Trying to Install Ubuntu to dual boot from windows 10 - getting nowhere :/

**pweyand** · December 17th, 2016

Hey everyone, I am a complete newbie, and I am stuck trying to even install Ubuntu. I have a dell xps 15 and I've, so far, turned off fast boot and secure boot in the bios as well as created a partition in the windows manager. I installed the Ubuntu 16.04.1 distro on a thumb drive and successfully got that to run on "try Ubuntu" mode. However, when I try and install through the manager while I'm in "try" mode all that Ubuntu can see is the thumb drive - it can't see my hard drive at all. Totally lost on what to do - as far as I can tell this problem hasn't been addressed in any of the online documentation or tutorials. Can anyone please help?

**cdtech** · December 17th, 2016

This gives you step by step instructions on installing Ubuntu along side Windows.

https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desk...ubuntu-desktop

Hope that helps, if not let us know.........

**pweyand** · December 17th, 2016

I never get to step 3 in the installation setup, and the next step after that (which is not shown) where you are to allocate drive space and choose the installation boot space only sees my USB stick. Sorry, that doesn't help me.

**RobGoss** · December 17th, 2016

Hello and welcome, Are you able to see the option something else? if so choose this option and choose the unallocated space you created to install Ubuntu, you will also have to crate a swap partition as well, this guide should help you get started: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwapFaq

GRUB needs to be installed into the MBR, Master Boot Record of your hard drive it will detect Win-10 and automatically include it as a boot option.

Instructions on how to dual boot Windows and Ubuntu
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

**yancek** · December 17th, 2016

If you are using windows 10 currently, it is important to know whether it is UEFI or and older MBR install. Pre-installed windows 8/10 are almost always UEFI. See the Ubuntu documentation below on dual booting windows/Ubuntu UEFI. If you do have an EFI windows install, you need to boot Ubuntu EFI to install or the results will be problematic.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI

In your post you indicate you created a partition in windows on which to install Ubuntu. Not much point in that. You are better off shrinking the windows partition(s) and leaving uncallocated space on which to install Ubuntu. You will need to format the partition using a Linux filesystem during the install anyway and a default windows is incapable of doing that. If you do have an MBR install, how many partitions do you currently have?

**pweyand** · December 17th, 2016

RobGoss: No. Like I said the page that has the "something else" option with the radio buttons isn't even displaying. It simply skips that page. I haven't done the GRUB thing yet I'll look into that.

Yancek: It is UEFI installed. I already have followed an installation guide that makes you check that and deal with all the issues stemming from that. I have shrunk the windows partition before booting into Ubuntu. That's not the issue either.