Linux: Dual-boot on Dell tower: Prepare to Install

Procedure to Install Linux:

install

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Back up all your files
Create a partition on your HD for Linux:
(see also: (go to:) Partitions)
- enter "partition" in search bar
  (see instructions in "create USB stick" page if search bar is not visible)
  This will bring up the Disk Management Utility
- Decide which existing partition you'll shrink to make room for Linux
- Under Disk 0, OS (C:) shows 917.44gb NTFS
- Hover cursor over it, right click, and select "Shrink Volume"
- Querying volume (about 5 min)...
  Size of available shrink space: 15.078gb
- Explanation: cannot shrink smaller than "any unmovable files" ...
  but query says 701.59gb free space??
- click "Shrink"
  New partition 14.72gb was created, designated "Unallocated"
- repeating: right-click, "Shrink", query shows 0 available to shrink.
- OK, so this is a problem, since 15gb is not enough for how I want to use Linux on this machine:

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Here's the solution I used:

Step 1: Disable Hibernation:

Click in Search box: type cmd
Right-click on "Command Prompt," > Run as administrator
In the Command Prompt window, type:
powercfg.exe /hibernate off, and then press Enter
Close Command Prompt window

Step 2: Disable the Page File:

Click in Search box: type Control Panel, press Enter
Select System, Advanced system settings, Yes to confirm,
Select the Advanced tab
Under Performance, click on the Settings button
Select Advanced tab
Under Virtual memory, click on Change button
Uncheck the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives option
Click on No paging file radio button
Click on Set button
Click on Yes button to confirm
Click on OK to close Virtual Memory box.
Click on OK to close Performance Options window,
click OK to close System Properties window,
close System window,
then restart your PC.

Step 3: Disable System Protection:

Click in Search box: type Control Panel, press Enter
At the top-right corner of Control Panel window, set View by from Category to Small icons or Large icons
Select System
On the left pane, click on System protection link
Click on Configure button
Under Restore Settings, click on Disable system protection radio button
Click on Apply, OK, OK, close window, then restart your PC.

Now proceed to shrink your volume:

Shrink query this time took about 15min, and now shows 109.582gb available.
Selected all of it and clicked Shrink
Shrink took about 20min and was successful,
increasing Unallocated partition to 121.74gb.
Re-running query showed 0.247gb still available
back to System Properties > Startup & Recovery,
changed Write debugging information from Automatic memory dump to none, then restart.
Query now shows 599.518gb available,
which would leave 215gb for Windows
I started a File Manager search for pagefile, but after about an hour it had not finished, so I aborted it.
Start, enter defrag, select Defragment & Optimize, however Current Status shows "OK (0% fragmented)" so did not proceed
shrink query again, but this time only shows 0.744gb available. WTF? Did I lose a bunch from the aborted search?...
restart, re-query, this time shows 599.516 available
selected 510gb, leaving 304.798 remaining
started shrink. After 20min, got error:
"...not enough space available..."
Query shows 3.668gb available. Selected all and started shrink.
Successful, now 125.32 Unallocated (was 121.74).
Query now shows 37.762gb available. Selected all and started shrink.
Successful, now 162.20 Unallocated.
Query now 558.082gb available. Selected 100gb and started shrink.
Successful, now 259.85 Unallocated.
Query now 197.522 available. Selected 150gb and started shrink.
Successful, now 406.34gb Unallocated.

available space as reported by query varies for no reason I could fathom
repeatedly shrinking to available space or less (if you get "...not enough space available..." error) eventually worked to get where I needed to be.

Re-Enable all the things that were disabled above:

Enable Page File:
Click in Search box, type Control Panel, press CR, System, Advanced System Settings, Yes to confirm,
Performance > Settings, Advanced, Virtual Memory > Change, Automatically manage paging file size for all drives,
OK to close Virtual Memory window, OK to close Performance Options window
Enable Auto Memory Dump:
Startup & Recovery > Settings, Write debugging information > Automatic memory dump, OK to close Startup & Recovery, OK to close System Properties
Enable System Protection:
from Control Panel > System, System protection, Yes to confirm, Configure
Restore Settings > Turn on system protection
Apply, OK to close System Protection, OK to close System Properties, close System window.
Enable Hibernation:
Click in Search box, type cmd
Right-click on "Command Prompt," > Run as administrator, Yes to confirm
In the Command Prompt window, type:
powercfg.exe /hibernate on, and then press Enter
Close Command Prompt window
Restart computer.

from:
(link to:) somoit.net
Slightly different way to go about it, but seems to be functionally equivalent.
Another tip here:
(link to:) superuser.com
"Third-party" solution here:
(link to:) AOMEI Partition Assistant

Note: All the above partition work was done with computer offline, ie not connected to internet

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