Linux with 2 Drives

Hello,

I’m new to this whole Linux thing, but excited to remove myself from Big Tech system. I have installed Linux successfully on an old ASUS laptop and a Desktop tower the was built for me.

The Desktop Tower has 2 drives. I installed Linux on the main drive. I have a backup drive that is 3 TB. I have done nothing with this. Do I need to add Linux to this drive, as well, in order to use it? I can’t access it from the main drive in the file manager. Since I’m used to Windows, I’m still trying to figure this out.

I appreciate the help!
Jeff

Hello @jeff942 and welcome to the forums!
No, you don’t need to install anything. You just need to mount it (and put it on auto-mount). You’ll be able to use it normally. Do you happen to have anything worthwhile on the second drive or is it completely empty?

Thank you @vasileios !

No, i removed any important files from the second drive.

@vasileios How do I get the backup drive to work?

Hey Jeff!
I apologize for the delay. I had half the answer typed out (as I just saw by revisiting), but got distracted by emergencies.

The easiest way is to use the Disks application. Hit your Windows/Command key and type in Disks. Run it, then select your backup drive and tap the little gear icon on the bottom of the long bar that appears on the right side of the window.

In the screenshot below, just select your backup drive.

Then turn off the auto options and select the auto-mount. At the area, where my pointer is, select to show your drive via its LABEL, if it has one. Then click ok and select the “Play” button next to the gear you selected earlier. This will mount it for your current session and then it will remount after every reboot. If it fails to do so at any time, you can always hit the “Play” button in the application or just select it on your file manager.


Please ignore the warning you see on my window - as I’m demonstrating this on the single drive my laptop has.

No problem on the delay @vasileios . I appreciate your help. You mention windows/cmd here. I have already installed Linux. I just can’t access the backup drive. Also, I think my partitions might not be set correctly on the drives. I was thinking about doing a fresh install with correct partitions, but not sure what to set those at for. Main drive is 80g and Backup is 2 TB. Maybe you could share steps or point me in the right direction on how to do this correctly form the start?

When I mentioned the Windows/Command, it’s the key on your keyboard - which brings up your dashboard and allows you to search for files and applications. :slight_smile:
You do not need to run a full re-installation.

If you want to take it step-by-step, open up the “Disks” I mention in my previous post and send me a photo. (Just drag and drop the file here) and I’ll guide you through it. :slight_smile:

I think k I might do that. I have reinstalled Linux a few times and seems like something is just not right. I have an 80g Main drive and 2TB backup drive. Both internally installed. My computer still seems to run slow.

Would it be better to switch the drives and make the 2TB drive Master drive?

Also, when II boot my computer… as it loads, there is text code… from what I can see is that some of the text is referencing corrupt files and databases… Could this be related to a bad hard drive? May I should just remove it and make the 2TB the main drive ?

If you’re having errors during the early stages, yes, it could be an indication of a system fault. Is your main drive an HDD or an SSD? And how long have you had it? (Just to estimate work-hours for it)

It’s an HDD. Had the computer for several years, but was custom build by my brother in law. So, not sure how used or old the HDD is. It was running VERY SLOW when I had windows on it. It never used to run that slow. I figured it was Windows causing the slow down.

Windows has a problematic filesystem and system of operations. To add to the mix, it also fragments the files way too much. This means that when it deletes smaller files (temporary), it leaves empty spaces in the block structure. Then, when you write (or it writes) something new, it breaks it into parts, trying to fill those little spaces until the entire file is written. So, you’ll find bigger files exist in multiple areas of the HDD, which is another factor why it’s so slow.

Besides that, an 80GB HDD should be very old, thus I would either recommend you use your 2TB as the main one, or (if you want to significantly accelerate your system), you can replace the 80GB one with an SSD. However, you’ll need to be certain that the drive has a SATA connector (it’s quite small, less than 1 inch wide - with its power being a flat connection, about 2") and not an IDE one.

Thank you @vasileios . I’m going to remove the other drive and use the 2 TB as main drive. I’ll reach out if I have any problems. Thank you so much for your help!

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@vasileios I removed the 80G and noticed there are 2 2TB drives. So, installed Linux on one of them. Everything seems to be fine. I still can’t figure out the Mounting of Drives. I can’t access under my computer or home. Not sure how I can save files to these. I have attached several screen shots to hopefully give you a better idea of whats going on.




I guess the second disk must have an issue. If you don’t have files in it, I would recommend a format.