I'm setting up a 2TB NVMe SSD for Linux Mint 22.2, which I'm planning to use primarily for gaming and browsing. Since I already have Windows installed on a separate SSD, I'm using the "Something else" option during installation to manually format the new disk. I want to keep Windows for a while but eventually drop it, so I don't want a dual-boot menu showing up at startup; I prefer handling that in the BIOS instead.
I've already disabled Secure Boot to get the live USB to work. Is it okay to keep Secure Boot disabled?
Here's the partition situation:
1. Windows 10: 1TB
2. Data NTFS: 4TB (for files shared across OSes)
3. Data2 ext4: 4TB (for games, savegames, software, etc.)
4. Mint: 2TB
What partitions should I create for Mint and at what sizes? I've heard mixed opinions about having the "/home" directory on the same disk as the installation. I want to make sure my savegames are safe if Mint ever has issues, so I'm considering setting up a second user whose home directory I'd keep on the 4TB Data2 disk.
Additionally, do I need to define mounting points during installation if I've pre-formatted the SSD in GParted? Let me know if you need more details. Thanks in advance for your help!
2 Answers
I think the easiest approach might be to disconnect your other drives during the Mint installation. After that, once you get Mint set up, you can reconnect them and use 'os-prober' and 'grub update' to detect your Windows installation.
As for partitioning, I personally don't create a separate home partition. It can make some people think backups aren't necessary. If Mint ever breaks, you're still covered because the home files are separate. For my setup, I just do a regular install and it works well. But if you're gaming or using cross-platform stuff a lot, be cautious about how you manage your partitions.
I always disable Secure Boot on new systems. Having a separate home partition can help if you plan on doing a fresh install later, but it’s not strictly necessary. For partition sizes, my root partition is around 40GB, and I'm using only about half of that with lots of programs installed, since I don't use flatpaks, which can eat up space.
You'll also need a 100MB EFI partition formatted as FAT32 for your bootloader. Just make sure to disconnect your Windows drive when installing Mint to avoid complications with the bootloader being installed there. After installation, you can mount your other data partitions as needed. And creating a second user won’t significantly boost security, so consider whether it’s worth it for you.
Definitely check out the Linux Mint forum for more specific advice!
Thanks for your insight! I have heard about the complications with the bootloader, so I’ll keep that in mind. Just to confirm, I’ll create the EFI partition in GParted as you suggested and set the mount points during installation.