Ok here it is, We have a 40Gb P3 PC running XP. 2 partitions C & D both NTFS. Boot Ubuntu CD, click install. What do we format HDA1 or HDA5?
10 months ago.
19 comments so far
depends on what type of install you are doing... some installs resize the partition you have chosen and add Ubuntu to a new partition it's made with the space.
You don't format either if you have some data still on those partitions. If you can, unfragment and resize the partition you're going to use for Ubuntu in XP beforehand.
I have only ever installed Linux first and then Windows, so I am afraid ladies and gents, I will have to ask you all to be gentle with me - assume I know nothing
strange about the Unknown... but HDA5 looks like the one to go for. On a different note it's possible to view the data on the partitions before you install in Mint (a version of Ubuntu) because the CD runs as a live distro direct from the CD. Can Ubuntu do this too?
Id do the grub boot loader thing as fd0 (the floppy) because Ive have SEVERAL times where grub takes over on the hard drive and gets corrupt and I basically had to reload all of them.. a huge pain. If it fries on the fd0 floppy, you still have the Win stuff booting those
19 comments so far
depends on what type of install you are doing... some installs resize the partition you have chosen and add Ubuntu to a new partition it's made with the space.
10 months ago by KevanV
Why two NTFS partitions? Two OSes?
10 months ago by edythemighty
You don't format either if you have some data still on those partitions. If you can, unfragment and resize the partition you're going to use for Ubuntu in XP beforehand.
10 months ago by myrtti
@edythemighty: I'd suspect restore partition?
10 months ago by myrtti
I know my (ex)Vista laptop came pre configured with C: and D:
10 months ago by KevanV
hehe, i like name: (ex)vista :D
10 months ago by bubu1uk
@myrtti D was a data partition but all data has now been moved to an external drive
10 months ago by pseudonym
oh yeah... mine had a restore partition too! I did a disk image before I started. (I have a thing about backups)
10 months ago by KevanV
then partition the sda5. It most probably is the D. You should be able to see the capacity of those partitions in the installer, but...
10 months ago by myrtti
I have only ever installed Linux first and then Windows, so I am afraid ladies and gents, I will have to ask you all to be gentle with me - assume I know nothing
10 months ago by pseudonym
HDA1 21Gb HDA5 19Gb 3200MB Free Space 8mb
10 months ago by pseudonym
Why is HDA1 21Gb and Unknown and HDA5 is 19GB and 3200MB used?
10 months ago by pseudonym
@myrtti But....?
10 months ago by pseudonym
strange about the Unknown... but HDA5 looks like the one to go for. On a different note it's possible to view the data on the partitions before you install in Mint (a version of Ubuntu) because the CD runs as a live distro direct from the CD. Can Ubuntu do this too?
10 months ago by KevanV
Yeah, Ubuntu can view installed filesystems
10 months ago by edythemighty
Id do the grub boot loader thing as fd0 (the floppy) because Ive have SEVERAL times where grub takes over on the hard drive and gets corrupt and I basically had to reload all of them.. a huge pain. If it fries on the fd0 floppy, you still have the Win stuff booting those
10 months ago by meonjaiku
floppy? any chance to get USB flash instead ol'good fd0 ? ;)
10 months ago by silpol
Dunno, the Ubuntu 7.01 offered fd0 I defer to the gurus who may know a trick on this one.
10 months ago by meonjaiku
Success was had by all. Deleted HDA 5 and re-partitioned the free space; we are successfully dual-booting
9 months, 4 weeks ago by pseudonym