Bad 10.04 install, multiple problems, need help badly

[growngfree]

Fast laptop running Win7 64bit. Set out to install 10.04 alongside Win7. Downloaded Wubi but then just downloaded the ISO and burned it to a new CD.

Used the CD to install using all the "plain" choices, nothing advanced, no self-selected partition choices. Install hung at about 40%.

Tried again with same CD, accruing two more numbered partitions, and getting stuck at 40%.

Deleted downloaded ISO and downloaded a fresh one, burning it to a new CD. Tried install again and all seemed to go well except too more numbered partitions being made.

Set about fetching a few of my favorite applications and quickly ran into a dead end, the first sign all was not well. Ubuntu 10.04 occupies a 2.2 G partition and ran into a wall. I bailed out, entered Win7 and started researching, determined not to fiddle until I had a clear path.

Today I cannot get into Ubuntu at all. Password is not accepted. GRUB does reliably deliver me to Win7 (for the moment) and I am now in HELP mode.

It seems to me I need some kind of roll-back and clean-up. Downloaded a Win7 recovery disk and am planning to backup all my data and extra programs. I have a set of recovery disks which I hope not to use...on four DVDs for some reason.

I know I will have a master boot issue if I attempt to uninstall or delete Ubuntu. I want to at least cleanup the partition issue and give Ubuntu more room. Would strip it down to a smaller size if I could get in.

Have used Gpart.. before so I am a bit familiar with it.

HELP...what and how to fix all this please please please.

[darkod]

First, stay cool! Don't panic. :)

Second, run the cd in live mode (Try Ubuntu) and post a screenshot of Gparted, that would be best.
Alternatively simply post the results of running in terminal:
sudo fdisk -l (small L)

This will show all linux partitions that you need to delete.

[Dngrsone]

I would definitely recommend backing all your data up first.

Then download a regular Ubuntu 10.04 .iso file (not wubi), and do an MD5 verification of your download before burning to CD.

Then boot into the live CD and tell it to "try Ubuntu" as growingfree suggests.

[growngfree]

No sudo Darkod. Can't get in unless the CD in live mode will get me there. Not quite sure what "CD in live mode" means. I don't think it is a Wubi disk...no Ubuntu as a program in Win7.

Will definitely back up and then make another new ISO and then check MD5 (oops, skipped it.... Hmmm). If I can get in will post screen shot of Gparted. Can I run Gparted outside of Linux? Can I download it, or is there another program I could use through Win7?

[Dngrsone]

'Live mode' means booting off the CD and using Ubuntu from the CD instead of installing it.

[darkod]

When the menu of the cd loads, select Try Ubuntu instead of Install Ubuntu. That will load it in live mode and you can used Gparted, Terminal, etc. Usually wired internet is working for most computers in live mode too, so you can post here from live mode.

Also, when burning a cd for installing an OS, don't burn with a speed faster than 8x or 10x. Higher speeds give higher possibility of errors.

[jcroyle]

i would also suggest going with the 32 bit version if your processor will support it most do now and as long as your not running more then 4gb of ram speed is not going to be effected that much just a thought 64 bit is not all its made out to be

[growngfree]

Great help coming my way. Starting the process to fix slowly and carefully. All your help is appreciated. Will be posting reports soon.

[growngfree]

OK, all backed up. Live CD working. Here is a Gparted screen shot. What a mess. Remembering what the labels were before I think /dev/sda2 is Win& and /dev/sda1 is Vista/recovery. /dev/sda9/ is probably Ubuntu 10.04 because I remember it was confined to a less than 3G plot.

What do I do now? Which of these are primary, which logical drives?

[growngfree]

Well not getting the attachment right. Try again.

[darkod]

OK, this is my personal opinion.
Regardless of how many logical partitions it has inside, the whole /dev/sda3 extended partition is only 8GB. That's really low, even for ubuntu.
Anyway, since this is a new install, I guess you don't mind deleting all ubuntu partitions, probably you have no important data in them.
So... The key symbol means locked, or mounted, since live mode mounts the swap partitions as you can see yourself in Gparted. First on all swap partitions do a right-click, Swapoff. That should make the keys go away on all of them, including /dev/sda3.
Now you can work with all of them. Delete all partitions inside sda3 one by one, and delete sda3 at the end too.
Make sure you don't delete anything else.
Click the big green tick mark button in Gparted toolbar to execute the changes. Until you do this nothing is executed.

Reboot with the win7 rescue disc to repair the bootloader (this should be only a rescue disc, not the whole restore process). If you don't have any, ask here we can provide commands to do a substitute bootloader with linux commands.

Once win7 is booting up, use the Disk Management to shrink the win7 partition (/dev/sda2 in linux terms) little more, so you have more space for ubuntu. You should shrink from the left (start) so it should combine with the unallocated space in the middle of the disk. How much do plan to allocate to it anyway? Leave that space as unallocated, don't create ntfs partition from it.
After the shrink reboot win7 few times to make sure it's happy.

Then start the ubuntu cd install, select side-by-side and it should have an option to install into the unallocated space on your disk.

[Dngrsone]

No kidding, it's a mess.

Okay, 8GB is not going to get you a working Ubuntu install. 80GB would be a better number.

Have you tried using Shrink Partition in Windows to get you a little more room? Defragment your drive and then try that...

[growngfree]

Update. Good news but need better. Ubuntu would not load from Live CD as it had twice before. Went back to Win7 and managed (I think) to shrink the OS partition quite a lot, maybe 100G. Also deleted all the other partitions. Now have a big unallocated before the OS partition and an even bigger one after. Only the OS part is NFSxx I think.

Closed Win7 and attempted the master boot record repair from the repair disk. Can load from that and do all good checks coming up with no problems. Only problem is still can't boot anything except from repair disk. Error message is:

error: no such partition
grub rescue>

Went through the drill at least three times with same result. Did a system restore back days before the Ubuntu install. Still get the grub rescue message.

Obviously there is a morsel of Ubuntu remaining.

Any ideas where to go from here? Gotta be some terminal talk to fix it.

[darkod]

It looks like you have a grub on the MBR.
Why didn't you resize windows from the beginning, that way you would have one unallocated space, not two separated?

Anyway, if you want to reinstall ubuntu, ignore the grub error and simply start a new install with the cd/usb stick. That should write new grub to the MBR anyway. In case the install finishes without error but you still have the grub error, post here so we can repair it. Do not install ubuntu one more time, do it only once.

[growngfree]

Well Darko, hindsight is 20 20. I don't think I've even partitioned the drive before loading it. Seems like it was an automatic... Obviously I was wrong.

Don't think I can load U from the CD I have. It gets to a place where is goes into dos dialogue and I don't know what to say. Will try though and thanks for your patience and help.:)

[growngfree]

All is well. CD loaded just fine. Grub is different, doesn't give release number of Ubuntu but opens easily, Win7 also loads w/o difficulty. Wish I knew what I did...if anything...to make it load differently. Might have been the re-partition. Thanks again for all your help.

[Dngrsone]

All is well. CD loaded just fine. Grub is different, doesn't give release number of Ubuntu but opens easily, Win7 also loads w/o difficulty. Wish I knew what I did...if anything...to make it load differently. Might have been the re-partition. Thanks again for all your help.

Glad we got you sorted out.

[darkod]

So is the computer booting fine from the hdd right now?

[growngfree]

Yes indeed. No problems anywhere now. A relief.