How do you fix the Swap Partition? (Important)

I don't know how big a swap partition should be. Some say it only needs to be 4 gigs, and others say it should be twice the size of your Ram. I'm trying to install another distro to duel boot along side of Zorin OS. While I was trying to set up my partitions on the External Hard Drive, I wanted to double the size of the Swap Partition. Gparted wouldn't enlarge the Swap Parition, so I had to deleted it and make a new one. Judging from what others, I've read, have said, this destroyed the connection between Zorin and the Swap Partition. In other words, Zorin isn't using the swap until I manually set it for it. I don't know how to do this. I'm going to watch some youtube videos on subjects surrounding this. But I seriously doubt the videos I found is going to show me how to fix this, which is why I'm asking you guys.

* When you install to an External, you haft to manually set up the partitions.

Hi, once you have a swap file just leave it be as the new OS should utilise this or if automatic install will create a separate one. As a rule of thumb swap should equal 4 Gb - if you have more than 4 Gb RAM then make it the same size as your installed RAM but should not be less than 4 Gb (not like the old days when 512 Mb was enough! ) Hope you get sorted - not had to do what you are attempting so cannot advise any further. Sorry friend!
Keep us posted!

Hi,

if your swap partition is to the left of another partition, unless you delete that partition (the partition sitting to the right of swap in your partition manager) you won't be able to increase the size of swap. (Or any other type of partition sitting to the left of another for that matter!).

See the partition guide for further info:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2601

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Howto ... ningBasics

Hope it helps.

Regards Wolfman :d

Further to what Wolfman has said, that has always been the situation with GNU/Linux so you have to think carefully before partitioning - you can always shrink in GNU/Linux but never expand a parttion!

@ swarfendor437

I'm not sure that your right. I found a video about changing the partitions and it looks like you can expand a partition if you run gparted like: sudo gparted and then give it root privilages.

Watch this and see what you think.
How to resize your Swap partition (Linux)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QaFlnz1kbY