U-10.04LTS, Format HD

[mawil1013]

Hi All,

I'm messing with an XP desktop, I've set up a 40MB HD as a Slave, It is in the PC, right now I'm on XP and formatting the Slave HD.

After it's done formatting, I want to pull out the Master HD, set the Slave to Master and do a total install of U-10.04.

That I still have the smaller and original HD as a back up with XP on it.

My question is, am I doing this in a way that will work?

Michael

Update 1: I assume since the HD is one that had already been in use that it doesn't 'fdisk', anyway, I've formatted and the Ubuntu and 5 dots have been running for over 5 minutes now.

Update 2: Ubuntu 10.04 loaded but is now asking for a user/password which when I enter my usual, not expecting it to work since they haven't been set up yet, of course I get authentication fails, whats going on?

Update 3: Used restart from Ubuntu screen, then removed cd and press enter... Restarting with CD (wubi cd) and got a different result, Message; An error occured while mounting/sys/fs/fuse/connections

Press S to skip mounting or M for manual recovery. (Questions: Since this is a newly formatted HD without windows, should I use a text based install of Ubuntu instead of Wubi CD?)

Update 4: My mind is shut down for the day, will have to continue this tomorrow.

[YesWeCan]

Are you saying you want to end up with one disk with XP and one disk with Ubuntu?
Then yes.
You don't need to prepare anything for the 40GB disk for Ubuntu. The Ubuntu installer will do everything. In fact, it will have to because XP does not write linux partition formats. Choose "use entire disk" in the installer (which will reformat the whole disk).

It is good to disconnect the XP disk during the Ubuntu install to protect it from any selection accidents.

If you want to run a dual-boot menu, once Ubuntu is fully installed, make it slave again and reconnect XP as master. Then set your bios to boot off the Ubuntu first and when booted run sudo update-grub to add XP to the menu.

Just a caveat. On some older mobos and PATA the drive letters that the bios assigns may change when the drives are changed from master to slave. So it is important that Ubuntu mounts its partitions by UUID and not drive letter. I am not sure whether you know what this means, so once Ubuntu has installed and before you change it to slave, please post the output of:
cat /etc/fstab and
sudo blkid so we can check this for you.

[mawil1013]

Are you saying you want to end up with one disk with XP and one disk with Ubuntu?
Then yes.
You don't need to prepare anything for the 40GB disk for Ubuntu. The Ubuntu installer will do everything. In fact, it will have to because XP does not write linux partition formats. Choose "use entire disk" in the installer (which will reformat the whole disk).

It is good to disconnect the XP disk during the Ubuntu install to protect it from any selection accidents.

If you want to run a dual-boot menu, once Ubuntu is fully installed, make it slave again and reconnect XP as master. Then set your bios to boot off the Ubuntu first and when booted run sudo update-grub to add XP to the menu.

I went ahead and disconnected the XP disk, set the slave to master and rebooted, the Ubuntu sign and 5 blinking dots ran for over 5 minutes and it is asking me for a user name and password??? I entered my usual and authentication failed, duh! I haven't been allowed to set up any user/pw yet.

[YesWeCan]

Could you give a little more history of the chain of events?

The normal process would be:
Connect only the Ubuntu target disk as master
Boot of a live CD/USB
Try Ubuntu without installing to make sure drivers work with your hardware
Then install to entire disk
Then check the fstab
Then swap to slave and reconnect XP
Then boot off slave and run sudo update-grub

What have you done so far?

[mawil1013]

Could you give a little more history of the chain of events?

The normal process would be:
Connect only the Ubuntu target disk
Boot of a live CD/USB
Try Ubuntu without installing to make sure drivers work with your hardware
Then install to entire disk
Then check the fstab
Then swap to slave and reconnect XP
Then boot off slave and run sudo update-grub

What have you done so far?

1. Formatted an old HD while in XP.
2. Removed the HD with XP.
3. Hook up formatted HP as Master.
4. Started up pc with Ubuntu 10.04 cd.
5. The 'Ubuntu' and 5 dots appear and 5 dots move for over 5 minutes.
6 Ubuntu screen appears, with todays date and shows me the 'Log In' screen. (Which shouldn't be happening because it never asked me how to run Ubuntu as in form cd, or install on HD.

[YesWeCan]

That's weird because a regular live CD never asks for a login password. It should either offer a menu or boot into a live session.

Is this the first time you have tried installing Ubuntu on this system?

[mawil1013]

That's weird because a regular live CD never asks for a login password. It should either offer a menu or boot into a live session.

I concur.:confused:

[YesWeCan]

When Ubuntu shows a login screen it also shows a user name, or a selection of user names. Does it show a name?

[mawil1013]

When Ubuntu shows a login screen it also shows a user name, or a selection of user names. Does it show a name?


It asks if I wish to log in, I click yes, then a simple screen asking me to input my user name, then input my password, (if I filled in a user name, then tells me authentication failed.

Right now I'm restarting with cd in to see if same thing happens again.