I’m planning to upgrade my PC with a new M.2 SSD (either 500GB or 1TB) while keeping my current 250GB SSD (which has Windows, Steam, etc.) and a 1TB HDD filled with games. I’m trying to organize my system so that I can run both Windows and a Linux distro, with the intent to share data between them. I’m considering scenarios like installing Windows on the SSD and Linux with its bootloader on the M.2, or vice versa, or even setting up a KVM for Windows. My main concern is managing shared storage and potential NTFS compatibility issues. Any suggestions or tips on the best configuration would be great!
2 Answers
I’d go for running both operating systems on the SSD by carving out separate partitions, and then use the HDD as a shared storage spot. Just a heads-up though: with a 500GB drive split between two OSs, Windows might start feeling cramped. But it’s doable if you keep an eye on your space. Linux handles NTFS nicely, but Windows won’t recognize EXT4 out of the box, which is something to keep in mind. So, if you want everything accessible from both sides, using the HDD for shared files is your best bet.
You might want to split your HDD into two parts—one formatted in EXT4 for Linux and one in NTFS for Windows. This way, you can use your smaller SSD for Windows and the new M.2 for Linux, like I’ve done on my own rig. It’s a neat trick to keep both OSs in sync with shared data, though you’ll need to tweak settings so both systems can read each other’s partitions (with Linux handling NTFS pretty easily, but Windows would need third-party tools for EXT4).
PLATFORM INFORMATION
That’s a cool suggestion, but I’m still wondering how seamless the cross-access will be between NTFS and EXT4. Have you experienced any hiccups or do you recommend any particular setup tweaks?