I have a PC currently configured to dual boot Windows 10 and Linux Mint. I don’t need Windows anymore, but Mint is working just fine and I’d rather avoid wiping the whole thing and starting over. Is there a safe way to just get rid of Windows?

  • Labna@lemmy.world
    1·
    3 days ago

    Hi, I didn’t see the answer if you only have your pc and no other big storage :
    If you still have the installation usb or recreate one. Boot on it then you open gparted with that you remove the two partition off windows, the main with the system and the recovery one (if there is) but don’t touch the first or last partition esp if it exits. Then you can expand the partitions to get the free space. Extend to the right is fast but extend to the left can be really slow and prone to failures.
    I case you Linux partition are all on the right you can also create new main partition, do the install of the linux on this one, then reboot on the USB, move the user and configuration files on the new system, delete old installation partitions, then extend the new install to take the full drive.
    There is commands to remove the old esp entries I don’t remember yet.
    This can take few hours so be patient.

    The other option with a backup (dd) of the main partition is obviously safer but take nearly the same amount of time and need an external drive.