SSD or HDD or BOTH for Dual Boot

#1

I have verified that my existing 1TB HDD that I have been dual boot ParrotSec/Win10 in my laptop is screwed.

So the thought is replacing it with a 250gb or 500gb M.2 SSD drive and a 2nd drive possibly a 500gb SSD or a 1TB HDD.

I have read various theories regarding the best partition(s) / mount points with symbolic links, etc. for doing this for several linux distros…but NOT Parrot.

I plan on using the new file system for ParrotSec with fresh install, and will do a fresh install of the Windows (I only use it for games anyway)

I know that there must be some veteran Parrot keeper’s with solid recommendation on this.

#2

Well, I’m not a veteran. I’ve been running Parrot since mid 4.4 release. I have an SSD, and seem to have no problems with it. It is debated whether and SSD can be wiped completely like a HDD can. I’ve been using this drive for 2 years, defragging, and single wiping between reformats, and all sectors are still functioning properly.

#3

You really should not ever need to Defrag an SSD…it does not store files like a HDD, and the access read/write does not function the same as a HDD which is why it should not need defrag.

What I am unsure of is the best way to handle the partitioning for dual boot. I had read at least a few posts in other forums suggesting a separate partition for the windows boot, another for the win OS, then another for the linux boot and then the desired file system layout for linux. Boots & OS on the Primary SSD or M.2 and all large programs & data on the HDD or 2nd SSD.

So I am looking for feedback and suggestions on this.

#4

If you are planning on installing both boot partitions on the same drive, just make sure you install windows first. Windows has a habit of writing over the boot sector so if you install parrot first it will just overwrite it. Personally i keep my windows and parrot on separate drives, just so i know windows isn’t likely to mess it up.

If i was splitting parrot between two drives, i would have the boot and file-system root on the faster SSD and then have the HOME partition on the other drive. I usually have my home in its own partition anyway.

I dont see any reason why you couldn’t partition one on the drives and install windows on it. Then leave a partition on the other drive for all the games, that you can expand if you need more space. On my windows machine i have a small SSD with the boot and data partitions, then a larger HDD for all my games ect.

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#5

I’ve been running a dual boot of Windows 10 and PARROT OS on HDD 1TB for over a year now and have had no problems. I HAD Windows 10 installed first and then added PARROT afterwords. I use a grub boot loader and that works fine. I’ve partitioned PARROT to have a root/home and swap with no issues. My laptop has a core i7 8gb ram hope this helps