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The Ubuntu installer gives 3 options.

  1. Install Ubuntu INTO Windows.
  2. Erase everything and install Ubuntu.
  3. Manually install Ubuntu.

What happened to the "resize the Windows partition and setup a dual boot box" option I remember from the last time I installed Ubuntu?

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  • Humm, I don't have the credentials to post a solution to my own problem. Maybe I can put it here for safe keeping and move it later... ...Guess I can't post it here as it exceeds the character limit. Well, if I remember to I'll try again later. Or someone can sum up what I said and I'll pick that to answer the question. Thanks.
    – st2000
    Jul 7, 2012 at 22:34
  • your accounts has been merged. Please login with your latest account and you should be able now to click the tick button next the answer you wish to accept.
    – fossfreedom
    Jul 8, 2012 at 19:03

3 Answers 3

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Looks like you're installing from within Windows using Wubi.

If you want to dual boot alongside Windows, its always a better idea to create a separate partition and install. Copy the Ubuntu setup on a flash drive/CD and boot using that, follow on-screen instructions and install on separate partition.

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  • I had rebooted an brand new HP lap and used the ESC key to force the computer to offer up the options to boot from the HDD or the CD. I picked the CD. The CD was (probably) created on an older Ubuntu laptop using what ever burner is used by the file browser. The CD was created from an Ubuntu ISO image I downloaded several days ago.
    – st2000
    Jul 7, 2012 at 22:05
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First, some details –

Are you installing from within Windows (using Wubi)? If not, which install media are you using (LiveCD, LiveUSB, or text-based)? Wubi is unable to install over the entire hard drive, but it doesn't sound like that's what you're using.

There should not be an "Install into Windows" option. Can you provide a picture or at least the exact text of that option?

The three options that should be available to you are "Install Ubuntu alongside Windows," "Erase disk and install Ubuntu," and "Something else." If you want to manually repartition the hard drive, the third option is your way to go. Otherwise, the alongside option ought to do it all for you automatically.

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  • I'm using the Ubuntu Live CD. Just downloaded it (i.e. It is most likely the current ISO Ubuntu Live CD).
    – st2000
    Jul 7, 2012 at 20:45
  • After downloading, did you burn the image to a CD, and booted from it, in order to install? Or are you running the install from within Windows?
    – Izzy
    Jul 7, 2012 at 21:43
  • This Ubuntu install is from a boot off a Ubuntu CD. I think I figured out what is going on. I think you get the "install Ubuntu INTO Windows" iff the installer can not create a new partition. (I hit the askubuntu.com character limit. See next comment for the rest of what happened.)
    – st2000
    Jul 7, 2012 at 22:15
  • New HP laptops have the maximum 4 partition set up out of the box. I'm thinking the installer can not do anything other then install Ubuntu into a Windows partition - so that is what is offered up as option 1. I deleted one of the partitions, resized the Win7 partition to half and option 1 changed to "install alongside" the Windows partition. This is really confusing and from the sounds of it - not well known - that is - it is not well known what the Ubuntu installer will do if it can not create a new partition. Is this part of the installer's howto?
    – st2000
    Jul 7, 2012 at 22:15
  • Canonical has recently changed its ways to prioritize users unfamiliar with Linux. I don't think this is a common problem as the vast majority of computers are set up with one or two partitions. I would file a bug against the ubiquity package at Launchpad. Jul 8, 2012 at 5:06
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Here's what I have learned:

  1. The Ubuntu installer (at least for option 1) says different stuff depending on what state your HDDs are in.

    I didn't know that. To say the least I was confused. Is this written down anywhere? From the advice people are giving out, I'm thinking this IS NOT common knowledge.

  2. If (I'm guessing) there is no space left on the HDD for a new partition, the Ubuntu installer will only give you the options to install Ubuntu INSIDE the Windows partition using something called WUBI (I think).

However, this might also be because there were already 4 (maximum number) of partitions on the HDD. My guess is that if there were only 3 primary partitions, and they filled the HDD, that the installer would have given me the option I wanted. That is to resize one of the partitions in order to make room for Ubuntu.

So what I ended up doing is backing up and deleting one of the existing partitions. This was on a brand new laptop. Before using the Ubuntu Live CD, I used gparted and resized the Windows partition to half it's original size. I'm thinking the Ubuntu installer might have been able to do this as well. Then option 1 of the Ubuntu installer offered to "install Ubuntu along side of Windows" instead of "into Windows".

Hope this help anyone who stumbles upon my original question.

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