Dual boot: Ubuntu + Windows XP -- using seperate hard-drives, without formatting!

Dave!

Yeah, descriptive title

I'm having so much bloody trouble trying to install the Linux OS onto my home PC, which is running on Windows XP!

I started off trying to get Fedora Core to work, but now I've decided that it's too messy and confusing with 4 cd's, since they're not working at all... Ubuntu is only one CD, so I'm going with that for the moment.

The story so far is... I'm downloading a file called 'ubuntu-5.10-install-i386.iso', which should be done in a while. After this, I have to burn the file as an image onto a disk (does it have to be a cd or will a dvd work?), I gather.

Then, what do I do?

I'm on a family computer with about 130GB of data on it, so I don't want to wreck it. I've backed up the most important things, but still, don't wanna mess it up.

I've got a newish hard-drive which is pretty much blank (although it won't let me format it), and can hold 7.74Gb at the moment. Hopefully that's enough, I dunno how much I'll be using Linux, but I won't be downloading movies or anything onto it.

So I want to install Ubuntu onto the new hard-drive, and leave XP on the old one, untouched.

Is that possible and can someone tell me how to do it, or link to an article that deals specifically with this?

I've found a tonne of articles that talk about partitioning drives, etc., but I don't know enough about computers to be mixing and matching articles.

Thanks folks

niallb

I've got a newish hard-drive which is pretty much blank (although it won't let me format it), and can hold 7.74Gb at the moment. Hopefully that's enough, I dunno how much I'll be using Linux, but I won't be downloading movies or anything onto it.

Is that an 8GB hard drive, or is it a partition on your main drive?
Did you actually open the box and put in a second drive yourself?
If you want to be safe, open the case again and
unplug your family's harddrive before you go any further.
This is a pretty definite way of not damaging everyone's data.

Ubuntu's installer should make it pretty clear which disk is which, particularly if one of them is a 130GB drive, and the other an 8GB one.
Unplugging is your best option if you're uncertain.

This might help - it's how drives are named under linux:

• hda: Master drive on Primary interface
• hdb: Slave drive on Primary interface
• hdc: Master drive on Secondary interface
• hdd: Slave drive on Secondary interface

If you're not certain, don't do it.
It's not just your data you're risking.

Read a few of those articles aout partitioning drives,
just to get the idea of your options, and how they are named.
You just need to learn a little more about what you're doing
before you make any permanent changes to your family's PC.

After that, you'll be able to ask more specific questions,
and you'll get answers fairly quickly here.

If you want to get a start on linux without taking the chance
of wrecking things, try out a live cd.
Knoppix and Damn Small Linux will allow you get the feel of linux without an install.

If you go back to where you downloaded ubuntu,
you'll see another file there with livecd in the title.
Downloading that will allow you to run the same system as an install on your PC,
but from CD leaving the harddrive untouched.

NiallB

PDD

Hi Guys, Im in the same position well kind of. I have Win2K on my machine and I have a partition (ext2 formatted) set aside for a Linux distro. I went to install K-Ubunto yesterday and it didnt give me the option to pick the partition just erase the disk and use it. Is this right? Surely the installer isnt that bad, I know for other distro's I can select a partition. Any help appreciated. PDD

niallb

You're missing something.
You should be able to press Back, and go with manual
partitioning.
Possibly, you need to be in 'Expert' mode,
which needs to be selected at boot.
Reboot with the CD in, and press F2 and F3 for extra
options when it's at the boot loader.

Alternatively, delete the ext2 partition from Win2K.
You should then get the option to install in unused space.

Good luck,
NiallB

PDD

Cheers Niall, although I do have unused/unformatted space on my drive that it didnt pick up so I presume I need to go into expert mode.

PDD

Hey Niall,

Well I tried expert mode and that didn't work either. I also tried jiggling the partitions to put the space for linux at the very very start of the drive. Any ideas?

Dave

Mach

Ok The way I go linux( Ubuntu) and win XP installed on my laptop, is I bought a software pakage called Partion Magic 8 it was €70 in PC world,it not only lets you partion you hard drive, but come with Boot magic, which takes over all booting up, all that need is a FAT32 partion of about 50MB.

niallb

Hi,
even booting witout expert mode, you are offered
a menu with Manually edit partition table on it.

The partitioning program is fairly clear to use,
just scroll down to the partiton you want to use with
the arrow keys, press enter and answer a few questions.

DaveMcG wrote:

I've got a newish hard-drive which is pretty much blank (although it won't let me format it), and can hold 7.74Gb at the moment.

Could you elaborate on that? What won't let you format it?

PDD, you should also have that option for manually edit partition table, as the kubuntu installer is the same as the ubuntu one.
Do you really only get the erase option?

Partition magic is a great tool to have, but so long as you install
linux second, k/ubuntu will set up a boot loader to boot both.

A very handy boot loader is Smart Boot manager.
If you have a floppy, this will create a menu from all your devices and partitions and allow you boot them.
Follow the homepage link if you want to install it to harddisk instead.

NiallB

PDD

I used partition manager to manage the partitions on my HDD and I have free unallocated space that the installer isnt picking up and also a ext 2 partition that I can use and a fat32 partition that I can use but the installer see's none of these and gives me only the option to erase. I will take some pics of my screen later on this evening and update you.