Setting Up Dual Boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu 12.10

[dylan1020]

Hello all, I have decided to Dual Boot Ubuntu 12.10 and Windows 7 on my main laptop. I have used Ubuntu before on my secondary machine but I did a clean install. I have already shrunk my Windows Partition down. I have about 300 GB for free space left for the remaining partitions. I just need help making the partitions in gparted. I need one for the Ubuntu installation, I have read that I need a swap partition (need help with that), and a partition for shared files between the two OS's. I have read multiple guides but they are outdated and I would rather have the most up to date information. If you could point me to a guide that's up to date, thank you. If you just tell me here, thanks twice as much lol.
Thanks in advance

[dylan1020]

update, I have found a nice guide http://www.liberiangeek.net/2012/10/...antal-quetzal/
The only problem is that it does not tell me how to do the shared files thing in both OS's. If anybody could clear that up it would be greatly appreciated.

[Bucky Ball]

Create an NTFS partition for shared files. You may already have one you can use. Ubuntu can see, read and write to NTFS partitions no problems (including the one where Win is installed) but Windows has no idea about Linux EXT* partitions. Hope that helps.

PS: You don't need to set up the partitions for Ubuntu in Gparted prior to installing Ubuntu. That can all be done when you get to the partitioning sections of the install. Choose something else. Mount points like /, /home and /swap are selectable there as defaults, but you can call mount points whatever you like also. A standard plan might be something like:

/ = where the OS goes, 20Gb is plenty (I never use more than 15Gb but have a separate /home);
/home = large as you like, your data like Documents, Videos, Music, etc.;
/swap = 2Gb fine unless you hibernate a lot; then as large as the amount of RAM you have is advised.

Good luck with it.

[dylan1020]

Create an NTFS partition for shared files. You may already have one you can use. Ubuntu can see, read and write to NTFS partitions no problems (including the one where Win is installed) but Windows has no idea about Linux EXT* partitions. Hope that helps.

PS: You don't need to set up the partitions for Ubuntu in Gparted prior to installing Ubuntu. That can all be done when you get to the partitioning sections of the install. Choose something else. Mount points like /, /home and /swap are selectable there as defaults, but you can call mount points whatever you like also. A standard plan might be something like:

/ = where the OS goes, 20Gb is plenty (I never use more than 15Gb but have a separate /home);
/home = large as you like, your data like Documents, Videos, Music, etc.;
/swap = 2Gb fine unless you hibernate a lot; then as large as the amount of RAM you have is advised.

Good luck with it.

Thank you very much, and I knew that I could use Gparted within the live CD session. Would I be able to link to "My Music" and things like that in Ubuntu for the existing Windows Installation? There's really no point in making an extra partition for it if that's the case...

[Bucky Ball]

Thank you very much, and I knew that I could use Gparted within the live CD session.

It is also what is used when you get to the partitioning section of the install.

Would I be able to link to "My Music" and things like that in Ubuntu for the existing Windows Installation?

Yes. You can have them mount like any other partition (they may be discovered and mounted 'automagically' without you having to manually do anything after install and on first boot).

Leave the 300Gb as free space so it is clearly visible during the partitioning section of the install. Just avoid doing anything to the NTFS partitions and make sure they are not ticked for formatting (they shouldn't be unless you manually do that anyway).

[dylan1020]

Yes. You can have them mount like any other partition (they may be discovered and mounted 'automagically' without you having to manually do anything after install and on first boot).

Ok thank you. Not going to bother making a separate partition for it then. On to installing Ubuntu! I'll probably be back asking how to make the shortcuts to the Windows partition but I like to try to find things out myself. Thank you for everything.

[dylan1020]

ok I am having a embarassing issue... The Ubuntu Live CD will not boot completely. I select to boot from a cd in the BIOS and it goes through and then I get like a splash screen for Ubuntu and then it goes black and it has a blinking cursor at the top and it hangs there. Any advice?

[oldfred]

Often Video. What video card do you have? I have nVidia and have to add nomodeset on live install boot and first boot after install until I get nVidia driver installed.
How to set NOMODESET and other kernel boot options in grub2
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1613132
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootOptions

I highly recommend the shared read/write NTFS data partition and set the Windows system partition as read only. Windows can be particular about too much activity from outside Windows. Also the Linux NTFS driver shows all the hidden files & folders that Windows normally hides, so accidents are too easy. Even when I only used Windows I would turn on show all files and accidentally click and drag too quick and move a system folder under another and totally corrupt system.

[dylan1020]

Often Video. What video card do you have? I have nVidia and have to add nomodeset on live install boot and first boot after install until I get nVidia driver installed.
How to set NOMODESET and other kernel boot options in grub2
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1613132
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootOptions

I highly recommend the shared read/write NTFS data partition and set the Windows system partition as read only. Windows can be particular about too much activity from outside Windows. Also the Linux NTFS driver shows all the hidden files & folders that Windows normally hides, so accidents are too easy. Even when I only used Windows I would turn on show all files and accidentally click and drag too quick and move a system folder under another and totally corrupt system.

I have Intel Integrated Graphics. I tried the nomodeset and I get the same thing. A blank screen with a blinking cursor at the top.

[oldfred]

Intel is just supposed to work. There is only the one open source driver fully supported & regularly updated by Intel.

Some have needed some settings intead of nomodeset:
Older Intel video card: i915.modeset=1 or i915.modeset=0
newer: i915.i915_enable_rc6=1

Others have posted to use the monitor settings, but use your monitor size and hz, not the example 1280x1024x60:

Force Intel Video mode as boot parameter in grub menu
video=1280x1024-24@60
and if that doesn't work you can try
video=VGA-1:1280x1024-24@60


For Intel graphics running slow:
sudo apt-get install mesa-utils
glxinfo | grep OpenGL | head -n3