format C; as ext4 then install Xunbuntu 20.04

Question

Started with an Intel 64 bit, 10 yr-old+ desktop running WIN XP Pro (long-since without Microsoft support) that is slow to start, but works. The effort to install Xubuntu 20.04 did not do a clean over-write of XP but instead, resulted in an apparently corrupted dual-boot box that does not offer any kind of boot option without the live DVD running.

A Partition table displays a number of partitions including the old XP OS. After the file-system checks, "Keyboard Layout", "Updates and other software" screens, an unfamiliar screen - "Installation type" appears.

Under "Installation type" a two-colour bar displays two labels, each given as "mapper/asr_OPSYS", the first has a value of 94.4 GB, the second as 65.7 GB. Below, the screen displays a scroll-able sub-window of 7 column-headings named: Device, Type, Mount point, Format?, Size, Used and System - these columns display as follows -

1. "Device" - a number of variations of /dev/mapper/asr_OPSYS some with \x20...\x201 etc
2. "Type" - in this column, all partitions labelled only as "ntfs" - whether the System column below lists "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" or "Linux device-mapper (linear) () those described as
3. "Mount point" - column contains no entries/values
4. "Format" - column contains only check-boxes which permit entries only if the box is double-clicked. This opens a new window, "Edit partition" displaying a pull-down list initially displaying "do not use partition" but the list offer includes "Ext3 (and Ext4) journaling file system"
5. "Size" - two values only for any partition - 65GB and 94 GB, whether XP or Linux.
6. "Used" - all partitions are described either as 0 MB or unknown
7. "System" - mentioned above in #2, the "Type" column

Any attempt to select "Install Now" results in a popped up window titled: "No root file system" with the message "No root file system is defined. Please correct this from the partitioning menu." It appears that one of the Linux device-mapper entries should be selected then edited to somewhere between 2 and 10 GB, then "Install Now".

Apologies if this has been too bulky!! A summary... while I have a live-disk Xubuntu running on that XP box is it possible to format the entire hard disk as Ext4, then reboot from the Xubuntu DVD to install Xubuntu? Or would that be too easy?

Answer 1

"The effort to install Xubuntu 20.04 did not do a clean over-write of XP..."

If that's what you wanted and that's the problem, just start over. This time you can format the hard drive before you start the installation.

Just boot the live session (Try Ubuntu) and use the "Disks" application to format the hard drive. This will erase everything and put the system in a "blank slate" as if it were a new hard drive.

Do not add a ext4 file system. Just format the disk with the GPT partition scheme and allow the installer to create the necessary partitions. Disks is extremely easy to use. Just click the disk, then click "Format" from the drop down. Choose GPT when it asks.

Once the hard drive has been formatted, you can click "Install Ubuntu" on the desktop, or you can reboot the installation media to install Ubuntu.