I'm planning to install Linux Mint alongside Windows because I don't have another hard drive large enough to hold all my files. I want to keep my existing photos, documents, and folders on the Windows partition and access them from Linux without losing anything. Is that possible, and are there any precautions I should take during installation or when mounting the Windows drive?
4 Answers
Yes. Linux Mint can generally read and write Windows NTFS partitions, so you should be able to open your existing files from the file manager after mounting the Windows drive. Mint normally includes the required NTFS support, but you may need to install an NTFS-related package if the partition is not detected properly.
Disable Windows Fast Startup before using the partition from Linux. Fast Startup can leave the NTFS filesystem partially hibernated, which may prevent Linux from mounting it safely. If Windows uses BitLocker, accessing the files from Linux is more complicated, so disabling it or making sure you have the recovery key is advisable.
You could also create a separate NTFS data partition for documents and other files that both systems need to access. That works well for photos and personal files, although shared NTFS partitions are not always ideal for applications or games.
Be extremely careful during the Mint installation. Partitioning mistakes can erase the Windows partition and your files, so make a backup of anything important first, even if you only have one internal drive. Accessing the Windows files afterward is usually straightforward, but recovering data after an installation error may not be.
Related Questions
Can't Load PhpMyadmin On After Server Update
Redirect www to non-www in Apache Conf
How To Check If Your SSL Cert Is SHA 1
Windows TrackPad Gestures