Can't install OS

[socca12]

Hi,

I've gotten Ubuntu 7.10 installed and everything works wonderfully, the only problem is that I now want to dual boot with windows purely for BF2. When I put in the windows install disk, it loads up and looks for a hard drive but it cant find any even though I had windows previously before I decided to switch to linux. How do I get windows to recognize my hard drive? I really want to play BF2!

Thanks for any help you can give!
Cam

[ace007]

You are much better off installing Windows first and then resizing partitions to install Ubuntu. If you dont have too much work already in Ubuntu, that would be a suggestion.

I dont know for sure, but the issue may be that the drive is in a non-compatible Windows format. This format is ext3. I do not know if the Windows installer has any issues with that. I've never tried.

[NightwishFan]

I do not know much about installing windows, I wonder though do you have a partition free? Perhaps use the ubuntu live cd to create a small partition for windows before hand. (also note that windows will erase grub and ignore linux so you will need to reinstall grub)

[socca12]

I definitely have a blank, 20gb partition that is just free space with no file type. When I installed ubuntu I left the space there in case I decided later that I needed Windows for something. I also tried once removing linux and completely wiping the drive using partition magic and I still could not install windows.

I've no clue what to do

[tango_ninja]

try using a tool such as gparted to reformat the blank partition (ntfs or fat32). It doesn't make much sense logically (XP should detect it) but its worth a try.

[ace007]

I'm not sure either. But if you eventually get it to work, Windows will overwrite the boot loader (Grub) and erase all knowledge of Ubuntu. It may even erase Ubuntu altogether. The windows installer wasn't really designed with people like us in mind. I wonder if this is an common issue.

[alpdo]

install windws first then install ubuntu

[alpdo]

make partitions for windows and for ubuntu...it work for me... i installed windows first... during installation time i created a partition just for windows then leave the rest of the drive in raw partition
intallation ubuntu use manaul partition

[crav]

Don't know if this will help your problem, but this link helped me install XP with ubuntu already there.

http://apcmag.com/5459/dualboot_ubuntu_and_windows_xp

[kansasnoob]

I've used the following tutorial and it works perfectly:

http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_l...lled_first.htm

If you can't burn the GParted Live CD, the Ubuntu Live CD works just fine (you'll just choose to run the live CD when it boots rather than install) to partition the drive, using GParted (System>Administration>Partition Editor). The "fiddly" thing they mention is that after each change GParted has a tendency to close and you must reopen GParted repeatedly until all changes are completed.

So, if you can burn the GParted Live CD, do so, it's just easier to work with.

Also, pay very close attention to the necessary changes to GRUB or you'll end up with an un-bootable system. I'd say this is the primary reason to perform a dual-boot with Windows installed first. Ubuntu is very intuitive when being installed second so you can avoid all of the fiddling with the grub menu unless you want to assign Windows as your primary boot.

The other reason to install Windows first is that some software programs only want to install to Drive C, and installing Windows second will result in a different drive assignment (mine was G). The one that really snagged me was my scanner driver but I got help with that from a pro @ $40.00/hr! Luckily it was simple and he only charged me $25.00!