Re: New dual boot laptop: Best file system for a USB live image for installation?
Tom Browder wrote:
> I'm preparing to install Win 10 and Deb 9 on a new ZaReason laptop which
> has no installed OS on it.
>
> It comes with one 120 Gb SSD as its primary drive and has an empty bay
> where I will install a Samsung evo 860 1 Tb SSD.
>
> I would like to use a live image on a large USB for preparing the disks
> before installing Win 10 and then Deb 9.
>
if you have network access, I would suggest to take the net version as it is
minimal and you will get all the latest packages from the network during
installation, so consequently you do not need any large usb.
> Some questions:
>
> 1. What is the best filesystem (FS) to use on the USB? They usually come
> with a FAT32 or exFAT FS, but I have in the past made them exFAT. As I
> understand it, I believe I can just copy the Debian CD live iso image file
> onto the USB and it will be found and booted from fine.
>
you can dd the netinstall to the usb it should work
> 2. If a straight copy works as in question 1, is there any problem with
> adding other files on the USB? I have a 64 Gb USB I would like to use for
> both a live image as well as storing other files on it.
>
What you are thinking will not work unless you modify the partition table,
so that it may see the rest of the disk - when you do dd it will write only
the image and the rest of the drive will be not usable
I usually mount the usb and do debootstrap installation, or when you finish
the installation, you can just copy your installation to the stick and make
it bootable.
> Given that I'm starting with two clean drives, my plan is to use the small
> disk for Win 10 and the other for Debian and maybe have a small partition
> to experiment with a BSD OS.
>
No Win10 will not be happy with 120GB - better take 300GB from the large
disk for windows and the rest for data linux, windows or both
> 3. Any suggestions as to partitioning given the advantages of the new (to
> me) GPT disk formats?
>
might be better, but remember you have to enable it in bios before booting
the netinstall
> 4. Which partitioning program is best to use? I am used to using fdisk and
> parted, but I see partion manager mentioned.
fdisk is not suitable for GPT
gdisk - GPT fdisk text-mode partitioning tool
parted - disk partition manipulator
Basically read the debian documentation and then try to implement.
Also previously it was advised to install windows first and debian after,
but I do not know how Win10 is behaving in the context of UEFI, as far as I
understand it, the order should not matter for GPT
regards
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