Dual boot Ubuntu & Win, prepartitioned HDD

[Indijay]

Hello All,

So I am desperately trying to switch over to linux from windows and for time being would like to have dual booting Windows and Ubuntu on HP Desktop a1219.se

Since I am not at all good at disk partitioning, I clean installed Windows from recovery disk hoping to offer me a chance to partition HDD but it didn't. So I partitioned HDD using partition magic.

Now there is a glitch, when I try to install Ubuntu from live CD, it just doesn't pass the partitioning screen and asks to give it a full right to format HDD and repartition.

My plan is, to install linux by allowing it to format and partition HDD and then install Windows on it from recovery CD, wondered if that is possible. Any help in this matter is appreciated.

[Chris Dennis]

Have you tried installing Ubuntu in 'expert' mode?

This should give you more options when it comes to partitioning.

I can't remember the exact command to type, but pressing F1 on the first screen of the installation (before you press Enter) will show you what to do.

regards

Chris

[Jesus-Perez]

Chris had a good idea.

In other hand, the HP recovery CD-ROM destroy all your data and format the hard disk as it was when was made in factory, so first use the recovery CD-ROM.

Then use a any tool to resize partition (as Partition Magic) that can handle NTFS (are you are using NTFS... right?). Make free space in the HD for Linux but not create any partition yet (do it in Linux).

Start Windows to it check it itself.

If all is fine, try the expert mode of Ubuntu. If you can not find it, maybe do you like install Knoppix (I've been using it for years):

http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/

It is free, is good, and is Debian!

[Marek Mahut]

Hello,
you can follow this video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6104490811311898236 or this graphical howto http://www.hezardastan.org/breezy_xp_dualboot/en/
that's easy !
:)

Best regards,
Marek.

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

Assuming the system starts out as windows.

use knoppix or sysrescuecd.org, boot the box and reduce the windows partition.

Then boot of Linux boot cd, install into new, empty partition and let grub be the boot manager.

AS a matter of fact, all my personal windows systems boot management is via grub. Works well.

SEP