I just got a new laptop and installed Linux on it. I mainly run OpenSUSE.

Getting full encryption on both was a bit of a challenge and I had no idea what I’m doing. Will having the swap partition in the middle break things? Did I really need so many partitions (Mint and OpenSUSE don’t show up in eachother’s boot menu)?

I’m probably not gonna change this layout (because reinstallation seems like a pain) unless the swap partition’s position is a problem. I’m just curious how many mistakes I made.

EDIT: I’m not upgrading my drive capacity. I do not need it.

    • dallen@programming.dev
      9·
      1 year ago

      Can’t speak to your exact machine but nowadays the license tends to be tied to the hardware.

      If you are capable of manual partitioning then you should be able to reinstall Windows quickly if needed.

        • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          4·
          1 year ago

          Tbh I will usually simply swap out the OEM drive for a bigger and faster (and typically cheaper than the OEM upgrade option, per size) one the second I unbox it (optionally, go through the setup process before taking it out, so it’s ready to go next time you want to plug it in). This lets you not waste space on that “rainy day” contingency (which I’ve almost never actually needed). The one exception (and I keep a dedicated laptop around for this) is automotive diagnostic suites with proprietary USB hardware - I’ve got an old thinkpad still running windows 7. XP would honestly be better, because a lot of that shit doesn’t like “new” versions of windows.

        • utopiah@lemmy.ml
          5·
          1 year ago

          At some point if they have ridiculous restrictions one might consider … doing the test in person, in a room provided by the actual school or that THEY provide the hardware.

          Anyway IMHO the bigger point is that a lot of my own inaction (I won’t speak for others) came from fear of problems that rarely, if ever, materialized. I would recommend to move on and if the problem does actually arise then consider solutions at that point.

          I uninstalled Windows on my SSD years ago (despite paying for it, forced by OEM deals), didn’t regret it once. In fact, I wear it as a “badge of honor” with pride. When someone tells me I “have” to use Windows for whatever reason, I tell them I can’t and that usually leads to interesting conversations.

    • Otter@lemmy.caEnglish
      4·
      1 year ago

      It should be possible to grab the license key before you wipe it. You could also copy it into an external drive and store it away as is