I just downloaded both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin and burnt them onto CD's. The reason I downloaded both is because I am currently running on a 64-bit HP Pavilion dv6 (with Windows 7 64-bit installed).
I booted up the 64-bit CD and went straight to the "Install Ubuntu" menu. The installer detected that I had Windows 7 pre-installed on my PC. I chose the default option "Install Ubuntu alongside Windows 7". Immediately, the system went into shut-down mode, and within a few seconds, it ejected my CD and prompted me to remove the CD and hit "Enter" before shutting down (I wish I could have gotten a screen grab of it).
At first I thought it was a faulty ISO image of the 64-bit installer CD that I burnt, so I repeated the process with the 32-bit installer CD... and got the same results.
Now, I should mention for clarity that my HDD already has four (4) primary partitions right from the day I purchased the PC, so that could be the problem. This is what is listed via EASEUS Partition Master:
- *:SYSTEM 200 MB NTFS
- C: 480 GB NTFS
- D: Recovery 19.16 GB NTFS
- G: HP_TOOLS: 103 MB FAT32
Note: The C: partition was originally 580 GB. I had a 100 GB secondary partition created from it using EASEUS, in hopes of installing Ubuntu on it, hence it is now 480 GB. However, when I tried the "Try Something Else" option in the Ubuntu installer in order to perform a manual installation, it does not appear to be able to recognise the new secondary partition, so that turned out to be a wasted exercise.
Is the crash due to my having already hit the 4-primary-partitions ceiling, something inherent in Windows 7 that is preventing the installation, or some other reason? If it is any of the first two reasons, then I am tempted to just build a new desktop from scratch with a blank HDD, and start the installation on a plain sheet of paper. Though, it would have been nice if the installer had displayed a proper message stating that the installation could not proceed due to HDD partition limits, and not just suddenly shut-down without warning.
Has anyone else encountered a similar problem?
