Help! Newbie trying to install Ubuntu updates...

Re-install the Ubuntu using the same CD that you have used before. Follow the same steps that you have followed in the previous attempt, but at this time don't leave any partitions as unallocated. The one that you have reserved to Ubuntu must be formated as "ext3" file system.

*If* you have also an unallocated partition for Win, set it as "NTFS" or "FAT32" file system. If you already have data on this partition, this may be lost (and if you have data, there is no need to set file system, since it is already set).

Ubuntu have a more friendly setup, but it seens that you have tried to install using an advanced one. On advanced types of instalations you need to give all details, since the "brain" of the operational system is powered off :-)

I actually installed Ubuntu using it's defaults. I did not select the advanced install because I did not want to mess up anything.

I tried installing it with all the partitions allocated and formatted (NTFS). Ubuntu did not recognize it. That's why this time I did the install without allocating thinking ubuntu may allocate and format when it installed itself.

The only other option is to tell Ubuntu to take the largest partition and then it overwrites windows :p

Thanks for the help I will try to format the unallocated partition for NTFS again and see if Ubuntu will use it this time.

You could install ubuntu first, then windows, then reinstall grub when windows overwrites grub.

as long as the disk is visible to the installer it will be usable, just read the entire screen at each step and you should be fine.

If you install windows first, the dual boot will be handled nicely. I don't personally dual boot any of my systems so can't first hand comment on why it's not working as smoothly as it should.

The best way to install Ubuntu, the way you are trying to setup with your partitions is (i think) the advanced way. It's actually quite easy but many people find all the partitioning stuff too complicated at first, clearly you are easily going to manage the advanced way right from the start.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootFromCD

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

It sounds as though you have installed Ubuntu inside Windows using the Wubi which was not what you wanted to do and tends to just setup problems for the future, such as giving Ubuntu too little room inside Windows. The clue is that when you boot up do you get just one option for booting into Ubuntu? If so then you have installed inside Windows and need to either just get rid of it or else 'migrate it' to the 50Gb partition. Full instructions for the Wubi are here, sorry i can't give you separate links to the right section because of some strange thing that launchpad does to strings with question marks at the end but i'm sure you can look up which section you need
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/WubiGuide

Note that Ubuntu and most other linux's prefer a Primary Ext3 partition. With solid state drives there's some argument that going back to a Primary Ext2 might extend the life of the drive but there's no proof and others say no advantage. Ext3 is journalised which means data is somewhat safer but anyway ext2 or ext3 are both much less flaky than Window ntfs or fat32. Of course Windows can only deal with Windows stuff whereas linux can cope with Windows or Mac stuff but prefers it's own where possible. If you boot up from the Cd you should get to a menu with "Try Ubuntu without changes to my machine" (or something like that) this should get you to a working desktop, we call this a "LiveCd session" when it works. On the top taskbar click on

System - Administration - Partition Editor

and this should open GPartEd (or QtPartEd in Kubuntu). Either can happily cope with ntfs partitions but using a linux partition editor means you can reformat the 50Gb partition to make it an Ext3 one, don't worry too much if it's a logical partition rather than a primary one. Windows likes to try to hamper anything else by making other partitions logical within an extended partition but i'm told it doesn't make much difference on fairly new machines with Ubuntu. Ideally, since you already know a fair bit it might be good to create a separate partition for the /home so that you can keep all your data & settings away from the rest of the OS as this makes it much easier to reinstall or try out other linux's without worrying about how to keep your data safe but possibly wipe the OS. The main root of Ubuntu only really needs about 15Gb, i've got 10Gb some people have 25Gb just in case they want to install large heavy Windows programs into Ubuntu (using Wine or a virtual machine). Note that because Ubutnu can read Windows partitions quite easily i often keep data on the Windows side (even tho ntfs is more flaky) purely so that i can read the same data whichever OS i'm in.

I hope you've already fixed this though because this thread already seems quite old!
Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

If you are doing a clean install of both OSes, make the Windows partition not use the full disk, save resizing stuff later which is a little risky and can easily be avoided. If you are using wubi then you do not have to worry about this.

Ooops, i forgot to say that the fresh install route is the one i'm familiar with - i've never tried the 'Wubi & then migrate' route. in a fresh install you would need to use the "Manual Partitioning" rather than "Guided Partitioning" or "Automatic" becuase you've been smart and setup your partitions in advance. As i've already said most people aren't clued into partitioning and want to leave everything to the installer which i think is pretty dumb, unless you're used to what it's going to do - in which case why bother using it because the "Manual" way is safer & easier anyway imo. It gives you an edgy moment while it scans the drives to see what partitions you have but then lays them out in the opposite colour-code to that used in GPartEd and QtPartEd (my bug-report about this has been ignored). You can use this section for sorting out a separate partition for the /home and/or to reformat the ubuntu partitions to ext3, just right click to edit a partition - the drop-downs help you here. Note that if you have less than 2Gb of ram then you may also want a small linux-swap partition somewhere between your ram-size and twice ram size. Other wise the only reason for having a linux-swap is for ram to jump into when you use hibernate mode. Hibernate mode seems somewhat dodgy and the benefits of using it are overstated and inaccurate. It's one of those things that seem nice and generally a good idea until you look at what it's doing. Anyway the manual partitioning section will reformat any partition that has a tick in the "Format Partition?" column so just make sure the Windows partitions are UNticked! Then a couple of steps later you get a summary of what the installer is going to do so just check it all looks ok, click Ok, or Forward or whatever and then walk away to let it do it's thing for about an hour at most hopefully, half an hour if you're lucky.

Good luck with this
Regards from
Tom :)

If Windows is working half decently on your machine then avoid reinstalling it. There really isn't any need to wipe Windows and then reinstall it. Installing Windows and reinstating it is far too complicated for what it's worth. I can see the 'reinstall Windows' suggestion is written by someone that doesn't run a dual-boot. Even the official notes recommend starting with an existing Windows and then install Ubuntu (or other linux) afterwards.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

So i really can't understand why anyone would suggest otherwise. When i've had to install both from scratch i've always installed Windows first, as the official guidelines suggest, when i haven't i've regretted it to the point that the machine ended up being a linux only machine - even though reinstalling grub and sorting the mbr out isn't really all that tough it seems pointless to deliberately do things the hard way around.

If you really fancy reinstalling Windows on your machine then setup a virtual machine inside Ubuntu after the install. VirtualBox seems popular although may not be the best, i've not explored them. When you install Windows into a virtual machine you can use the same product key as long as you are careful to say that you are reinstalling to the same machine - don't confuse them by mentioning virtual anythings, they are just sales staff trying to find an excuse to charge you unnecessarily.