Dual Boot with Windows A REAL Headache

[CaptSkip]

A "Good instruction" command is one you could follow easily, or by re-reading clearing up any unknown install issues for dual booting in 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope.
They reference some pop up if you right click on the windows partition - you are supposed click on yes - there is NO PLACE To Click yes. There are so many mistakes in this manual I am going absolutely crazy.... They're coming to take me away...
It said to make the windows partition smaller and then to make a swap file, then put in the mount point but you can't enter any data.... and on and on https://help.ubuntu.com/9.04/switching/installing.html

Really a problem with the order of commands. And commands that aren't even there that they referenced with said instruction.

I don't know if there was a translation problem , but some MAJOR ERRORS in this instruction manual.

Ok - I just spent 4 1/2 hours trying to decipher Ubuntu's Official Documents on installing 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope. with Dual Boot option with windows already installed.

What a crock of cow poopie - VERY FRUSTRATING

Then I found this bug file Just Now, #364181: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...ty/+bug/364181

[jayd512]

I'm sorry to hear that you had that many issues, but at least they do have the report so we know they should be working on it.
Did you finally get the dual-boot going? If so, perhaps you could submit your method to the Ubuntu Development team to give them an idea of what is working. Giving back to the community would definitely help keep others from running into the same problem.

[CaptSkip]

Well I have to be honest here and say I do not know what I did-
To get this partition table, here are results:

desktop:~$ sudo fdisk -l
[sudo] password for xxxx:

Disk /dev/sda: 40.0 GB, 40020664320 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4865 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x448b448b

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 2189 17583111 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 2190 4865 21494970 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 2190 4748 20555136 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 4749 4865 939771 82 Linux swap / Solaris
xxxx@xxxr-desktop:~$

I have a 40 gig non sata - Below is what I wanted/tried to do -
windows part 18005mb
swap 1200mb
ubuntu 9.04 18005mb
I don't know why I have so many partitions now....

[yancek]

You wanted three partitions and your output shows you have four. Based on your comments, I expect that you have never partitioned before or if you did, you don't have much experience with it. I'm not sure if you understand the difference between primary, extended and logical partitions? You have windows on a primary parition, the first partition on your drive which is labelled with sda1. Your second partition, sda2, is an extended partition. You can only create four primary partitions. When you create an extended, you use a primary. To create a logical parittion, which can hold data, you do that within the extended partition.

So you actually have the partitions you wanted. Check the Start/End columns of your fdisk output and you will see that sda5 and sda6 are contained within sda2, 2190-4865. You could have used primary partitions for Ubuntu and swap but there's nothing wrong with your current setup.

I've not used the manual you refer to so...??

[devils casper]

Partition structure of your hard disk is correct. Just start installation and select Manual Partitioning in Partition Section. Select ext3 partition ( /dev/sda5 ) and assign it / mount point. Continue installation. Installer will detect SWAP and Windows OS partitions and setup dual boot itself.

[Gossamer]

Ummm. no it isn't that hard, bud.

What I'd do(and I've done it successfully).

-Go into Windows
-go into HDD management, shrink the drive you plan to put ubuntu on by however large you want Ubuntu's partiton to be.
-DON'T FORMAT IT AFTERWARDS

The logic behind this::

Ubuntu's installer has the ability to install the OS on the largest area of free space. Free space is not a partitioned area, it's open, unpartitioned space that isn't being used.

ok?

-Go into the Ubuntu liveCD, hit install.
-Click "install on largest contiguous space"
-continue through the installation.

-The rest is self explanatory.

[CaptSkip]

Thanks Devils Casper, It is installed and working now.
I did select the Manual Partition, about 20 times, but I did not enter the /dev/sda5/ configuration - as that was not stated in the ubuntu papers.

I am wondering if my swap file is large enough, not sure if it is 116kb or 116mb (4865 minus 4749 = 116).
/dev/sda6 4749 4865 939771 82 Linux swap / Solaris

[devils casper]

Execute this

df -h
free

Post output here.

[CaptSkip]

Execute this

df -h
free

Post output here.

Here are the Results of the above commands:
xxxxx@xxxxr-desktop:~$ df -h
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda5 20G 2.7G 16G 15% /
tmpfs 233M 0 233M 0% /lib/init/rw
varrun 233M 84K 233M 1% /var/run
varlock 233M 0 233M 0% /var/lock
udev 233M 144K 233M 1% /dev
tmpfs 233M 520K 233M 1% /dev/shm
lrm 233M 2.4M 231M 2% /lib/modules/2.6.28-11-generic/volatile
xxxxr@xxxxr-desktop:~$ free
total used free shared buffers cached
Mem: 476320 253324 222996 0 12648 109472
-/+ buffers/cache: 131204 345116
Swap: 939760 0 939760
xxxxx@xxxx-desktop:~$

It looks pretty much like Greek to me.... ?
Maybe I'll guess - 20g Ubuntu - 2.7g Swap - 16g windows -
and 15% free???? just a guess.

[jayd512]

xxxxx@xxxxr-desktop:~$ df -h
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda5 20G 2.7G 16G 15% /
tmpfs 233M 0 233M 0% /lib/init/rw
varrun 233M 84K 233M 1% /var/run
varlock 233M 0 233M 0% /var/lock
udev 233M 144K 233M 1% /dev
tmpfs 233M 520K 233M 1% /dev/shm
lrm 233M 2.4M 231M 2% /lib/modules/2.6.28-11-generic/volatile
xxxxr@xxxxr-desktop:~$ free
total used free shared buffers cached
Mem: 476320 253324 222996 0 12648 109472
-/+ buffers/cache: 131204 345116
Swap: 939760 0 939760

Looks like you got 20 gig for the actual OS.
2.7 gig is currently used.
You have a swap partition of 917 M (939769 K)
Windows isn't referred to in this output, since the command df shows how much disk is free. And by disk, I mean the partition that is mounted.