Score:0

Have 2 extra FAT32 partitions (empty, 510 MB each) after installing Ubuntu 20.04 alongside Windows 7

lb flag

I recently re-installed Ubuntu Focal Fossa 20.04 alongside Windows 7 Home Premium (Service Pack 1, 64 bit) as a dual-boot system; upgrade from Eoan Ermine 19.10 had failed, so used an ISO installation DVD for the task. Success! Both operating systems are working, but now there are 2 additional FAT32 partitions on the Windows "My Computer" screen; each one is 510 megabytes in size, with only 12 kilobytes used for a Recycle bin. Why were these folders created? This didn't happen when I originally split the drive for the dual-boot installation of Ubuntu 19.10 and I used that partition this time for Ubuntu 20.04; may those empty partitions be safely deleted and the space given to the main Windows volume? I am running an ASUS laptop, octa-core, with a terabyte hard drive that is split evenly between the two operating systems.

Thanks in advance for your help. Aloha!

Nmath avatar
ng flag
NTFS is a proprietary filesystem from Microsoft for Windows so Ubuntu did not create them unless you explicitly instructed it to do so. FYI Windows 7 is EOL and should be replaced. It has well known vulnerabilities that will never be patched which makes it a glowing red target for hackers.
PonJar avatar
in flag
Are you sure they are NTFS and not some variety of FAT? If they are NTFS and they are not part of the Windows system they will appear as drives in file explorer with a letter, perhaps E: and F:. In this case you can probably delete them and make use of the space but if they are part of the Windows system it will mess up the Windows installation.
HulaBear avatar
lb flag
You are correct; those 2 folders are indeed FAT32, not NTFS systems. Same question applies, though. They each have a drive letter.
ar flag
Can you edit your question and list the contents of the two FAT32 partitions? Do they have any folders and files? Another thing to do is to install **Gparted** in Ubuntu if you don't have it already, and take a screenshot of the Gparted with showing the two partitions. Then you can upload the screenshot to imgur.com and add a link to the screenshot in your question above. I suspect you may have installed (or tried to?) Ubuntu in the UEFI mode, and that may have created an EFI System Partition (ESP).
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