Review of possible problems when installing Ubuntu second system on SSD
For maximum performance, you need to install the OS "on hardware". But we already have Windows and a lot of data has accumulated that we don’t want to lose. What to do?
"All admins are divided into those who are already doing backups, and those who are not doing it yet." (Popular wisdom)
Due to the lack of moving parts, SSDs (Solid State Drive) are considered to be more reliable in comparison with HDDs (Hard Disk Drive), but this is not entirely true. Even if you do not take into account the limited resource (cell rewriting limit) SSD, they still have weak points - the controller and its firmware. This is a whole system that autonomously makes decisions where and when to write data in order to ensure the greatest performance. Due to the fact that the controller is physically located between the interface and the memory chips, there is a very high probability of its damage as a result of a failure or power problems. In addition to physical damage, in which data access is impossible (they are often still preserved), there are logical damages that can lead to complete data loss.
There are a huge number of backup programs , but I adhere to the principle “the simpler the system, the more reliable it is”.
Therefore, backups do the utility to copy dd files. In addition, it will be available on a bootable flash drive with which we are going to install Linux (in my case - this is Ubuntu ).
At once I will make a reservation that the method of creating a bootable flash drive, described on the official website , did not fit me. The system could not boot . But the latest version of UltraISO did an excellent job with this task, creating a USB-HDD + v2 media type with a Syslinux v4 boot loader. Booting from the LiveCD (flash drives), we got all the necessary functionality for backup.
Overwrite all free disk space with zeros to provide better compression for future backup:
To date, the Internet is full of cloud storage , which can (IMHO, and should) be used for backups.
The reasons:
Also, make it a rule to encrypt your backups, for example, using GnuPG before sending to external storage.
')
Now you need to find a place where we will put Linux. You can “compress” an existing Windows partition if there is unused space there. For this purpose, regular tools are provided in Windows (starting with Vista) !
Much depends on the controller's firmware, but, basically, the operating system “does not know” exactly where a particular file is stored on the SSD disk. The controller itself decides where to write data on the basis of using the cell resource more evenly. When performing defragmentation, the system does not even know whether the rewritable file has moved or not.
Also, do not forget that the file systems initially did not pay for SSD technology and their support is only being implemented.
In any case, I managed to free up a total of 3.5 GB from the available 60 GB, without resorting to the help of third-party programs.
After installing Ubuntu, you can slightly increase its speed by including TRIM .
PS If you are not playing with toys, you can safely install Ubuntu with the basic system, without bothering about the safety of Windows. Progress does not stand still and Linux has long been not a "system for programmers / system administrators."
Backup
"All admins are divided into those who are already doing backups, and those who are not doing it yet." (Popular wisdom)
Due to the lack of moving parts, SSDs (Solid State Drive) are considered to be more reliable in comparison with HDDs (Hard Disk Drive), but this is not entirely true. Even if you do not take into account the limited resource (cell rewriting limit) SSD, they still have weak points - the controller and its firmware. This is a whole system that autonomously makes decisions where and when to write data in order to ensure the greatest performance. Due to the fact that the controller is physically located between the interface and the memory chips, there is a very high probability of its damage as a result of a failure or power problems. In addition to physical damage, in which data access is impossible (they are often still preserved), there are logical damages that can lead to complete data loss.
How to make a backup?
There are a huge number of backup programs , but I adhere to the principle “the simpler the system, the more reliable it is”.
Therefore, backups do the utility to copy dd files. In addition, it will be available on a bootable flash drive with which we are going to install Linux (in my case - this is Ubuntu ).
At once I will make a reservation that the method of creating a bootable flash drive, described on the official website , did not fit me. The system could not boot . But the latest version of UltraISO did an excellent job with this task, creating a USB-HDD + v2 media type with a Syslinux v4 boot loader. Booting from the LiveCD (flash drives), we got all the necessary functionality for backup.
Overwrite all free disk space with zeros to provide better compression for future backup:
# dd if=/dev/zero of=fillzero bs=8M; rm fillzero; # dd if=/dev/sda | gzip –c9 > /some/other/drive/backup.`date +%Y-%m-%d`.sda.dd.gz Where do you need to store backups?
To date, the Internet is full of cloud storage , which can (IMHO, and should) be used for backups.
The reasons:
- Guaranteed data integrity.
- Synchronization and availability of these on various devices.
- Quite a large amount of available space (if you are going to keep movies there, you will have to fork out a little).
Also, make it a rule to encrypt your backups, for example, using GnuPG before sending to external storage.
')
Disk partitioning
Now you need to find a place where we will put Linux. You can “compress” an existing Windows partition if there is unused space there. For this purpose, regular tools are provided in Windows (starting with Vista) !
How does it work for HDD?
- Data is transferred to the beginning of the partition (usually via defragmentation).
- The partition layout changes based on the amount of total free space.
- Excessive free space (at the end of the partition) becomes unused / available for creating new partitions.
Why it may not work?
- There may be "unmovable" files (which are currently open / in use)
Solution: here . - Partition layout may be damaged (physical / software errors)
Solution: chkdsk c: / f / r
Is this method suitable for SSD?
Much depends on the controller's firmware, but, basically, the operating system “does not know” exactly where a particular file is stored on the SSD disk. The controller itself decides where to write data on the basis of using the cell resource more evenly. When performing defragmentation, the system does not even know whether the rewritable file has moved or not.
Also, do not forget that the file systems initially did not pay for SSD technology and their support is only being implemented.
In any case, I managed to free up a total of 3.5 GB from the available 60 GB, without resorting to the help of third-party programs.
What is the alternative way?
- Boot from the LiveCD flash drive, which was used earlier for backup.
- Run GParted and resize the partition as needed.
- We apply changes and reboot into Windows to check the success of operations.
- In case of failure, the backup made earlier will come in handy.
Optimization
After installing Ubuntu, you can slightly increase its speed by including TRIM .
PS If you are not playing with toys, you can safely install Ubuntu with the basic system, without bothering about the safety of Windows. Progress does not stand still and Linux has long been not a "system for programmers / system administrators."
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/181932/
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