Windows Vista and Ubuntu

[jechadwell99]

I try to install Ubuntu along with Vista but the Ubuntu installer does not give the option to install alongside Vista. I do not want to delete Vista as my parents would get annoyed. How do I get Vista to boot alongside Ubuntu?

[Mark Phelps]

What you're attempting to do comes with serious risk, because if you hose up the boot loader (a possible outcome of dual booting), Vista will not boot, and you will have no way to repair it. With Win7, there is a feature to create and burn a Win7 Repair CD -- which can then be used to repair the boot loader, but (from what I recall years ago), Vista has no such feature.

Furthermore, if you use the Ubuntu installer to shrink down Vista (as SOME here will tell you to do), that pretty much guarantees that the Vista filesystem well get corrupted, leading to the first problem mentioned above.

Seriously, you should leave your parent's machine as it is -- if you hose it up, what are they going to do then?

An alternative, if you're only interested in experimenting with Ubuntu, is to install it to an external drive. That will prevent risk of damage to Vista. To do that, you would need to disconnect the internal hard drive during the Ubuntu installation to ensure that the Vista boot loader does not get compromised.

[jechadwell99]

What about installing on windows xp? We have an old desktop computer that I might be able to install Ubuntu on.

[jechadwell99]

Why haven't I read that Ubuntu and Windows don't work together? A lot of people on the internet have had success by following the internet tutorials.

[coffeecat]

Ubuntu and Windows do work well together - I've been installing Ubuntu to create Ubuntu/Windows dual-boots for years now. Mark Phelps was simply giving you good advice, telling you the sort of things that could go wrong, and a couple of things you need to think about with Vista in particular. The sort of things we see time and time again on these forums when people have made mistakes during installation or ploughed on without adequately researching what they need to think about. And you need to be doubly cautious if you were contemplating installing Ubuntu on your parents' machine, particularly if they might get annoyed!

The damage to Vista that Mark Phelps mentioned which can occur if you shrink the Vista partition with the Ubuntu installer is a quirk of the way Windows stores bootloader files in the C: partition, and can affect Windows 7 too. It is usually repairable if you have access to a Vista installation disc, which you probably don't.

If this is your first attempt at installing Ubuntu, then installing on an older machine with XP is a good idea. You'll gain invaluable experience that way. Post some specifications of the XP machine and people will be able to help you. Include things such as CPU, RAM, graphics, hard drive space, because Ubuntu with Unity might be a bit heavy for some older machines and people will be able to suggest alternatives in the Ubuntu family.

[jechadwell99]

So what you're saying is that if I do it carefully then it will work?

Also isn't it possible to create a repair disk for Vista?

[coffeecat]

Also isn't it possible to create a repair disk for Vista?

In theory, yes, but it requires some hacking in system files, unlike with Windows 7. And since this is your parent's machine I'm not going to tell you any more. A repair disc with the repair console is a very different thing from an OEM recovery disc in case you are confusing the two.

You've mentioned an XP machine. Why not start with that? It's a good way to begin your Ubuntu adventure and I wish you will with that.

[jechadwell99]

Sorry about saying I could install it on the Windows XP machine. Apparently I'm not allowed to use it...
Do you know somewhere where I can get reliable information about installing Ubuntu alongside Vista?

[Mark Phelps]

You can PURCHASE the ISO file needed to burn a Window Repair CD from the following link: http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/window...disc-download/.

A Win7 disk will work just as well (in fact, some claim better) as a Vista repair disk.

It's been so long since I used Vista that I don't recall, but you need to look in the Backup options to see if there is one to create a Startup (or Repair) disk. I don't think they had one. I think they introduced that with Win7.

I never said that Ubuntu and Windows don't work well together -- but that is not the issue here. You're not talking about intercommunicating between two running OSs; instead, you're talking about installing a second OS on someone else's PC.

And, if that fails (as it might), you end up trashing THEIR PC, not yours.

If you are determine to charge ahead with dual-booting, then read the info below BEFORE you do that:

If you're going to dual-boot, then you need to do the following: Confirm that you don't already have the 4 Primary partition limit. To do this, open the Vista Disk Management utility and count the number of "drives" (that's what Windows calls partitions). If you already have 4, then you're going to be faced with a LOT of work because you will have to remove one before you can create another for Ubuntu.

Also, check the "drive" types and confirm they are NOT Dynamic Disks. Ubuntu can't be installed when Dynamic Disks are being used.

Use only the Vista Disk Management utility to shrink your Win7 OS partition to make room for Ubuntu. Do NOT use the Ubuntu installer to do this. If you already have 4 partitions in Vista, do NOT allow the partitioner to create another partition. This will convert your partitions into Dynamic Disks -- effectively preventing the installation of Ubuntu and causing you further problems.

Once you have Vista shrunk, when you then boot back into the Ubuntu installer, use "something else" to do the partitioning.

[jechadwell99]

It says I have a C: drive and an HP_RECOVERY (D:) drive. Is that OK?
I do not know how to find out what type my drives are. How do I find out?
Also before installing Ubuntu will I need to defragment my drive?

Thanks for your help!!!