Thanks! I plan on installing Linux on a separate SSD, in order to avoid partition management altogether. :P This will be my big project come March! But since you mentioned NTFS... I am backing up all of my data to a couple of external 5 TB hard drives. Will I be able to retrieve my data from Linux if using exFAT instead of NTFS on these external drives? I was so focused on backing up my data, that I forgot to do the same for my system drive! xD I'll look into Clonezilla, thanks! ;)

I really appreciate the links you've provided! Will definitely need these tools to back up my system file. :D

Just a heads up. Sometimes a switch command is easy to forget or miss. You may require using a resizing tool like Gparted or whichever tool comes with your OS.

:)

edit:
Most modern linux gui versions have a NTFS read/write package to allow you to use NTFS usb drives, in linux. Though I can only confirm 2TB for my equipment. If your hardware in Windows detects and makes use of anything higher, then it should be fine in linux on that same hardware.

Only problem I have had with a drive larger than 2TB, was a micro laptop from GPD. Some garbage companies like GPD advertise standardized components, while actually using subpar parts. So when attempting to use their hardware with certain items like Thunderbolt, it fails. Similar to how scammers will sell a 2 inch usb thumb drive, claiming 40TB capacity.

You're welcome. :-)

Oh, definitely install on separate drives, yeah.
As for exFAT, from what I see Linux has native exFAT support for a long time now. But, not being a native file system for Linux, it doesn't support Linux permissions, same as NTFS, so writing to it from Linux won't also copy permission info.

Came here for this comment. Was not disappointed.

On data drives and such, NTFS is visible and works quite fine on Linux. You can read and write and whatever on e.g. an external USB hard drive formatted to NTFS. I do that all the time, even on my Raspberry Pi4 Linux computer.

So if you were thinking of reformatting some data drives to exFAT in order to be able to use them on Linux, no I don't think that is necessary. Most Linuxes I've used at home seem to recognize and support NTFS by default, but those rare cases where they don't, installing the ntfs-3g driver in Linux fixes that.

https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/NTFS

Naturally as someone pointed out, you don't get all the same Linux filesystem (ext4 or xfs most probably) features on the NTFS partitions likefile ownership restrictions etc., but they are not needed on external datadrives etc. that you want to use and be visible both in Linux and Windows. My 18TB USB hard drive containing all my GOG games, and some other stuff, is one example of that. I want to be able to use it both in Linux and Windows (both read and write), and NTFS works just fine for that purpose.

The only hiccup I've found so far is that e.g. the preallocation feature on gogrepoc.py does not work for some reason if you try to use it on Linux to download GOG games onto a NTFS drive. The script just hangs, unable to proceed, when it tried to preallocate space on the hard drive for a download. So you need to disable preallocation on that script for it to work. (The reason to preallocate is to lessen file fragmentation on a NTFS partition.)

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/gogrepopy_python_script_for_regularly_backing_up_your_purchased_gog_collection_for_full_offline_e/post4080

EDIT: One more thing, it is odd that NTFS formatted external USB hard drives and memory sticks seem to be actually easier to use on Linux, than formatting them to Linux native file systems like ext4 or xfs?

At least that's the impression I got when I formatted one of my USB hard drives to ext4 I think. With NTFS USB hard drives, connecting them to a Linux PC or Raspberry Pi4 is just as easy as in Windows, Linux detects it and automatically mounts it.

With that ext4 formatted USB hard drive, for some reason that didn't happen? Either I had to manually mount the ext4 formatted drive to some empty directory (mountpoint) whenever I connected it to the PC, or apparently use some extra utility to automount such devices.

I don't know if that is intentional or whether I was doing something wrong, but I found it kinda funny that NTFS USB hard drives and memory sticks are easier and simpler to use in Linux, than those same devices formatted to Linux filesystems?

Yesterday, I took my backpack to a shoemaker shop (a rare find!) and asked the older gentleman if he could repair or replace the zipper on my backpack. He took my bag, looked at the zipper, took it to a nearby tool and after three minutes came back to me and said, "Done." LOL! I was speechless. When I asked him how much I owed him, he shooed me away (no pun intended!) with a friendly, "Don't worry about it." :)

So, 1 out of 3 resolutions completed. :P

Oh, boy. I did a terrible job of fulfilling February's resolutions! :( Failed 2 out of 3 quests. Only managed to get my backpack zipper repaired. What happened?

Reading a book has always been a struggle for me, so I'm not completely surprised I missed the mark on this one. As for my promise to myself to back up everything on my PC in preparation for a Linux installation, I'll be honest: I've been checking online for a sale or discount on Western Digital's 5 TB portable drives, preferably the My Passport editions, but to no avail. And, without these external drives, I couldn't create any backups. :(

But, I refuse to feel defeated and will press onwards! :) Afterall, I'm only human and such is life.

Time for me to resume these quests for the month of March!

Well, to be totally fair, failing to backup wasn't really your fault, after all. I mean, it would have been if you already had the drives, but were too lazy to do the backup; it isn't if you're just waiting for a more affordable price. And by the way, I was amusingly surprised when reading your post, as I've been thinking of buying the exact same model of HD for a while lately.

They remain, for me at least, the most reliable external drives. Never had any problems with them so far (knock on wood!). And, just to be extra safe, I always buy 2 drives and create 2 backups, in case one of them fails on me. ;)

Still checking for sales, but to no avail. :(