How do I create an extended partition for installation?

[Member ptoye]

My machine already has three primary partitions in use (there’s a Windows installation on it as well). When I installed antiX I used gparted to move them around and create space for it. But I couldn’t see how to create an extended partition so that I could have a separate swap partition; gparted didn’t seem to have that option (or did I miss something?)

This raises two questions:

1) Can Grub boot from a logical partition?
2) If so, how do I create one?

Peter

[Member fatmac]

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Yes, you should be able to create a non primary extended partition, (usually numbered 5), & this can then be sub divided.
(If gparted can’t do it, create it in Windows, then use it with Linux.)
Yes, Linux should boot OK from an extended partition.

Linux (& BSD) since 1999

[Moderator caprea]

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If you go in gparted to Partition > new
a window will appear, where you can choose “create as:” primär partition, logical partition or extented partition.

[Member ptoye]

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Thanks to both of you. I hadn’t noticed that option in gparted, and now I’ve put antiX onto a primary partition it won’t let me create another one without deleting something first.

So I might have got myself into a bit of a bind here as I still would like to keep the Windows partitions. So the only one I can delete is the one with antiX on it….

I can’t see a way of converting the antiX partition within gparted but there seem to be 3rd party tools on the market. Whether any of them run under Linux I don’t know, but I can always use the Windows installation. Wish me luck!

Peter

[Anonymous]

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The trick should do the trick:
You have to delete antiX first.
Then, using the antiX-Live and the gparted on it, you make the deleted partition the “extended partition”.
If your HDD allows it, this extended partition should be as big as possible. In this partition you can do many antiX installations (usually 10GB are enough)

[Member ptoye]

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Thanks male

I’d rather come to that conclusion myself, and had just started to do it when your email arrived!

[much later] – and it worked. Thanks. 🙂

• This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by ptoye.

Peter

[Author]

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