Ytdyklly

I have a Dell XPS with pre installed Windows 10 and UEFI. I need to install Linux Mint 18 near Windows 10 (I don't want to remove Windows, I need to keep it).

I've already disabled Secure Boot and shrunk Windows partitions to have enough space for linux installation. I have only one physical disk, and have 3 partitions:

C:/ - 48 GB - Windows main partition, 

D:/ - 10 GB - Windows data partition,

E:/ - 50 GB - all for Linux Mint 18

However, my main concern during the install is the GRUB installation point. Let's have a look at an example disk space, as seen by Mint installer (it's not my disk, its only an example from the Internet):

By default, GRUB wants to install in /dev/sda. However, when I expended the list of Device for boot loader installation: it also showed me other entries:

 /dev/sda 

 /dev/sda1 Windows Boot Manager

 /dev/sda3

 /dev/sda5

 /dev/sda6

 /dev/sda7

 /dev/sdb (I install Mint from USB stick, so for sure it's not that option)

Which one should I choose to be able to see GRUB after rebooting (I mean, after installing Mint successfully)? I do not want to mess up with UEFI settings or destroy Windows/EFI partitions and Windows boot manager.

Update: I know I should not use /dev/sda3-/dev/sda7. I only wonder if I should use /dev/sda or /dev/sda1.

The /dev/sda is your disk. /dev/sda[number] are partitions. One of them is Windows loader, one is your C/, another are D:/ and E:/. I don't know what is additional one. Which is which you must check by yourself.

I think you don't fully understand what do you should do, so there is simple instruction:

1. Delete E:/ (I think it's empty)


2. At the end of earned space (it should be end of disk space) make new partition with 200 MB of space, ext4 format and select /boot mount point. There will be installed GRUB.


3. Create next partition with freed space. It can be at begin or end space (). Partition must be 10 GB or more, but best way is 16-20 GB (IMO), select / mount point and ext4 format. This will be Linux system partition.


4. Create another one partition. Select ext4 and /home. There will be /home catalog and user files. Set it as big as you need for files you use on Linux. If you don't create it, /home will be at system partition, what is not good solution.

If you have some additional space, make there partition with ntfs format and without mount point for files you would to use form both systems. However in my opinion, better way is to copy data from D:/ somewhere, delete that partition and make bigger ntfs one for files with access form both systems. In this case / partition must be at the end of free space, just before /boot. Then you should have:

1. about 100 MB ntfs for Windows loader


2. 48 GB ntfs for Windows


3. ntfs partition for files accessible from both systems


4. ext4 partition for files accessible from Linux


5. 10-20 GB for Linux


6. 200 MB ext4 for GRUB
   In this order.

//Sorry for my English.