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[Tom <question78140@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Question #78140 on Ubuntu changed:
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/78140

    Status: Open => Answered

Tom proposed the following answer:
Hi :)

I don't really do email very well but you can use this page to contact me
https://launchpad.net/~tomdavies04

Yes the "free -m" command showed us you have "Mem: 464" but really it
means the closest computer number (2^n) which is 512Mb and that's the
lower limit for Ubuntu so swap is going to be totally crucial for this
system.  Given that you will probably get some more Ram at some point
it's wise to plan ahead for this and give the system a bit of
flexibility.  So although linux-swap should be between Ram and 2xRam i
would advise making it a tiny bit more than 1024Mb perhaps 1100Mb, much
more is a waste of space and doesn't give Ram any benefit.  Ram is very
fast but needs to use swap to temporarily hold stuff ready to use.  I
think of Ram as being my hands, i can only hold so much at any one
moment but need to starting stuffing things into pockets or else it
tricky to do stuff.  With too many pockets it'd take me ages to remember
where i put anything and if the pockets were too big i'd have more than
a handful to take out in order to get at my loose change.

Ok so the way i recommend you lay out your partitions is like this

sda1 no changes
sda2 no changes
sda3 1100Mb Primary Partition for Linux-swap 
sda4 Filling the rest of the drive, Extended Partition
 . sda5 5Gb Logical Partition for ext4 (or ext3) for the main bulk of Ubuntu's OS
 . sda6 11Gb Logical Partition for ext3 for your /home  - your data and settings
 . sda7 all remaining space, ext3 for other distros, there's a lot of tiny ones worth trying :)

Ok to set something like this up go up to the top taskbar and click on

System - Administration - Partition Editor

Note that linux-swap will be red but the Extended Partition will have a
blue border and a hollow middle filled with the same grey, unallocated
space you're getting all too familiar with. sda5 and onwards will fill
up that space :)

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

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