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Tweaker420
December 11th, 2014, 07:45 AM
Greetings. I am trying to install Ubuntu 14.04 beside Windows 7. I have installed Ubuntu on this computer before. Everything goes fine until I get to Install Type. There is nothing at all listed here, and if i click any button other than back or continue i get errors. The real problem is not being able to select a partition for install. I have tried two different DVD's as well as USB install and i arise at the same problem each time, no listed partitions. I did some googling and I do not have any RAID issues or other strange problems. Attached is a screenshot. Any help would be appreciated, I have been on windows 7 for far too long and finally i do not have to use the windows only propriatary hardware i once needed, so I am free to use Ubuntu once again.

ajgreeny
December 11th, 2014, 11:28 AM
Can you open gparted in the live ubuntu system that you used for installing and show us what that finds on the machine's hard disk.

grahammechanical
December 11th, 2014, 03:26 PM
Is Windows 7 still on that machine? Have you done something that has effectively "blanked" the hard disk? In which case the "Use the Entire disk" option would be more appropriate than the "Something Else" option. Details on the existing partitions would also be helpful. What do Windows utilities show as on the disk?

Regards.

Tweaker420
December 11th, 2014, 11:13 PM
Can you open gparted in the live ubuntu system that you used for installing and show us what that finds on the machine's hard disk.

Here is a screenshot. Thanks!

Tweaker420
December 11th, 2014, 11:16 PM
Is Windows 7 still on that machine? Have you done something that has effectively "blanked" the hard disk? In which case the "Use the Entire disk" option would be more appropriate than the "Something Else" option. Details on the existing partitions would also be helpful. What do Windows utilities show as on the disk?

Regards.

No the disk is definately not blank. In fact I have made an ext4 partition even to put Linux on. GParted screenshot above. I do not even get to the part where i can select "use entire disk" or "something else" I believe this is the part I am stuck at. I am using the ISO downloaded from Ubuntu. Have tried downloading it more than once and used a different download of it but the same file. I assume the direct from Ubuntu download would be a good copy of it rather than torrent. A screenshot was uploaded of GParted showing my partitions, if you still want the one from Windows i can do that too.

oldfred
December 11th, 2014, 11:20 PM
Choose the Something Else install option and click on sda6 and then the change button. Format ext4, choose it as root. You have some unallocated which you can click on plus button and make swap.

Lots of detail, screenshots and essential info.14.04 Something Else example
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/ubuntu-14-04-install-guide.html
http://askubuntu.com/questions/343268/how-to-use-manual-partitioning-during-installation
http://askubuntu.com/questions/163962/install-alongside-option-missing-how-do-i-install-ubuntu-beside-windows-using

Any install with Something Else which is required with external drives or any second drive or any install with separate /home
Also shows combo box with location of grub2 boot loader
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2/Installing
Does not hightlight changing boot loader to sdb, if external drive, but shows other install screenshots:
http://askubuntu.com/questions/312782/how-to-install-ubuntu-on-separate-hard-drive-in-a-dual-boot
http://askubuntu.com/questions/274371/install-on-second-hard-drive-with-startup-boot-optiond

Tweaker420
December 11th, 2014, 11:26 PM
Choose the Something Else install option and click on sda6 and then the change button. Format ext4, choose it as root. You have some unallocated which you can click on plus button and make swap.

Lots of detail, screenshots and essential info.14.04 Something Else example
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/ubuntu-14-04-install-guide.html
http://askubuntu.com/questions/343268/how-to-use-manual-partitioning-during-installation
http://askubuntu.com/questions/163962/install-alongside-option-missing-how-do-i-install-ubuntu-beside-windows-using

Any install with Something Else which is required with external drives or any second drive or any install with separate /home
Also shows combo box with location of grub2 boot loader
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2/Installing
Does not hightlight changing boot loader to sdb, if external drive, but shows other install screenshots:
http://askubuntu.com/questions/312782/how-to-install-ubuntu-on-separate-hard-drive-in-a-dual-boot
http://askubuntu.com/questions/274371/install-on-second-hard-drive-with-startup-boot-optiond



I get no option to choose "something else" or even "entire disk", also, there are no partitions listed in the installer despite GParted clearly showing they exist. I have also made an ext4 partition for which i wish Ubuntu to be installed upon. My previous posts attachments show what i mean. I will check these links tho and see if any of them suggest a resolution.

Tweaker420
December 12th, 2014, 02:45 AM
Unfortunately, none of those links offer a resolution oldfred. Thank You~

grahammechanical
December 12th, 2014, 04:51 AM
I do not even get to the part where i can select "use entire disk" or "something else" I believe this is the part I am stuck at.

I have no choice but to believe you but it is most certainly strange. In every install that I have done the method is to let the live session load and we get a screen that offers Try Unbuntu without installing and Install Ubuntu. If we select Install Ubuntu then we get a screen asking us to confirm that there is enough disk space, and the machine has an internet connection and asking if we want to install updates at the same time and also if we want to have third party software installed. Then next screen offers

1) Install Ubuntu alongside - that is other operating systems
2) Erase disk and Install Ubuntu
3) Encrypt the new Ubuntu installation for security
4) Use LVM with the new Ubuntu Installation
5) Something Else - Create, resize partitions yourself or choose multiple partitions for Ubuntu.

It is only after choosing Something Else that we get that partitioner screen.

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/install-ubuntu-desktop

Regards.

oldfred
December 12th, 2014, 05:46 AM
What does this show. Gparted does not seem to show any errors or warnings.
sudo fdisk -lu
sudo parted -l

Tweaker420
December 12th, 2014, 08:39 AM
What does this show. Gparted does not seem to show any errors or warnings.
sudo fdisk -lu
sudo parted -l

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -lu

Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x87a48055

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 2048 206847 102400 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2 206848 314793674 157293413+ 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3 1929326168 1953122526 11898179+ 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda4 314793681 1929310109 807258214+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 314793744 1804675071 744940664 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda6 1804677120 1929308159 62315520 83 Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdb: 8019 MB, 8019509248 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 974 cylinders, total 15663104 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x001024af

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 2048 15663103 7830528 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo parted -l
Model: ATA WDC WD10EADS-65M (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 1000GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 1049kB 106MB 105MB primary ntfs boot
2 106MB 161GB 161GB primary ntfs
4 161GB 988GB 827GB extended
5 161GB 924GB 763GB logical ntfs
6 924GB 988GB 63.8GB logical ext4
3 988GB 1000GB 12.2GB primary ntfs


Model: hp USB Flash Drive (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 8020MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 1049kB 8020MB 8018MB primary fat32 boot, lba

Tweaker420
December 12th, 2014, 08:45 AM
I have no choice but to believe you but it is most certainly strange. In every install that I have done the method is to let the live session load and we get a screen that offers Try Unbuntu without installing and Install Ubuntu. If we select Install Ubuntu then we get a screen asking us to confirm that there is enough disk space, and the machine has an internet connection and asking if we want to install updates at the same time and also if we want to have third party software installed. Then next screen offers

1) Install Ubuntu alongside - that is other operating systems
2) Erase disk and Install Ubuntu
3) Encrypt the new Ubuntu installation for security
4) Use LVM with the new Ubuntu Installation
5) Something Else - Create, resize partitions yourself or choose multiple partitions for Ubuntu.

It is only after choosing Something Else that we get that partitioner screen.

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/install-ubuntu-desktop

Regards.

Attached is a serries of screenshots showing my installation progression. The only other proof i could provide would be a video; but it will show esentially the exact same thing.

oldfred
December 12th, 2014, 05:31 PM
Having the blank screen is not all that unusual. The installer partition tool is having an issue with partitions.
But usually one of the other partition tools will show some sort of error.

If NTFS needs chkdsk or ext4 needs fsck, but then gparted shows a red or yellow icon, you have no icons.
Also if drive was ever RAID, it may have meta-data that has to be removed.
If drive was ever gpt it may have the backup gpt partition table and that has to be removed.
If an error in partition table where some entry overlaps or goes beyond end of drive.

But again other tools usually flag those errors so we know what to fix, you are not showing any other issue.

Is BIOS set drive to AHCI, not IDE, nor RAID?

We could go thru all the fixes in case one is not being shown by the partition tools, but I would not expect that to help. There must be some other issue?

Tweaker420
December 13th, 2014, 01:48 AM
Having the blank screen is not all that unusual. The installer partition tool is having an issue with partitions.
But usually one of the other partition tools will show some sort of error.

If NTFS needs chkdsk or ext4 needs fsck, but then gparted shows a red or yellow icon, you have no icons.
Also if drive was ever RAID, it may have meta-data that has to be removed.
If drive was ever gpt it may have the backup gpt partition table and that has to be removed.
If an error in partition table where some entry overlaps or goes beyond end of drive.

But again other tools usually flag those errors so we know what to fix, you are not showing any other issue.

Is BIOS set drive to AHCI, not IDE, nor RAID?

We could go thru all the fixes in case one is not being shown by the partition tools, but I would not expect that to help. There must be some other issue?



I had tried setting the drive option in my BIOS (which was set to RAID) to IDE as well as AHCI, which, unfortunately, produces the same results. Thank you for your time!

oldfred
December 13th, 2014, 05:35 AM
If you had RAID on, perhaps there is meta-data on drive.

Presence1960 on remove old raid setting from HD
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1325650
sudo dmraid -E -r /dev/sda

Tweaker420
December 13th, 2014, 06:51 AM
If you had RAID on, perhaps there is meta-data on drive.

Presence1960 on remove old raid setting from HD
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1325650
sudo dmraid -E -r /dev/sda

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ blkid
/dev/sda1: LABEL="SYSTEM" UUID="24947A069479DAAE" TYPE="ntfs" PARTUUID="87a48055-01"
/dev/sda2: LABEL="OS" UUID="DA9E7B029E7AD70B" TYPE="ntfs" PARTUUID="87a48055-02"
/dev/sda3: LABEL="HP_RECOVERY" UUID="3884B3AE84B36CCE" TYPE="ntfs" PARTUUID="87a48055-03"
/dev/sda5: LABEL="Storage" UUID="7D289D035786FCDD" TYPE="ntfs" PARTUUID="87a48055-05"
/dev/sda6: LABEL="Linux" UUID="2c0dfbc8-a491-46a0-83c8-fa5ed6c776de" TYPE="ext4" PARTUUID="87a48055-06"
/dev/sdb1: LABEL="UBUNTU 14_1" UUID="062A-5A4D" TYPE="vfat" PARTUUID="000abe10-01"
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo dmraid -E -r /dev/sda
Do you really want to erase "pdc" ondisk metadata on /dev/sda ? [y/n] :

Alright I answered yes, and now my partitions actully show up in the installer. I shall post another reply telling of my results and if i was successful. Thanks!

Tweaker420
December 13th, 2014, 09:12 AM
Having the blank screen is not all that unusual. The installer partition tool is having an issue with partitions.
But usually one of the other partition tools will show some sort of error.

If NTFS needs chkdsk or ext4 needs fsck, but then gparted shows a red or yellow icon, you have no icons.
Also if drive was ever RAID, it may have meta-data that has to be removed.
If drive was ever gpt it may have the backup gpt partition table and that has to be removed.
If an error in partition table where some entry overlaps or goes beyond end of drive.

But again other tools usually flag those errors so we know what to fix, you are not showing any other issue.

Is BIOS set drive to AHCI, not IDE, nor RAID?

We could go thru all the fixes in case one is not being shown by the partition tools, but I would not expect that to help. There must be some other issue?

Working great. Many thanks!