild it if the old one had been stolen or gone up in flames. You need external data storage which is kept away from the machine (preferably well away in a different location).
Yep that is the BAD thing about a 4TB drive (or bigger) if you put the OS and the Backup on the same drive and it goes south you are toast, still how do you fill a 4TB drive?!? Still that is why my automated backup is one giant 2TB partition on a 2TB drive. $93 however for 4TB?!? You got to admit that is tempting!!!

osintern
Posts: 4
Joined: 2018/07/16 04:04:24

Re: Unable to install CentOS on my new Windows 10 computer

Post by osintern » 2018/07/17 17:11:06

Thank you Desert Cat. You're very helpful. The person who is trying to help me says that there is no point in saving the harddrive I have. The reason is that once I hook up this harddrive to another computer with Windows Pro it wont work with it because of different components. He just wants me to format the wondows pro drive. Please let me know your take on it Desert Cat. Thanks.

desertcat
Posts: 843
Joined: 2014/08/07 02:17:29
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: Unable to install CentOS on my new Windows 10 computer

Post by desertcat » 2018/07/18 05:28:56

osintern wrote:
2018/07/17 17:11:06
Thank you Desert Cat. You're very helpful. The person who is trying to help me says that there is no point in saving the harddrive I have. The reason is that once I hook up this harddrive to another computer with Windows Pro it wont work with it because of different components. He just wants me to format the wondows pro drive. Please let me know your take on it Desert Cat. Thanks.
?????????? OK I am assuming that the ORIGINAL Windows 10 drive is still going to be in the the computer. Correct?? IF you try to move the Windows 10 drive to another computer, then yes he would be correct. M$ in all its great wisdom (cough, cough) tried to make it so that any move of the drive to anther computer would violate some Lic. terms or another -- I'm not quite sure the exact wording you need to consult a Windows person which I am not, that said I can't for the life of me understand why you would be prevented from adding another drive to the machine. That's worse than just welding the hood of the car shut, it is more like welding it shut and telling the "owner" where they can drive. Say you want to upgrade your memory at some point, you would be -- using the same logic -- be prevented from doing it because the configuration would change, and so on and so forth. ADDING another drive should NOT affect the way Windows 10 behaves, it should be smart enough to say, "Oh, NEW DRIVE added" , and carry on as normal. If you ERASE that drive you just poured between $100 -$200 down the drain. Me?!? I like to experiment: I'd buy that 2TB drive (or 4 TB!!) stick it into the computer and do a couple of experiments:

1) With the Windows drive still attached see if Windows 10 will recognize it (it *should* but no guarantee it *will*).

2) Disconnect the Windows drive and then check in BIOS to see that the NEW drive shows up (it *will*). Boot up your DVD CentOS 7 install disk and install CentOS 7 on it. Most Linux distros use Grub2 as their boot loader. Once you have totally installed CentOS updated all the packages etc., then shut down the machine, hook up the 1TB Windows drive. WARNING: The LINUX drive *may* take priority over the Windows 10 drive, but then you just need to add the Windows 10 drive to the Grub2 menu thereby making it a dual boot machine. Indeed to could add other OS's, but which OS boots is decided by which OS you Select.

3) The potential hazard of installing CentOS with the Windows 10 drive still connected is you will overwrite the Windows 10 bootloader, and thereby creating a world of grief. Say you have installed CentOS on the 2TB and no matter what you do, you can't get the Windows 10 drive to be recognized, simply disconnect the Windows 10 drive and leave it unconnected. If for ANY reason you needed or wanted to use Windows all you would need to do would be to disconnect the CentOS drive and reconnect the the Windows drive. Some BIOS's are really smart: You can have both drives connected and then you select which drive you wish to boot. So even if M$ throws a fit and refuses to recognize the CentOS drive, and you wanted to boot you simply go into to BIOS select that CentOS drive to boot and you are on your merry way. And vice versa.

Unless M$ has figured out to monitor all changes to the computer ie swapping HDD as long as you keep the original HDD with the computer there should be no reason why at some future date you could not simply swap out the New drive and reinstall the old drive.

I'd check with your friendly hardware hacker who understands your BIOS, but I'd pounce on that 2TB drive (or 4TB if you want to be really radical). There is no reason you should be forced to erase Windows 10. A good computer should be flexible enough that you can add and change the computer configuration over time. As long as you keep the ORIGINAL DRIVE WITH THE MACHINE you should have no problem substituting a new drive with a different OS in its place. Anybody who is telling you to ERASE a drive with a $100-$200 OS already on it WHICH YOU PAID FOR is either reckless, an idiot, or has no concerns about money. He is ONLY CORRECT IF you were to try and move that drive to a different computer. Why he would advise you to erase an OS simply so you can re-use the drive beats me. $59 for the 2TB drive is a good investment, and it protects your original investment which cost you far more money that $59.

8675309-jim
Posts: 19
Joined: 2018/07/11 01:57:42

Re: Unable to install CentOS on my new Windows 10 computer

Post by 8675309-jim » 2018/07/18 14:18:58

desertcat wrote:
2018/07/17 08:28:12
As to your computer... NICE!!! DDR4 memory, real nice!! How many slots does it have 2 or 4?? If it is 4 you can blow that things up to 64 GB of RAM!!! If two up to 32 GB, though check with Dell they should be able to tell you what the max is. IF you plan on running any VM the more the better. That's using 16 GB SIMMS.

As to the HDD: A little secret that is no secret: buy your stuff from Newegg. Given that it is "Prime Day" you might be able to snag a really good deal on a 2 TB drive for lot less. As to the make. This is a toss up. I like Seagate Barracudas, I've had bad luck with Western Digital, but there are a lot of people with the opposite experience. Both are good, it is truly an individual preference. Before heading over to Best Buy I'd let my fingers do the walking and checkout Newegg first. If you can find the exact same drive on Newegg and it costs more than what you can get it at Best Buy, then snag the Best Buy. $85 clams for a 2 TB is a tad on the pricey side. I've seen 4 TB drives sell for about $99. I think I snagged my 2TB Seagate Barracuda for $59.00. I've seen them as low as $55.

I just went over to Newegg to see what I could find. I found a 2TB Barracuda for $59 w/ Free Shipping. Here is the link:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6822178993

I'd snag this puppy ASAP!!!

Welcome to the Board.
desertcat is right,

Try
Newegg.com or tigerdirect.com, I use either or. Depending on what you are looking for you can find some great deals.

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