Install alongside other operating systems

You probably didn't do anything wrong.
What I suspect is that Windows is maybe installed using 4 partitions on your hard drive. And you cannot add more than 4 primary partitions on a disk. Fortunately, there is a solution, as an extended partition can contain as many partitions as you want. But unfortunately, it seems that Microsoft prefers to use 4 primary partitions to install Windows 7, this way it makes it more difficult to install another system. Nice right ? It would make NO DIFFERENCE at all for them to create 3 primary partitions and 1 extended one... But they still don't do it.

Depending on what is in those partitions, it's more or less easy to reconfigure the hard drive to have an extended partition. Could you copy paste the output of "sudo fdisk -l" ? You must type this command in a terminal (you will find it in the accessories).

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: 0x29133921

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 13055 104857600 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 13055 15013 15728640 1b Hidden W95 FAT32
/dev/sda3 15013 30399 123590656 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda4 30399 30402 20664 ef EFI (FAT-12/16/32)

Disk /dev/sdb: 8019 MB, 8019509248 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 974 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: 0x0001b2c8

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 975 7831498+ b W95 FAT32
Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(1023, 254, 63) logical=(974, 249, 63)

Touchdown... Indeed, 4 primary partitions...
First one is probably your Windows 7. 100GB
Second one is a hidden partition, 1.5GB, maybe a partition to restore the system?
Third one is a 120GB partition for Windows, I guess you see it also when using Windows 7
Fourth one is new for me, and apparently mainly used by Mac OSX. Did you use this drive on a Mac?

No, I've never used a Mac before :P
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Onderwerp: Re: [Question #130432]: Install alongside other operating systems
Verzonden: 20 oktober 2010 21:52

Your question #130432 on ubiquity in ubuntu changed:
https://answers.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+question/130432

François Tissandier requested for more information:
Touchdown... Indeed, 4 primary partitions...
First one is probably your Windows 7. 100GB
Second one is a hidden partition, 1.5GB, maybe a partition to restore the system?
Third one is a 120GB partition for Windows, I guess you see it also when using Windows 7
Fourth one is new for me, and apparently mainly used by Mac OSX. Did you use this drive on a Mac?

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So what can I do now?

Ps: thank you for your fast help
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Onderwerp: Re: [Question #130432]: Install alongside other operating systems
Verzonden: 20 oktober 2010 21:52

Your question #130432 on ubiquity in ubuntu changed:
https://answers.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+question/130432

François Tissandier requested for more information:
Touchdown... Indeed, 4 primary partitions...
First one is probably your Windows 7. 100GB
Second one is a hidden partition, 1.5GB, maybe a partition to restore the system?
Third one is a 120GB partition for Windows, I guess you see it also when using Windows 7
Fourth one is new for me, and apparently mainly used by Mac OSX. Did you use this drive on a Mac?

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Sorry, I thought I answered:

I don't know how this EFI partition is used by Ubuntu, so I don't want to give you unsafe advices to change the partitions.

2 solutions:

-find someone with a better knowledge of 7 than me and let him decide how to install Ubuntu

-use Wubi to install Ubuntu within Windows 7. Not as good as a real install, but close.

I tried to install Wubi and it started downloading the .iso but everytime it finished the downloading it starts over again?
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Onderwerp: Re: [Question #130432]: Install alongside other operating systems
Verzonden: 20 oktober 2010 22:25

Your question #130432 on ubiquity in ubuntu changed:
https://answers.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+question/130432

    Status: Open => Answered

François Tissandier proposed the following answer:
Sorry, I thought I answered:

I don't know how this EFI partition is used by Ubuntu, so I don't want
to give you unsafe advices to change the partitions.

2 solutions:

-find someone with a better knowledge of 7 than me and let him decide
how to install Ubuntu

-use Wubi to install Ubuntu within Windows 7. Not as good as a real
install, but close.

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Mmmm the gods of computers are not with you. Let me check what this EFI partition do. Keep the question open, some other people may help

Okay, I hope somebody else can help me!
Thank you for your help so far.
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Onderwerp: Re: [Question #130432]: Install alongside other operating systems
Verzonden: 20 oktober 2010 22:38

Your question #130432 on ubiquity in ubuntu changed:
https://answers.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+question/130432

François Tissandier posted a new comment:
Mmmm the gods of computers are not with you. Let me check what this EFI
partition do. Keep the question open, some other people may help

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EFI partition are used only by BIOS of Apple computer. Do you have an Apple computer ?

No, I have an Asus Eee PC
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Onderwerp: Re: [Question #130432]: Install alongside other operating systems
Verzonden: 21 oktober 2010 09:32

Your question #130432 on ubiquity in ubuntu changed:
https://answers.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+question/130432

delance posted a new comment:
EFI partition are used only by BIOS of Apple computer. Do you have an
Apple computer ?

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Please don't post with previous answer. It makes thread unreadable, and so I missed post in which you said you have not a Mac.
You don't have an EFI partition table, but an EFI partition.
If you have anything in it, I advise you to erase this partition and to make an extended partition, in which you will install Ubuntu.

Sorry I don't understand which actions I have to undertake? Can you explain this in amateur-language?
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Onderwerp: Re: [Question #130432]: Install alongside other operating systems
Verzonden: 21 oktober 2010 09:48

Your question #130432 on ubiquity in ubuntu changed:
https://answers.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+question/130432

    Status: Open => Answered

delance proposed the following answer:
Please don't post with previous answer. It makes thread unreadable, and so I missed post in which you said you have not a Mac.
You don't have an EFI partition table, but an EFI partition.
If you have anything in it, I advise you to erase this partition and to make an extended partition, in which you will install Ubuntu.

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Boot on Ubuntu CD, choose "Try without install", then System->Administration->Gparted.
Then select sdb4, right-click and choose "Delete", then click on green arrow to execute this memorized command.
Then install Ubuntu, and choose "Install in free space".

How can I see what's on the partition? Because I don't want to delete crucial files..
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Onderwerp: Re: [Question #130432]: Install alongside other operating systems
Verzonden: 21 oktober 2010 09:59

Your question #130432 on ubiquity in ubuntu changed:
https://answers.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+question/130432

    Status: Open => Answered

delance proposed the following answer:
Boot on Ubuntu CD, choose "Try without install", then System->Administration->Gparted.
Then select sdb4, right-click and choose "Delete", then click on green arrow to execute this memorized command.
Then install Ubuntu, and choose "Install in free space".

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Please don't post with previous answer. It makes thread unreadable.
I'm used to parted and not fdisk. The EFI partition is not an Apple/Intel EFI but a FAT 32, which can be found on EEPC.
This partition is very small, and I don't know on what it is useful.
So forget all I said.
Boot on Ubuntu CD, choose "Try without install", then Places. You should see a "disk" with a name with a small amount of memory. Click on it to mount partition and looks at its content.
As you have some 4 primary partitions

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 13055 104857600 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 13055 15013 15728640 1b Hidden W95 FAT32
/dev/sda3 15013 30399 123590656 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda4 30399 30402 20664 ef EFI (FAT-12/16/32)

and I don't know what is last one, I see any obvious solution, specially if you are an amateur.
What are the two visible NTFS partitions ?

Could you be interested to install Ubuntu in a Virtual Machine (like Virtual Box) in Windows ? You could check if you are interested by Ubuntu, and avoid partition issues (but you will have to boot Windows before launching Ubuntu, and you will have lower performance than true dual boot).

Delance, don't you think Wubi would be a better alternative than a virtual machine? It's a netbook I think, not really a very powerful computer...

But I agree that the best solution would be a real installation on the hard drive. If you think he can delete this EFI partition after checking the content, that would indeed be perfect.

@François: as I don't use Wubi, don't know how to manage it and to help users, I advise more easily other solution. If netbook has at least 1.5GB (Seven uses more RAM then XP), it should work. Wubi avoid to make a dedicated partition, but I think there are more issues with grub and update-manager than a side-by-side installation. And as Wubi modify boot process, it can't be viewed as a "software installed inside Windows, like any another one".

But yes, if FAT32 called EFI partition is useless, it should be better to remove it to allow a side-by-side installation.

okay gentlemen,

i did a search on google and found out that fat 12/16/32 is used by DOS and Windoze 95/98.

I'm guessing that the manufacturer intially installed windoze 95/98 on the machine then later changed opsys to win 7 but they didn't delete the fat 12/16 partition

so, it should be safe to delete sda4

what's on sda2, i don't know. we'll have look at what's in that hidden partition

It's a brand new computer. So why would they have first installen Win 98 on it?
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Onderwerp: Re: [Question #130432]: Install alongside other operating systems
Verzonden: 21 oktober 2010 18:34

Your question #130432 on ubiquity in ubuntu changed:
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+question/130432

marcus aurelius proposed the following answer:
okay gentlemen,

i did a search on google and found out that fat 12/16/32 is used by DOS
and Windoze 95/98.

I'm guessing that the manufacturer intially installed windoze 95/98 on
the machine then later changed opsys to win 7 but they didn't delete the
fat 12/16 partition

so, it should be safe to delete sda4

what's on sda2, i don't know. we'll have look at what's in that hidden
partition

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netbooks are underpowered and underperforming machines. windoze vista and 7 consume a lot of power. why they did it, you'll have to ask them. originally netbooks shipped with linux until microshaft pushed its weight around and got windozed installed on them. i'm guessing that installing an outdated opsys like win95/98 is cheaper for the manufacturer. who knows. you'll have to ask them.

if you look at another posting of someone who has windoze 7 installed, he only has 2 ntfs partitions.

i'd suggest you get a backup and recovery program, such as paragon (you can download it from cnet.com), and backup your harddrive. the software is free.

you can delete the partition and install ubuntu. if nothing goes wrong when you boot up windoze, then that partition served no purpose. if it served a purpose, you can always re-install your backup.

sda2 is probably recovery partition.
For sda3, you can boot on Ubuntu CD, choose "Try without install", open Places and click on disk icon mapping sda3, to look at what is inside.
Usually, a Windows PC has only two partitions, so I'm curious to know what's inside the two last ones.

Where can I find places on Ubuntu Netbook?
I search it but is not found
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Onderwerp: Re: [Question #130432]: Install alongside other operating systems
Verzonden: 22 oktober 2010 09:26

Your question #130432 on ubiquity in ubuntu changed:
https://answers.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+question/130432

delance proposed the following answer:
sda2 is probably recovery partition.
For sda3, you can boot on Ubuntu CD, choose "Try without install", open Places and click on disk icon mapping sda3, to look at what is inside.
Usually, a Windows PC has only two partitions, so I'm curious to know what's inside the two last ones.

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In Ubuntu's desktop upper bar, at second position from left in menu. As I have a French interface, I'm not sure of English names.

Delance, he is using Unity :)

I tried to connect on his desktop yesterday using Vino, was a miserable fail, but I think I know why. So hopefully this week end I can connect, check what is in those partitions, and tell him how to repartition the hard drive.

Dear Anthony,

I am also an asus netbook user with the same problem that you encountered.
I was wandering whether you could find a solution to it in the mean time.

Thanks for your answer,
Yoni