Need help with dual boot problem

Terri Smith wrote:

Have a Windows 7 HP laptop

Trying to dual boot install Ubuntu

When I get the to install part that ask what I want to do, only option
is to replace Win7. Tried various other Distro including Mint. All
same problem

Any ideas why I'm not getting the install ubuntu along side of windows?

Are you booting off a live CD or memory stick?
There should be an option to select manual partitioning.

But, before you do that, backup your data on the Win partition, and get Win
to run a defrag.

HTH

Peter

Terri Smith wrote:

Yes there is a manual option but it just shows it as all available.
Rather then the 4 partions that I know already exist. IOW I can't see
the partition that has Win7 on it.

That is the problem. Evidently the maker of your PC filled the hard
drive with the maximum of 4 primary partitions, instead of putting their
tools and rescue partitions in an extended partition leaving you room to
put Ubuntu in the extended partition. Windows 7 requires two of them,
the System Reserve usually about 100MB and then the Windows partition.

You have one of 3 choices:

1) Make Backup images the OEM rescue and tools partitions onto DVDs and
then remove them from the hard drive. Afterwards the Live CD dual boot
setup will work.

2) Add another drive the put Ubuntu on it.

3) Forgo the dual boot and wipe it and install Ubuntu ;-)


--
Take care,

Jonathan
-------------------
LITTLE WORKS STUDIO
http://www.LittleWorksStudio.com

On 02/17/2012 06:08 PM, Terri Smith wrote:
On 2/17/2012 7:53 PM, Peter wrote:
Terri Smith wrote:

Have a Windows 7 HP laptop

Trying to dual boot install Ubuntu

When I get the to install part that ask what I want to do, only option
is to replace Win7. Tried various other Distro including Mint. All
same problem

Any ideas why I'm not getting the install ubuntu along side of windows?

Are you booting off a live CD or memory stick?
There should be an option to select manual partitioning.

But, before you do that, backup your data on the Win partition, and
get Win
to run a defrag.

HTH

Peter

Have tried it both off a USB stick or a CD get same results.

Yes there is a manual option but it just shows it as all available.
Rather then the 4 partions that I know already exist. IOW I can't see
the partition that has Win7 on it.

I recently had a similar problem with an external hard-drive enclosure
whose function was to make the SATA drive look like a very large USB stick.

Windows Vista was able to use the drive reliably. Various Linux distros
were not able to use the drive. Gparted would write its partition table
without complaint. Gparted would create a new partition of any type
without complaint. Then gparted would immediately refresh the display
by re-reading the MBR and partition table and say that whatever
partition it had just claimed to have written successfully was of an
unknown format.

I came to the conclusion that Windows is dumb and lucky; dumb because
when it writes to the MBR or partition table, it re-reads immediately
and keeps hammering at the device until what is read matches what was
written. That's a very old-school approach. And Linux simply blasts
out what needs to be written and doesn't hammer away at it. Not having
access to the Windows source code, one can only draw conclusions.

After a lot of testing this against that, I concluded that the
electronics in the external drive enclosure were marginal. I contacted
the maker, was sent a replacement, and the drive now works perfectly.

If Windows is booting off your drive, and Linux can't see the existing
partitions, I think it is safe to say that two things are problematic.
First I suspect that your drive or its controller electronics are
somehow marginal. Second, I am real pretty certain that the Linux code
that twiddles partition tables (partlib or whatever) is less than
perfectly robust and ought to be fixed.

If you boot Ubuntu from a USB stick in "live" mode (try without
installing) or presumably from a CD (haven't played with live CDs) you
can then go into "dash home" (top left icon) and type in "gparted". If
you then click on the gparted icon it should start the gparted partition
editor. If gparted can't see the partitions you know to be there, I
would say your options boil down to replacing the hard drive or
forgetting the idea of installing any version of Linux until the
partitioning library is made stupid enough (or smart enough) to work
with marginal hardware.

If you have an external hard drive that you can plug in to a USB port
you can try installing to that device; if it succeeds that will help
narrow down the possibilities.

Windows 7 laptops haven't been out for years and years... if you
purchased it recently you might be able to exchange it for another one
if that is convenient.

On 02/17/2012 09:02 PM, Dan C wrote:
On Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:41:08 -0500, Terri Smith wrote:

Have a Windows 7 HP laptop

Trying to dual boot install Ubuntu

When I get the to install part that ask what I want to do, only option
is to replace Win7. Tried various other Distro including Mint. All
same problem

Any ideas why I'm not getting the install ubuntu along side of windows?

Yes.

It's because you're stupid. You most likely always have been.

Hope this helps.

No, it's because the drive hardware is marginal and Linux partition
management tools fail to properly report the situation.

On 2/17/2012 7:53 PM, Peter wrote:
Terri Smith wrote:

Have a Windows 7 HP laptop

Trying to dual boot install Ubuntu

When I get the to install part that ask what I want to do, only option
is to replace Win7. Tried various other Distro including Mint. All
same problem

Any ideas why I'm not getting the install ubuntu along side of windows?

Are you booting off a live CD or memory stick?
There should be an option to select manual partitioning.

But, before you do that, backup your data on the Win partition, and get Win
to run a defrag.

HTH

Peter


Tnx's Peter
Have tried both live CD & mem stick
and yes there is option for manual partitioning but it does not break
out the 4 HP & Win7 partitions that already exist. IOW any attempt to
do manually would probably result in a brick'd Win7

On 02/18/2012 11:06 AM, crankypuss looked at the keyboard and bravely
tapped in the following:
On 02/17/2012 08:08 PM, Jonathan N. Little wrote:
Terri Smith wrote:

Yes there is a manual option but it just shows it as all available.
Rather then the 4 partions that I know already exist. IOW I can't see
the partition that has Win7 on it.

That is the problem. Evidently the maker of your PC filled the hard
drive with the maximum of 4 primary partitions, instead of putting their
tools and rescue partitions in an extended partition leaving you room to
put Ubuntu in the extended partition. Windows 7 requires two of them,
the System Reserve usually about 100MB and then the Windows partition.

JL, you have jumped to the conclusion that "4 partitions" means "4
primary partitions". Two primaries, an extended, and a logical partition
also amounts to "4 partitions" if my arithmetic is correct, and still
allows the creation of one more primary and umpty logical partitions.

He may well have jumped to the conclusions, but they're probably still
the most correct ones – in this case.

My wife got a new ASUS laptop a couple of months back, and it was
pre-installed with Win7 – including loads of extra software crap (which
tok me hours to remove). The HD was set up with 4 *primary* partitions
which excluded the easiest methods for creating a dual boot system. It
may need a conspiratory mind to suspect the manufacturer to have done
this with a specific purpose, but... 8-)

To the OP: If you just want to dual boot to try Ubuntu (for a while, may
be), an easy way is to install it as a so called wubi-install. It will
then be installed starting from windows, and may later also be removed
from windows. The installation will be put into the Win7 file system,
and all you will need is the necessary space for Ubuntu; e.g. 10 - 20 GB.

--
mvh
PerL   krøllalfa lyngsdalen prekk net
Registert GNU/Linux bruker #527575

WoolyBully <WoolyBemail@anonym; wrote in
news:email@anonym:

You could look at various similar queries on the HP forums,
better informed people on there generally.

Than this pathetic group? Absolutely! Better informed...
higher
caliber... far more intelligent... you name it!

I don't know about all that, but most likely much more willing to help than *most* here.

From what I understand, Dan C has a wealth of Linux knowledge, but he chooses to be a
d*ck-droid instead.

Others that *seem to come across* as very knowledgeable, or "defend" Linux and attack
the other "mainstream OS", aren't. And even others, that actually *are* knowledgable,
can't seem to let go of the "other mainstream OS" FUD from 15 years ago they still think
is current. Those people think a 1978 Toyota == a 2011 Toyota.

Any solutions I've found to the very few problems I've had were elsewhere......usually the
UbuntuForums.

(And I'm not saying a 2011 Toyota is the perfect car either, just that a 2011 Toyota isn't a
1978 Toyota.)