Setting up dual boot windows XP and Ubuntu

Hello,
Thank you for question and your interest in Ubuntu. If you are unable to resize your Windows XP partition and do not wish to reload your hard drive from scratch you can install Ubuntu on Windows XP using VMware. Here is a good link on how to do this.

http://www.tanguay.info/web/tutorial.php?idCode=installUbuntuOnVmware

Thanks. If I didn't want to download the app (can't do it on a dial up link) does the Ubuntu install program not resize the main partition, or will it simply write over the data on the disk. For some reason Partition Magic started the process of resizing, then gave up (twice) rendering the PC useless. I don't really want to keep trying this as the restore process takes about 6 to 8 hours (using Acronis True Image).

I have the 'Linux windows installer' program which I believe installs GRUB and then sets up a bittorrent. Is there a way I can run this then install Ubuntu from the LiveCD but not go on to using the bittorrent stuff, as my internet connection just won't cope (I live in an apt block and the ISP disconnects after 2 hours).

Thanks again for any help.

Hello,
Yes the LiveCD does have an option to resize your partition, I am sorry I mis-understood your question. When you run the LiveCD installer it will prompt for an option to resize your partition. There should be very little downloading, if at all, since you will be installing from the LiveCD.

Hello !

If you want to prepare the partitions before going through installation process, you can launch Gparted (in the menu, it's GNOME Partition Editor) and prepare everything before installing.

(It won't work if your disk is mounted (a padlock is displayed next to your partition in Gparted). If this happens, open a terminal and type 'sudo umount /dev/hda1' and reopen/refresh Gparted)

Regards,
Benoît

Hello,
Yes you can run gparted manually before the installation, but the installation will run gparted for you before it does anything. That is what I meant, I should have clarified. The installer forces you into gparted when you edit your partitions. If at any point you feel you can not continue, or the resize didn't work as you wish, you can back out and no harm is done.
Since the installer will let you run gparted from with in it (so to speak) it is almost pointless to run gparted before the installer in my opinion. At least it's redundant.

I've double checked my liveCD and I don't have the option to resize my partition. I've read quite a few replies on this (other questions on this forum) and also looked at other suggestions on the website.

When I load Ubuntu from the LiveCD and run install, I only get two options on the partition page.
These are:

1. Guided - use entire disk
2. Manual

I'm actually at the office now, so can't show the screen shots. There is absolutely no option to resize the main partition, even from the manual selection. I can edit the main partition, but even then I don't get the option to resize, only to change the mount point to /dos or /windows from /media/sda1.

I haven't checked GParted so maybe there I get the option.

It's also possible that the CD I received from Canonical doesn't have this option on it, but I wasn't aware of other Cd versions being around.

It could be that the ntfs partition shows the need to be checked for some reason. Before a resize a windows partition should always be defragmented and diskchecked.

I hope this helps

Thanks Ralph. I'd actually already prepared the disk by defragging (a few times) and running chkdsk /f /r. That should have cleared up any issues in the NTFS file structure and partition, but the option still doesn't appear in the Ubuntu partition page. I do get an error message about no information being available on the root (something like that, I can't remember the exact words).

I might have a go with Acronis Disk Director as I think that might be slightly better than Partition Magic or Partition Manager (both of which failed miserably to partition my drive).

Any other suggestions are very welcome.

Hello Russell,
I am still thinking of what could be causing you to not be able to resize, but I have heard good stuff about Acronis Disk Director. Several buddies of mine who were unable to resize their NTFS partition were successful with Acronis.

Sorry to bump up this old post but I have the same problem. I don't have the OPTION to resize the partition. No error message. I just don't get the option at all.

I've seen some screenshots that allow people to choose one of the following:
Guided - Resize main, use free
Guided - Use entire disk
Guided - Use largest continuous free space
Manual

However I only get the "Manual" and "use entire disk" option. When I click manual, I can resize a FAT and FAT32 partition but not the main NTFS partition. I can still edit it, but when I do, the resize option isn't there. Anyone know why? When I click "create new partition table" it doesn't give me the option to create an NTFS partition, but it lets me create other file systems.

I am installing the AMD 64-bit Gutsy Gibbon on a 100GB HP laptop with 7GB used for partition and 50GB used for windows XP and files.

I might try running GParted separately before installion. Is there anything I would have to download for that, or is it included as a separate program in the Ubuntu LiveCD?

I got round the problem by using a Partition Manager in Windows. It was a
while ago now, but I think I used Partitionmagic, or Paragon Partition
Manager. One of them worked, but I had to try 2 or 3 times. You need to run
Windows, run one of these, then mark a new partition for whatever space you
need.
When you next try to install Ubuntu, the partition manager finds the unused
space.

It's not completely straight forward, I know. One thing you MUST do before
creating the partition in Windows is run 'CHKDSK /f/r' at least twice. This
was the initial reason why I couldn't create the partition. Any indication
of a bad sector and you won't be able to create a partition.

Regards

-----Original Message-----
From: <email address hidden> [mailto:<email address hidden>] On Behalf Of
2Perfect
Sent: 23 October 2007 07:29
To: <email address hidden>
Subject: Re: [Question #7062]: Setting up dual boot windows XP and Ubuntu

Your question #7062 on Ubuntu changed:
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/7062

2Perfect posted a new comment:
Sorry to bump up this old post but I have the same problem. I don't have
the OPTION to resize the partition. No error message. I just don't get
the option at all.

I've seen some screenshots that allow people to choose one of the following:
Guided - Resize main, use free
Guided - Use entire disk
Guided - Use largest continuous free space
Manual

However I only get the "Manual" and "use entire disk" option. When I
click manual, I can resize a FAT and FAT32 partition but not the main
NTFS partition. I can still edit it, but when I do, the resize option
isn't there. Anyone know why? When I click "create new partition table"
it doesn't give me the option to create an NTFS partition, but it lets
me create other file systems.

I am installing the AMD 64-bit Gutsy Gibbon on a 100GB HP laptop with
7GB used for partition and 50GB used for windows XP and files.

I might try running GParted separately before installion. Is there
anything I would have to download for that, or is it included as a
separate program in the Ubuntu LiveCD?

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You received this question notification because you are a direct
subscriber of the question.

Yeah I think I know why now. I cleaned out more than half of my comp, defragged a couple times, thinking that could've been the problem, then tried using GParted. It says there's a bad sector. I've probably ran chkdsk /f /r like 3 times in the past couple days but it doesn't seem to be fixing the bad sector.

Does this mean I just can't install linux anymore? I'm gonna try a check disk few more times. Anyone know another way to fix bad sectors? Or to like... discard them in some way so neither OS has to use it?

I managed to get it working with Partition Magic (I think it's a.k.a. Paragon Partition Manager). It partitioned without hesitation, unlike GParted. Don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but hey it worked :P

Thanks for the help!

Great news. Yes, that's what I used in the end.
Now that I have both OS I'm really getting to like Ubuntu more and more.
I've even found a decent torrent downloader (Ktorrent) which works really
fast.

Good luck.

-----Original Message-----
From: <email address hidden> [mailto:<email address hidden>] On Behalf Of
2Perfect
Sent: 26 October 2007 13:04
To: <email address hidden>
Subject: RE: [Question #7062]: Setting up dual boot windows XP and Ubuntu

Your question #7062 on Ubuntu changed:
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/7062

2Perfect posted a new comment:
I managed to get it working with Partition Magic (I think it's a.k.a.
Paragon Partition Manager). It partitioned without hesitation, unlike
GParted. Don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but hey it
worked :P

Thanks for the help!

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You received this question notification because you are a direct
subscriber of the question.