Dual Boot:Windows 7 and Ubuntu 9.10

Has anybody successfully dual boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu 9.10? I tried several times with no apparent success. I think that Ubuntu 9.10 was not able to detect the Windows loader, consequently the partition section of the installation process did not include any partition whatsoever.

However, when I tried the previous version of Ubuntu i.e Ubuntu 9.04 Ubuntu was able to detect the vista loader and I was able then to dual boot. The only thing that I had to do was to upgrade to the newest 9.10 release.

Consequently, I think that there is something wrong with the image file or probably a bug in the 9.10 release itself. Any input?

Thanks.

 

Did you read my dual boot guide, I've shown exactly that ... in perfect detail.

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/dual-boot-windows-7-ubuntu.html

Cheers,
Mrk

 

Yes I did read your tutorial; however, based upon your screen-shots I believed you used Ubuntu 9.04 for your illuastrations. Ubuntu 9.04 worked fine, it is Ubuntu 9.10 that I have problem with.

Thanks.

 

You say the boot loader is the problem?
After the installation, you can boot into Ubuntu right?
Did you try running update-grub and see what happens ...
Mrk

 

Actually I do not know what the problem is. Like I said Ubuntu 9.04 works fine. However, for Ubuntu 9.10 the partition menu was blank, absolutely blank, there was no partition listed. When I clicked on forward I got a warning saying that there was no root please go back or something. And there was nothing to go back to because the partition menu was still blank.

This is also true for Kubuntu 9.10. Like I already explained I used 9.04 instead of 9.10 and then I was able to see the partition menu and proceeded with the installation. After the installation I upgraded to 9.10 and everything was fine and still is.

By the way I also fiddled with Gparted; Gparted saw the Windows partition and i went ahead to create my root, home, and swap partitions and applied them. Even then there was still no partition listed within the partition menu. Needless to say that my computer went dead after I tried to reboot to Windows. I had to re-install Windows from an image I created.

Thanks.

 

For one thing grub in 9.04 and grub in 9.10 are completely different - legacy in the former, while the new grub 2 in the latter, so maybe this is part of the problem? BTW, i am successful dual-booting Win7 and Mint (which also uses grub2) but when I installed Mint I used the Advanced option and installed grub to the Linux root partition (sda5 in my case) then I used Windows EasyBCD to add the Grub entry, making sure to point to the sda5 location.

It is not the only method; I just wanted to do things differently from default. Grub 2 seriously needs something like EasyBCD to make it easier for those of us less technically inclined to manage something of such importance.

 

@wat0114

Thanks for the tip. I'm a beginner in Linux and I'm sorry for my lack of knowledge in that field. Could you provide me, beside your screenshot a detailed step by step instructions on how to accomplish what you did? Did you do all that before you installed LinuxMint? I can see from your screenshot that you have partition 3 (Linux native-18GB) did you create some free space in Windows before LinuxMint installation?

Thanks.

 

In the meantime - http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/Ubuntu Whoop's, pardon me - Win7!

 

Not sure I get the comment, LOL, but what's important is this is an excellent tutorial Follow this Cogito. It's basically a carbon copy of what I did (Windows was installed first).

 

@everybody

It may well be a nice tutorial; however, it does not solve my problem because I could not even see step 2 and 3. Especially step 3 since there was no partitions listed. My only workaround was to install Ubuntu 9.04 and then upgraded to 9.10. Based upon what I've been told thus far I understand that Grub2 is the problem. I'll keep working on it.

Thanks.

 

So, what happens upon arriving @ step two - whaddaya do? It freeze, you goto a cold drop? I remember - 64bit.
PS - You know if it's a raid setup you've got there give the alternate cd a shot unless she's the one you booted.

Here, take a look @ this - https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/ source/ubiquity/ bug/448316

 

I had this problem too.

Here is what I did(simple)
1. Installed Win7
2. Installed Ubuntu 9.10
3. Booted into 9.10 and ran update-grub

Done.

 

When you check Win 7's Computer Management-> Disk management, are you seeing any kind of Linux partition layout similar to the screenshot?

Maybe you need to wipe 9.04 clean, then install 9.10 fresh.

It was only my theory, although because you say 9.04 worked fine and upgrading to 9.10 is an issue, I tend to think it is a a difference in grub type issue. You probably placed the grub in the Windows mbr - the default location - but what I did and what the link GlobalForce provided shows is that the grub is placed in Linux' root partition - the preferable location imo. When you upgraded to 9.10 the different grub types messed something up in the Windows mbr preventing your system from booting. Certainly I don't know for sure. I'm also a Linux newbie

 

The following assumes you are currently using the windows 7 bootloader.
the solution is to install easybcd version 2 beta from here
version two supports grub2 and is in the drop down menu.
1.Go to add/remove entries
2.Select grub 2 from the drop down menu
3.Type anything you want in the name box.
4. click add entry
5. click on the save button at the top of that screen.
reboot and select the new entry on the windows 7 bootloader and ubuntu should boot.

I use easybcd 2 on both my laptop and desktop and it works well on both.

 

Hi guys

Thanks for all your help; however, I think that Grub2 is the problem beyond the shadow of a doubt. I went to the ubuntuforums and I could see a few people that have problems similar to mine. What I wanted to do is to dual boot Ubuntu 9.10 with Windows 7, it should not be that hard and unfortunately, it is.

Now to experience what I'm going through I would like to request the assistance of a few good souls .

Here is what I would like you to do for me:

1) Back up your computer.
2) Use easyBCD to write the vista/7 boot loader and save
2) Delete your Linux partion(s) and extend the Windows partition.
3) Re-install windows
4) After Windows 7 installation fetch your Ubuntu 9.10 LiveCD
5) Boot from the LiveCD
6) Tell me what you see when you reach the partition menu.

Thanks.

 

Doesn't work like that, too many variables are hardware dependent.

To reiterate: this a raid array you're trying to install on?

About the partitioning .... tell us who's do'in what and the order of operations.

Please - as specific as possible.

 

GAG the Graphical Boot Manager should solve your problem, I really love this bootloader, it is very easy to use, I used to have four operating systems booting on my computer using GAG.

 

hey i will advice 3 things before using Linux

1st best thing to avoid 99 % damage is use different hard disk for linux in case it give trouble you can still boot from your xp/window without any problem

2. when installing linux best thing to avoid all trouble remove your 1st harddisk (xp/vista/windows7/mac) sata/ide power cable then install it you can also use many gui bootmanagers if you like then install it

3. after your install update your grub and add your windows chain looder in it

4 second hardisk is always best because the time your linux distro cashes or you formate it the grub formatted on second hardisk so it dont mess with windows you dont need to install windows again and again you can also use gui tool to set grub on your second hardisk there are many grub tools like UNetbootin supergrub EasyBCD ....etc

i use fedora + mint 8 linux i found fedora grub easy to manage its not on grub 2 but it support grub2 as well and easy to configure + many extra security features like locking bootloader selinux by default ....etc


please check these videos there are many on youtube.com please check them before installing ubuntu 9.10 again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A62QaphyrSk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5Jxfj6tu_U



summary

step 1

install easy bcd on windows

step 2 use live cd and go to last page before install go to advance mode scroll (hd0) to your / (root) {(example from second youtube video /dev/sda2)}

install grub on the partition in which you install your / (root) {(example from second youtube video /dev/sda2)}

step 3 boot from windows as grub is not installed on hd0 so you can easly boot from windows 7 now open easy bcd and scroll it to your / partition like give example by wat0114

***warning***
please select your own / partition i have given example /dev/sda2 from second video of youtube

after that if everything work fine you got your ubuntu without problem