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Need help with dual boot problem

Terri Smith
18.02.2012 - 01:41
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?

Peter
18.02.2012 - 01:53
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
18.02.2012 - 02:08
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.

"Jonathan N. Little"
18.02.2012 - 04:08
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

Dan C
18.02.2012 - 05:02
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.


--
"Ubuntu" -- an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".
"Bother!" said Pooh, as a vole stole his honey
Usenet Improvement Project: http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/
Thanks, Obama: http://brandybuck.site40.net/pics/politica/thanks.jpg

crankypuss
18.02.2012 - 10:58
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.

crankypuss
18.02.2012 - 11:06

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.

If "it just shows it all as available", that means to me that Linux is
unable to read the partition table or is getting garbage from a marginal
drive. If there /are/ 4 primary partitions the "do something else"
option should display them and allow you to delete or shrink or whatever.

And as I recall (though I could be mistaken) when I first had Ubuntu
install itself "alongside windows" the entire drive was occupied and it
shrank some partition or other to make a place to install itself (but I
question my memory on this).

crankypuss
18.02.2012 - 11:09
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.

mechanic
18.02.2012 - 11:29
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?

You could look at various similar queries on the HP forums, better
informed people on there generally. One thing that comes out, HP
systems usually have a way of making recovery disks, after this is
done the tools/recovery partitions can be deleted. But read more
first!
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Computers/ct-p/Notebook

(on the 'Search' box, type 'dual boot' for a list of relevant
replies to similar quieries)

Terri Smith
18.02.2012 - 13:18
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

WoolyBully
18.02.2012 - 14:18
On Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:29:02 +0000, mechanic <email@anonym;
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?

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!

One thing that comes out, HP
systems usually have a way of making recovery disks, after this is
done the tools/recovery partitions can be deleted. But read more
first!
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Computers/ct-p/Notebook

(on the 'Search' box, type 'dual boot' for a list of relevant
replies to similar quieries)


This is easy to do.

Create and boot from a live disc or USB device.

Place a camera memory device in the slot for it and just leave it
there. Viola! A new drive! Just leave a live distro image on it (FAT
32) OR install to it (EXT4, etc.)

OR do a true image copy of each of your drives onto an external drive
as a backup, then repartition your drive so that you can have more than
the partition count HP gave. Be sure to make a Windows recovery CD/DVD
as this will allow you to fix your boot sector/MBR issue(s) later.

I did my Acer laptop similarly, since it too has a recovery partition.

I made three primary and one logical partition, which allowed me to
expand into many volumes at that end of the drive.

The first is FAT16 at 32 MB (yes, MB). The second matches the recovery
volume, and the third matches the Windows main volume. The fourth,
logical partition can then be sectioned up, allowing for both a swap and
a Linux installation volume.

I put XOSL2 on the first, the recovery back onto the second,and Windos
back onto the third, and Linux gets installed After XOSL2 but before
re-boot attempts on the Windows volume. Install GRUB2 ON the volume
Linux was installed onto, NOT the MBR.

Then boot Windows. It will puke. Boot the recovery disc and let it fix
things. Then, you have to boot the XOSL2 disc again and 'fix'; that.

Then everything works once you set up XOSL2 to point at the Linux
distro location, or windows, or other source boot volume.

Per Larsen
18.02.2012 - 15:44
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

"Jonathan N. Little"
18.02.2012 - 16:51
crankypuss wrote:
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.


Yes I have, because the OP said the LiveCD install only gave him the
"only option is to replace Win7" option and not the one to install
Ubuntu along side of an existing OS. I have seen this occur because of
two scenarios.

1) The OEM installed Windows with rescue and utility partitions all put
in *primary* partitions instead of putting them into an *extended*
partition. As a result that fills all 4 primary partition slots. IIRC
Gateway was one of the brands.

2) The Windows or System partition has an error. Running chkdsk will fix
that problem.

If "it just shows it all as available", that means to me that Linux is
unable to read the partition table or is getting garbage from a marginal
drive. If there /are/ 4 primary partitions the "do something else"
option should display them and allow you to delete or shrink or whatever.

And as I recall (though I could be mistaken) when I first had Ubuntu
install itself "alongside windows" the entire drive was occupied and it
shrank some partition or other to make a place to install itself (but I
question my memory on this).

You you can resize partition either automatically in the installer (if
one of the two conditions I just mentioned are not present), or in a
live session in gparted.

To the OP you can easily confirm if your problem is that 4 primary
partitions are present on the system with the LiveCD, choose the "Try"
option to start a live session and then in the live session use gparted
and see if you have 4 primary partitions filled

Here is an image showing a typically bone-head OEM Windows install using
all 4, notice no extended partition:

<http://8202.1.img98.net/out.php/i161728_gparted.png>


--
Take care,

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

DanS
18.02.2012 - 17:33
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.)

NoOp
18.02.2012 - 23:51
On 02/17/2012 04:41 PM, 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. As Jonathan pointed out, your Windows install is taking up all 4
primary partitions. You need to shrink the Win7(C:) drive to allocate
room to install Ubuntu. Example using Jonathan's png:
http://8202.1.img98.net/out.php/i161728_gparted.png
You'd need to shrink /dev/sda4 by a 100GiB or so (I'd shrink it as much
as the Win7 disk manager will allow. To shrink the partition, use the
included Win7 Disk Manger. You can of course use GParted, but if you use
the Win7 DM & it screws up, you can always: 1) take it back to where you
bought it and let them fix it, or 2) use GParted to fix it. Instructions
are here:
http://www.petri.co.il/shrink-system-partition-in-windows-7.htm

After you've shrunk the partition, you'll have at least 100GiB of free
space on the drive & Ubiquity (Ubuntu installer) will find that space
and offer to install there.

Also see:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowtoResizeWindowsPartitions
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation





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