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I have a new 250 GB SSD (Samsung Evo) on my desktop running Windows 8. I've tried to install Ubuntu (12 and 14), but it fails to see the Windows installation, reporting the SSD as empty. I don't understand, because I have the exact same configuration on a laptop (Kingston 250 SSD roughly split 200 GB for Win and 50 unformatted) and Ubuntu got installed along windows with no fuss.

Completely lost in space and thanking any help in advance.

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  • You have exactly the same SSD in both systems?
    – A.B.
    Aug 16, 2015 at 10:15
  • No, the one with the problem is a Samsung Evo; Cost me an arm and a leg and it was supposed to be better. The other was a cheap Kingston. €80 and works like a charm.
    – Paco
    Aug 17, 2015 at 13:47
  • The Samsung Evo isn't a hybrid thing, right?
    – A.B.
    Aug 17, 2015 at 13:55
  • Can you provide the output to "sudo parted--list"? I suspect you have 4 primary partitions or a dynamic disk on the Samsung...
    – Fabby
    Aug 17, 2015 at 14:03
  • OK, Answer to AB, No, it is an SSD not an SSHD; Answer to Fabby, sorry, the command line you provided doesn't seem to work; it's not recognized by the terminal on trial mode. Also, I've been reading reports where it's a thing with SSDs. Anyhoo, I might use a second HD for the linux install, since I have two others under the carcass. Any advice on where to mount the booting thingy?
    – Paco
    Aug 18, 2015 at 8:11

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It seems that the disk had GPT table before but later it was converted to MSDOS with windows. However windows doesn't delete the backup gpt table and linux can see it, creating confusion whether the disk is msdos or gpt.

If Ubuntu sees the drive as GPT, it probably won't be able to find any partitions on it so it'll only see a blank disk

Use fixparts and it will safely delete the backup table without any data loss. Only open it with fixparts and it will offer to do it for you, something like:

sudo fixparts /dev/sda

fixparts has a version for windows too. You can find it here

SOURCE

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  • I'm not quite sure this is the case, since, both disks, the Samsung and the Kinston, were new from the box and I installed the same OS, only difference being the kingston went to a laptop and the Samsung to a desktop.
    – Paco
    Aug 18, 2015 at 8:19
  • if you're desktop is older than your Laptop, it probably installed Windows and Ubuntu on legacy partitioning. In Laptop however, GPT and EFI partitioning and boot loading maybe used. Have you checked that ?
    – AliReza Mosajjal
    Aug 18, 2015 at 8:35

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