Ubuntu
ubiquity package

Install alongside: not showing all the partitions

Asked by Jacopo Moronato

I have this situation:

Disk /dev/sda: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 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: 0xf1f2f1f2

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 21672 174080308+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 21673 30401 70115692+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 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: 0xf239f239

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 30401 244196001 7 HPFS/NTFS

So I'm trying to install Ubuntu (Maverick) in /dev/sda by reducing /dev/sda2 space (it has ~ 46 GB unused). Selecting "Install alongside..." shows me -> http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/4483/screenshotinstall.png
Is this normal or not ?
Why does it say there is a smaller hidden partition ?

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actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#1

Does sda have Windows 7 on it? If so I recommend you use win7's ability to shrink it's own partitions (after re-running your backups of course) to make unallocated space. You can then tell the OS to use the free space for Ubuntu.

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Jacopo Moronato (jmoronat) said : 		#2

No I have Windows XP.

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actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#3

Ive not made a dual boot and wouldnt want to advise so I dont screw your oS. Maybe someone else can advise. I know Win7 can resize stuff which I find reassuring but XP doesn'y have this. ood luck dude

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Jacopo Moronato (jmoronat) said : 		#4

I don't want to make a dual boot system, I was only testing that installation mode. :-)
The real question is not about partition resizing, but instead why ubiquity does not show the bootable ntfs partion. Is this the desired behavior or "just" a bug ?

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delance (olivier-delance) said : 		#5

I presume the hidden smaller partition is sda1, which is too small to be used to install Ubuntu, and so is not displayed.This tools was designed, I presume, for newbies, and it hides some complexity to them.
To reach the people who designed Ubiquity, you need to convert this Question into a Bug.
You can check, that if you choose manual partition, which is an expert mode, all partitions will be displayed.

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Jacopo Moronato (jmoronat) said : 		#6

I presumed the same too: sda1 has ~ 34 GB of unused space. However I'm really not sure if this is a bug or, like you have said, a design choice. I'm converting the question to a bug.

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