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Thread: How to Keep Windows Partitions

  1. #11
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    Re: How to Keep Windows Partitions

    Yep, you have reached the 4-partition limit.
    Code:
    Partition Table: msdos
    You will need to remove a partition in order to setup an extended partition for Ubuntu.

    Essentially, you would

    1. Create restore disks for Windows
    2. Backup all your files to somewhere off the computer.
    3. Identify which partition houses Windows, and carefully remove the partition (I recommend gparted)
    4. Repartition the drive, creating a extended partition with the space freed up from the removal of the windows partition
    5. Choose 'Something Else' when installing Ubuntu, and create a partition for root (/) and swap in the extended partition
    Last edited by sandyd; March 19th, 2014 at 07:57 AM.
    Don't waste your energy trying to change opinions ... Do your thing, and don't care if they like it.

  2. #12
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    Re: How to Keep Windows Partitions

    u mean that I should remove sda1 before I start installation ?

  3. #13
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    Re: How to Keep Windows Partitions

    Quote Originally Posted by bukhari2 View Post
    hello thank you I got this url
    http://paste.ubuntu.com/7117801/
    Mark Phelps's guess was right, you have four primary partitions. That means that the partition table is full. See the output of parted.

    Code:
    =================== parted -l:
    
    Model: ATA ST500DM002-1BD14 (scsi)
    Disk /dev/sda: 500GB
    Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/4096B
    Partition Table: msdos
    
    Number  Start   End    Size   Type     File system  Flags
    1      1049kB  106MB  105MB  primary  ntfs         boot
    2      106MB   105GB  105GB  primary  ntfs
    3      105GB   315GB  210GB  primary  ntfs
    4      315GB   500GB  186GB  primary  ntfs
    On the other hand, there is a lot of free space in partitions 3 and 4 as can be seen in the output of df

    Code:
    =================== df -Th:
    
    Filesystem     Type       Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
    ...
    /dev/sda1      fuseblk    100M   25M   76M  25% /mnt/boot-sav/sda1
    /dev/sda2      fuseblk     98G   36G   62G  37% /mnt/boot-sav/sda2
    /dev/sda3      fuseblk    196G   13G  183G   7% /mnt/boot-sav/sda3
    /dev/sda4      fuseblk    173G  8.6G  165G   5% /mnt/boot-sav/sda4
    The two first partitions are important for your Windows installation, and should be kept unchanged. See this summary:

    Code:
    ============================= Boot Info Summary: ===============================
    
     => Windows 7/8/2012 is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda.
    
    sda1: __________________________________________________________________________
    
        File system:       ntfs
        Boot sector type:  Windows 7/2008: NTFS
        Boot sector info:  No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
        Operating System:  
        Boot files:        /grldr /bootmgr /Boot/BCD /grldr
    
    sda2: __________________________________________________________________________
    
        File system:       ntfs
        Boot sector type:  Windows 7/2008: NTFS
        Boot sector info:  No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
        Operating System:  Windows 7
        Boot files:        /Windows/System32/winload.exe
    
    sda3: __________________________________________________________________________
    
        File system:       ntfs
        Boot sector type:  Windows 7/2008: NTFS
        Boot sector info:  No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
        Operating System:  
        Boot files:        
    
    sda4: __________________________________________________________________________
    
        File system:       ntfs
        Boot sector type:  Windows 7/2008: NTFS
        Boot sector info:  No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
        Operating System:  
        Boot files:
    I think that you can copy whatever data there is in the third partition, /dev/sda3 into the fourth partition /dev/sda4, and then backup everything or at least all your personal data to another drive for example an external drive (USB drive).

    Editing partitions and installing operating systems is risky. If you have bad luck, you need the backup to be able to restore your system.

    Start gparted when booted from the Ubuntu install CD/DVD/USB drive.

    1. Delete the third partition (the data from there should be in the fourth partition now).

    2. Create an extended partition in the unallocated space (which was used by the third partition before).

    3. Create a logical partition slightly larger than your RAM. For example, if you have 4 GB RAM, make it 5 GB. Use it for linux swap.

    4. Create a logical partition of the rest of the unallocated space in the extended partition. Format it to the ext4 file system. Use it for Ubuntu's root file system '/'.

    5. Start the installer and install Ubuntu. At the partitioning screen, select Something Else, and select the partitions, that you prepared with gparted (the root partition and the swap partition).

    6. At the bottom of the partitioning screen, make sure that the bootloader will be installed to the head of the drive, where the partitions are, /dev/sda There should be no [partition] number, only the drive letter, which means that you install the bootloader into the head of the drive.

    7. Continue the installation ...
    Last edited by sudodus; March 19th, 2014 at 08:09 AM.

  4. #14
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    Re: How to Keep Windows Partitions

    Isnt he looking to remove windows, but keep his two other partitions?
    Don't waste your energy trying to change opinions ... Do your thing, and don't care if they like it.

  5. #15
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    Re: How to Keep Windows Partitions

    You are right. I might have misunderstood. In that case it would be even easier. Just remove the two first partitions and use the unallocated space for an extended partition where to put logical partitions for Ubuntu.

    Let us wait for bukhari2 to state again if Windows should be removed, kept, or maybe backed up for a possible restore in the future.

  6. #16
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    Re: How to Keep Windows Partitions

    I ll choose ' something els' then will delete sda1 and sda2 then will create 3 drives one for boot 2nd for SWAP and 3rd for UBUNTU installation

  7. #17
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    Re: How to Keep Windows Partitions

    OK, you want to remove Windows.

    In any case, please backup everything or at least all your personal data to another drive to an external drive (USB drive).

    And then you can use gparted to edit the partitions:

    1. Delete partitions 1 and 2.

    2. Create an extended partition using all the unallocated disk space.

    3. You need no separate boot partition, but it is certainly possible to have one, if you like. Then I suggest that you make it at least 512 MB, and that you remove old kernels after testing that the new ones are working. Otherwise the boot partition will soon be full, and it will not work to install or update new kernels. You can use the Ubuntu Tweak janitor for that purpose. Maybe keep one old kernel, alongside the current one.

    4. So create [boot partition], root partition and swap partition as logical partitions inside the extended partition.

    Then exit gparted and start the installer. At the partitioning window, select Something Else and use the partitions
    Last edited by sudodus; March 19th, 2014 at 09:45 AM.

  8. #18
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    Re: How to Keep Windows Partitions

    For this situation where he just wants to remove the Windows partition and install Ubuntu, why can't he just boot the Ubuntu installer and choose the "Erase Windows 7 and Install Ubuntu" option?

    Easier than using the Something Else screen, especially for a new user who doesn't know what a mount point is.

  9. #19
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    Re: How to Keep Windows Partitions

    He wants to keep two partitions with personal data. I do not rely on those options, too many people have erased the whole drive that way (according to threads at the Ubuntu Forums). I rely on 'Something else'. A bit more complicated, but it is clear what partitions that are selected and used. Particularly if gparted was used to prepare the partition table.

    But I started to think after reading your post, 3rdalbum.

    Maybe the best method would be to get a new drive and install Ubuntu, and after that connect the old drive in an external box and copy the personal data to the new system. And finally the old drive (in the external box) can serve to store backups. There is a lot of free space in it.

  10. #20
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    Re: How to Keep Windows Partitions

    Well, it's your prerogative what to recommend, but the "Something Else" screen is not easy for a newcomer. If you recommend the SE screen you will also need to explain to set their Ubuntu partition with a mount point of / and to set their swap at no more than 150% of their RAM.

    Otherwise I'll be answering another "Ubuntu installer says no root file system defined" thread!

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