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I've been a windows user since 2010 and I started using Linux as the host OS 3 months, so far so good. I was just wondering if there is a way of creating a partition that is not under the root partition in Linux. Like in windows, if say Local Disk C was to corrupt and you had to reinstall the Windows again, the data in the other partition would still be safe. How can you do about that in Linux?

Edit: Gedit screenshot from comments:

enter image description here

user68186
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Georgey
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    I think you are confusing mount point with partitions. Partitions mounted under the root, `/` partition will not be affected even if the root partition is corrupted. – user68186 Nov 06 '21 at 02:56
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    FYI: You've provided no OS & release details; but Ubuntu allows you to re-install the system and thus correct package corruption & other system errors; without touching your user files, configs on desktop systems without need for a separate partition.. It's one of the things I **love** about Ubuntu & *flavors* – guiverc Nov 06 '21 at 03:09
  • On a PC, typically Linux uses the *exact same* partitioning scheme as Windows / DOS: either the "old" BIOS MBR partition table scheme, or the "new" UEFI GPT scheme. Linux *can* use other partitioning schemes (e.g. the Apple one), but these are typically not used on PCs. Linux even supported the Windows proprietary LDM scheme, but that isn't even used by Windows anymore, AFAIK. *None* of these have a "root partition", though, so it is very unclear what you are asking. Can you clarify, which *precise* partitioning scheme you are asking about (MBR or GPT), and what you mean by "root partition"? – Jörg W Mittag Nov 06 '21 at 11:44
  • Of course you can. What you see as '_one partition under the root partition_' is actually a distinctive mechanism of linux file system which _mounts_ that partition to '_some path under the root_'. A partition can always be there '_not under the root_', provided it never ‘_plugs into the matrix_'. – funicorn Nov 06 '21 at 15:40
  • Looking at your question, I think your objective is to have your data preserved if you have to reinstall the OS due to a corruption. The other way to achieve that is to put your entire *home directory* in a separate partition - have a look at this: https://www.howtogeek.com/116742/how-to-create-a-separate-home-partition-after-installing-ubuntu/ That has the advantage of keeping all your data where you expect it, and achieves the objective. I haven’t posted this as an answer as it isn’t what you’re asking to do, but I think it works well. – Will Nov 06 '21 at 17:03
  • I had lost my OS several times but then I have a lot of data to lose now, I've gone through the links and one thing that I did right, as per my view, during OS installation, I created a 'partition' or the 'mount point' as I stand corrected by @user68186, at the root as **/my-files - which I gave it 500GB** - this I intend to keep my personal files such as movies and such, in the root now I have, **home - 200GB**, **opt**, **root**, **etc**, I just hope I did it right. – Georgey Nov 07 '21 at 14:01
  • Backup your data. Install gparted and take a screenshot of the app gparted using the screenshot app. Upload the screenshot in imgur.com. Add a link to the uploaded screenshot in your question. This will tell us what you did. – user68186 Nov 07 '21 at 14:54
  • Here it is [screenshot](https://imgur.com/m5scr0S) – Georgey Nov 07 '21 at 18:58
  • It looks like you have created a 700 GB encrypted partition. Did you mount this partition in `/my-files`? Please [edit your question](https://askubuntu.com/posts/1373870/edit) and add all the information you have put in comments. You should also explain **in your question** why your question is not a duplicate. Add the link to the so called duplicate question in your question when you explain why this question is not a duplicate of that. – user68186 Nov 08 '21 at 15:19

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