Install Ubuntu in Dual Boot but only XP boots

Hi Bobit

If you're going to boot, can you choose between Linux and Windows?
Peter

Thanks for responding to my concern, Peter. At present, after doing the Ubuntu installation, booting always goes to XP after power up. There is no prior display of choosing between XP and Ubuntu. To go to Ubuntu, I have to insert the CD installation, restart and select the use of Ubuntu without installing in PC. From here, I can go into the 40 GB portion of my HDD with those usual Linux folders. Actually, I can even go into the 35.5 GB portions of my HDD which contains the Windows.
About the list of numbers and statement on cache that I mentioned, I think (as in pure guess) this was recorded somewhere in an error logfile. You can teach me to where it is stored and I can send it to you for your analysis.

This is strange. If you have two operating systems, Grub should appear after you pushed Power on. And I guess, you installed Ubuntu. Is this correct?

If you like to analyze the log files, you can find them under System > Administration > System Log. There you can find different logs. But I'm not sure which log will store the information.
Peter

To clarify, I did not see on the display that the installation was finished or complete. But I did follow the 7 steps in installing. I just did not do defragmentation of the hard disk prior to installation. So I'm suspecting the cache error is related to this.
As for the logfiles, I just thought maybe you can be able to analyze from this. Surely, I can't.
Anyway, if there are no solutions to this, allow me to present 2 options:
1. Re-install Ubuntu 8.10. - do I need to delete all files on the 40 GB portion (or reformat only the 40 GB portion) first then reinstall Ubuntu?
2. Install Ubuntu 8.04 - would this also involve deleting or reformatting of the 40 GB portion?
Hope you can assist on which is feasible. Thanks again.

I will reinstall Ubuntu and read information on Grub.
Before I close this case, I'd like to ask 2 questions:
1. Does reinstalling overwrites the previous files stored on the 40 GB portion of the HDD?
2. I did try reinstalling once but I canceled when I got to the partitioning portion. Aside from the blue- and green-colored portions (which I saw during my first time of partitioning) of the partition illustration, I also saw orange-colored portions. Do I just ignore these orange ones?
Thank you very much and I hope you won't mind me submitting questions again later.

Hi Bobit

1: Yep, every installation will reformating the disc.
2: I'm sorry, but I can't remember my installation. Important is only this: there where you have to choose the partition, be sure that you can install two operating systems.

Hope it helps.
Peter

As far as the memory space is concerned, I am confident that 35.5 GB for XP and 40 GB for Ubuntu will be more than enough. Thanks, again!

Yea, I guess this is correct *lll. Tell me please what's going on after the new installation. Thanks a lot. Because I wonder, if it works *lll.
Peter

Ok, i'm in a rush and havent read this but maybe this page helps?
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

Great. Thanks!
Peter

Choosing "Manual" partitioning allows you to pick through every partition and make sure there is an UNticked box for "Format Partition?" for every partition.

Inn this way Ubuntu can avoid overwriting an existing partition, another thing that Windows don't offer lol

Good luck
Regards from
Tom :)

Thanks peter, that solved my question.

Good news! I have successfully installed Ubuntu in my laptop and can do dual boot. My greatest lesson learned was HDD partitioning. I though Guided Partitioning was an automatic function that's why I failed.
To Peter, Tom and those who supported, thanks for your help. My next adventure now is connecting to our windows network. If you have tips, please do send.

My best tip is to get them all to install Ubutu too :) It's much safer, more robust and yet flexible (especially in a dual-boot setup)

In the menatime go up to the top taskbar and click on

Places - Network

Double click on "Windows Network" and hopefully all the machines will be listed there. Just click on one and browse any shared folders it has. If the networking icon up by the clock (looks like 2 television screens) has a big red cross or an exclamation mark then please post this as a separate question
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub/+addquestion

To read Windows stuff across the network it might be worth going up to the top-taskbar and click on

System - Administration - Synaptic Package Manager

and use either search tool to find samba stuff and make sure you have "Samba" and "smbclient" installed.

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

PS please post separate questions for each problem so that the right people are drawn to answer the right questions ;)

lol, i was in too much of a rush earlier.

Nicely fixed and congrats is what i meant to say ;)
Any other issues we could try helping you with would be great, just post as new separate questions.

Hurrah and welcome to Linux-land, especially to the Ubuntu corner :)

Regards from
Tom :)

Thank you, Tom! Sorry for extending this topic on dual boot to another topic. I'll do your advice.