First time dualbooting, can't create partition

**Vaphell** · November 17th, 2012

check if you can create more than 1 partition. i think the installer will create extended for you automatically

**matanc1** · November 17th, 2012

If I click the "+" button and choose, for instance, 40GB out of the 400GB ext4 for the ubuntu, than it won't let me create another one. It changes back to unusable .

**audiomick** · November 17th, 2012

Originally Posted by matanc1

If I click the "+" button and choose, for instance, 40GB out of the 400GB ext4 for the ubuntu, than it won't let me create another one. It changes back to unusable .

Ok, so the extended partition hasn't happened. I am assuming you mean "choose, for instance, 40GB out of the 400GB and make a partition out of it".

I think this should be possible with the installer, but I can't remember exactly what it looks like. I prefer, like a couple of other posters, to do the partition setup in gparted from the live environment. That is the "try without changing" option on the installer CD or USB. You might want to have a look at that. I find it a bit easier to keep track of what I am doing from there.

When that is done, it is more or less just a matter of choosing the partition and assigning a mount point to it in the installer.

Having said that, I reckon when you click that + button, there must be a dropdown or something to choose what sort of partition it should be.

**matanc1** · November 17th, 2012

I've done as you said and managed to create the extended partition using the live CD feature. However, it doesn't let me choose which OS I want at boot. It just starts windows. What can I do?

**newb85** · November 17th, 2012

When you're running the installer from the CD/DVD/USB, set up all the space for your Ubuntu install and your shared data partition as an Extended partition. Then, inside the Extended partition, create your NTFS shared data partition, your EXT4 / partition, and (if you want it on a separate partition) your EXT4 /home partition.

**matanc1** · November 17th, 2012

It still won't let me boot:
Here is the screen shot of the partitions after I've done the extended partition:
http://i.imgur.com/c11l6.jpg?1

**audiomick** · November 18th, 2012

Going by what you say, that you don't see the option for Ubuntu at boot, and going by the screen shot, I think you haven't finished the installation. In the screen shot, there is the button "install now". Had you clicked on that?

**Vaphell** · November 18th, 2012

you haven't created ntfs DATA yet
10G for swap is excessive. 1-2G, maybe 4G.

i must say that imho the partitioning screen of the installation process is less useful than gparted if you want to do stuff by hand. Try cancelling installation process and run gparted, either by
- ubuntu icon/WIN key, gparted
- opening terminal (ctrl+alt+t), gksu gparted

gparted is more informative visually and more powerful. You can create ntfs here, but you can't during installation, at least that's what my test in virtualbox tells me.
Then start installation again, go into manual config in partitioning step, point to swap and / and continue.

as for boot menu with systems - you have to actually install ubuntu to its partition and in the process boot menu will be created. Until you do that boot sector will still be the default one with windows specific setup.

**Bartender** · November 18th, 2012

matanc -
I think there may be a possibility that we're talking right past you. Assuming certain things that aren't clear to you yet.

I've said it a thousand times, but I really prefer to set up partitions before installing Ubuntu using GParted LiveCD.

Download the package that I highlited in the attachment. You can use a Windows PC and ImgBurn to create a bootable CD from the .iso.

Boot from the .iso, follow the prompts. It'll ask about keyboard, language, and video driver. The default video driver usually works, but you may have to try the fail-safe version.

The GParted environment you'll boot into is similar to the one on the Ubuntu installer disc, but the extended partition work is vastly easier to understand in the GPLiveCD than it is in the Ubuntu install CD.

Two hints. Don't forget to click "Apply" after each thing you do. Otherwise GPLCD will just keep stacking up tasks. If you click on the "extended" partition in the GPLCD map on the top part of the page and it doesn't respond, right-click on the text describing the extended partition on the lower half of the page.

So, right-click on sda6. Remove it. Apply.

Right-click on sda5. Remove. Apply.

You should now have a huge chunk of space that will be called "unallocated". If I understand your goal correctly, right-click on that space, click "Create", or "New" (I don't remember exactly) then choose to create an "Extended" partition out of the entire space. Apply.

If you want a space for data that will be accessible from both OS'es, create a logical partition inside that partition. Format it as ntfs. Whatever size you want, but I'd leave at least 50 GB for Ubuntu if it were me.

When you're in the "Create" window it's easier to drag one edge of the partition towards the center than it is to change the numbers below. I don't think it matters one bit whether you shove the logical data partition to the left of the extended partition or to the right. Apply.

Let's review. You're still booted into the GParted LiveCD.
You've deleted sda6 and sda5, creating a big chunk of "free" or "unallocated" space.
You've created an extended partition out of that space.
You made a data partition, formatted as ntfs, inside the extended partition. Don't worry about "logical" or "primary"; if it's inside the extended partition it's logical.

You have NOT installed Ubuntu. All you've done is leave some space inside the extended partition for Ubuntu. I prefer to create partitions for /, swap, and /home while I'm using the GPLiveCD, then install manually, but at this point you may have had enough fun.

If you just want to install Ubuntu:

Double-click on the red icon upper left hand corner of GPLiveCD to close it. You get a choice to reboot if you want. It'll open the tray. You can put the Ubuntu install CD in, then click Enter.

When you get to the partitioning part of Ubuntu, where it asks whether you want to wipe the drive, install next to Windows, etc. I think the safest thing to do is choose "Something Else". Then aim Ubuntu at the free space inside the extended partition.

I wish I could tell you for sure, but just letting it install next to Windows might work too. But I don't know if it would erase your data partition.