Multiple problems after trying to uninstall Wubi 10.04 and create separate Ubuntu 10.10 install

Beth, pls tell us first

- can you boot into win7 ? does it perform ok ? do you boot into win7 through grub2 ?

then pls connect your laptop to your router using a WIRED connection (use a rj45 patch cable that is available at any computer store for approx $5)

then boot with your ubuntu live CD ; when finished loading you should have now available a internet connection; pls open a terminal and carry out command as follows

sudo fdisk -l

l above is lower L ; please copy/paste the output of cmd above here; we'll pick it up and tell you more after.

Should help:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/WubiGuide

The Wubi installer does not (cannot) create physical partitions. Wubi creates a virtual disk (a file under ntfs). So whatever created those two partitions - it wasn't wubi.

Sometimes the Wubi uninstaller fails to remove the boot entry when you uninstall - you can find manual uninstall instructions in the Wubi Guide (linked by ActionParsnip) to remove this.

You also cannot access your BIOS through the Windows disk (or any OS disk). For some reason, some computers hide the BIOS splash and prevent users from getting into it - this is not as a result of anything Ubuntu has done. Consult your manual to find out how to access it.

bcbc,

Until I installed and removed the wubi application, my Toshiba splash screen came up and pressing F2 took me into the bios to set bios options. While Wubi was installed, Toshiba notified me of a Bios update for my system. The Bios update was downloaded and burned to a CD for use when the computer restarted. The interesting thing about the bootable CD that was created is that is has the Linux Boot information not the Windows bootloader. The CD boots and the bios flashes the update with out any problems. When it completes the install, the instructions say to restart the computer and hit F2 at the splash screen to enter Bios setup. Then I am supposed to enter F9 to enter advanced setup and the F10 to save. However when I restarted the computer I got a black screen with a prompt in the upper left corner for a second or 2 and then it took me to the Grub2 bootloader. Striking F2 anywhere during this boot caused the system to not stop the boot on the Grub screen and instead took me directly to the tty login screen for ubuntu. Since accessing the Bios setup screen was never an issue before instaling and uninstalling Wubi I have to assume that some change was made by the install or uninstall process.

Peter b
I do not have the ability to hard wire the computer to the router. My wireless is controlled thru a DSL provider provided Sagem 1704 2 wire DSL modem/router. The only place to plug anything in is where the telephone/DSL line connects to the modem/router. There are no R45 jacks available on this unit to hard wire a computer to. Is there another way to obtain the information you wanted from the fdisk command?

If you hold shift at boot you should see the boot screen and be able to change the boot options 'quiet splash' to 'nomodeset' which may help

BCBC

The windows disk management system shows the 11.11 GB partition as a virtual partition - Style Loopback NTFS/EXT3 enabled. Since the Wubi created the virtual install on the C ddrive utilizing a loopback environment, It would appear to me that the 11.11 GB virtual partition on the NTFS drive that houses Win 7 was indeed created by Wubi

Beth,

Regarding the BIOS, there is a feature called FASTBOOT that bypasses the normal BIOS splash and makes it difficult to enter BIOS to make changes. Maybe this was enabled when you flashed the BIOS. I searched around and it looks like the solution is to press F2 immediately after turning on the computer. Once in the BIOS you can disable fastboot.

To find out more about what is going on, I suggest you download the bootinfoscript from http://bootinfoscript.sourceforge.net/ - obviously do it from Windows.
Then boot Ubuntu and mount your windows partition and copy and run the bootinfoscript. Then copy the RESULT.txt back to the Windows partition - post it from there to http://pastebin.ubuntu.com/ (and return the address here). That usually helps because it gives a clear picture about what is going on.

is this the modem/router you're using ?

http://www.sagemcom.com/EN/products/communications/broadband-access/niv3/broadband-access/fst-1704.html#

Disk /dev/sda: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xb7dd8ec5

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 192 1536000 27 Unknown
/dev/sda2 192 28331 226024373 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 37464 38914 11646976 17 Hidden HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda4 28331 37464 73362433 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 28331 37086 70327296 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 37086 37464 3034112 82 Linux swap / Solaris

yes, indeed there are 6 partitions BUT ONLY the last two - sda5 and sda6 logical part - are linux partitions which were more than likely created when 10.10 installed (linux NEVER creates and installs on HPFS/NTFS file systems).

sda1 is the partition where win7 INSTALLATION files reside in case you need to reinstall it - do not touch this partition
sda2 is the partition where win7 IS INSTALLED (your drive c: in win7) do not touch this partition.
sda3 is a HPFS/NTFS hidden partition that for sure has nothing to do with 10.10 install (maybe wubi created it ? I do not know)

so, back to my initial questions,

- can you boot into win7 ? does it perform ok ? do you boot into win7 through grub2 ?

if you can boot into win7 then pls do so and see if it performs as you expect it to and tell us.

while booted and logged in win7 DO YOU SEE any other drive letter (d: or e: etc) while in win explorer ? that will answer whether this part sda3 is used by win7. my guess is that it is not and can be safely removed. this action WILL compromise also 10.10 already installed (- 10.10 can be reinstalled with no problem).

if sda3 is not used then remove it while in win7. sda5 and sda6 can be removed by using either the ubuntu live CD with gparted or during the NEW 10.10 install while on partitioning step and mandatory using MANUAL partitioning .

Wubi does not create partitions. That hidden ntfs (/dev/sda3) is probably the Toshiba recovery partition. The two logicals were created when you installed 10.10.

Regarding your wireless - this thread seems to be relevant to the problem: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1630650

I don't think this is a wubi issue anyway - you have a real dual boot, the partitions don't seem to be mysterious - you probably need the nomodeset override ActionParsnip mentioned and the ppa (or manually compiling the driver) to get the wireless going as explained in the link. I'm going to push this back to Ubuntu general and it can be reassigned to an appropriate project.

PS you won't see a hidden ntfs partition in windows. It's hidden. So not seeing it means nothing. Don't delete it unless you have the ability to restore Windows from disks.

actually, sda3 is the factory restore partition (these are always hidden so the user doesn't erase or damage it). windoze 7 systems usually have only 2 partitions. sda1 might be specific to 64-bit windoze.

@beth
try cleaning and fixing the windoze registry. that is usually the cause of most problems.