How To Install Ubuntu On Windows 7

What are we going to do?

Nosotros are going to do what a typical Windows user would do:

Nosotros will install Ubuntu on a computer that already has Windows 7 installed. We volition have to accommodate space for our Ubuntu installation. To this end, we will use the GParted partition tool to resize (shrink) the Windows installation and create new partitions for Ubuntu.

Later Ubuntu is installed, we will accept to bargain with an error - a typical case of unbootable Windows, a mutual trouble that tin occur when the Windows installation is changed. We will acquire how to deal with this trouble just and efficiently using the built-in tools, fixing the Windows kicking result.

In the end, we will have the two operating systems installed side by side in a dual kicking configuration, both working happily.

This tutorial is critical for any Windows user considering running Linux alongside his/her installation. Not only will it teach the user how to interpret the hard disk layout and alter it safely and smartly, it will also expose the user to a seemingly catastrophic boot failure, which nosotros volition solve. This exercise in dual-booting is as existent as it can get.

Follow me.

Preliminary reading

To exist able to fully relish this tutorial and follow all its minute details, you must invest some time in reading older material, on which this guide is based. Lots of technical lingo in this tutorial references to detailed, footstep-by-footstep instructions presented in the dedicated Windows 7 and Ubuntu installation guides, as well every bit boosted tutorials.

Please do not skip this department. While you tin can apply this guide without any external help, you will greatly do good from studying the other articles. They volition teach yous the vital, fundamental basics in operating system installations, disk direction and kick loading procedure.

GParted partitioning software - Full tutorial

Chow bootloader - Full tutorial

Dual booting - WindowsXP & Linux

Now, let us begin.

Scenario: Windows 7 is installed

This is the archetype case. A Windows user, who has already installed Windows on his/her motorcar would like to try Linux. The user has heard of Ubuntu, which comes as no surprise, since it is the most popular Linux distribution available.

The user downloads the Ubuntu live CD image, burns information technology to CD - and the fun begins.

Things to consider before trying Linux

Windows users need to consider advisedly the pros and cons of testing a new operating system on their hardware. Please go through the following listing and see if any of the issues mentioned might be of concern for you.

There might exist hardware bug

Linux distributions take skilful hardware back up in general, simply in that location's no such affair as perfect. You may be the unlucky person whose hardware is incompatible with this or that edition of this or that Linux distribution. This can cause problems in getting the operating system to boot or you might have to deal with missing drivers after the installation.

The same holds truthful for Windows, but Windows commonly comes preinstalled and you get a load of drivers when you purchase a new figurer.

Continue this in mind before venturing into uncharted territories.

Windows and Linux are unlike

Windows users take a notion of how things work based on their former experience with computers, generally revolving around 1 or more Windows releases. The Linux operating system is unlike. Mastering it takes time and patience. Practice non expect to become experts overnight or be able to solve all your problems early. At all times, you must call back that the two operating systems are dissimilar, they behave and human action differently.

Data loss

Whenever you're about to alter the existing installation, there's a risk of information loss, regardless of which operating system you're nigh to install. It is important to brand sure you take your critical data backed upward to external media. You lot should also verify that your backups are intact and that they can be restored.

Therefore, to install Windows and Linux together, you lot need to be confident your data is safely backed up and y'all need to understand that in that location might be hardware problems with your installation. Likewise, the methodology to solving the problems will differ from you're used to in Windows. As long as you keep these things in mind, your dual-boot feel will be a pleasant one.

Kicking into Ubuntu live CD session

Very fortunately, Ubuntu (as many other Linux distros) comes equally a bootable live CD. This means you lot tin can kick Ubuntu and exam the hardware compatibility, without making any changes to your existing installations on the hard disk. This is an excellent feature that lets you lot play with the operating arrangement, go the first impression, check unlike applications, and brand sure all your hardware is properly detected.

This is what we volition do. Boot into live CD, brand sure everything works, then proceed with the installation. Following the instructions in the Ubuntu installation guide should have you logged into the Ubuntu alive session in the affair of minutes:

Make sure your wired and Wireless network adapters are operation, make certain your Bluetooth, Spider web camera, sound carte, and perhaps the graphics carte du jour all work equally expected. This is the first stride to ensuring smooth and painless installation and post-install experience. If you need guidance how to exam all these, please refer to whatever one of my Linux distro reviews, including Ubuntu 8.x and Ubuntu nine.04 in detail.

In one case you're sure everything is ready, you lot can begin the installation.

Truth to be told, you should Not outset the installation immediately, but we will do this anyway. I want to prove you lot how an average user might act and follow his/her railroad train of thought.

Please note, it is okay to first the installation, only there is an e'er better and smarter way to approach the job. We volition before long learn why and how. For now, let's double-click on the Install push button.

This volition brainstorm the Ubuntu installation.

Fix Disk Space (Partitioning)

The most of import pace of the installation is Step 4: Fix Disk Space. In technical terms, this is chosen division.

Allow united states start examine the electric current state of affairs:

Windows 7 is installed

Ubuntu wisely informs you that This computer has Windows Vista (loader) on it. Practiced. This means that Ubuntu recognizes the existing installation.

Do not be confused about the Windows Vista terminology. Windows Vista and Windows vii apply the same bootloader, hence the "erroneous" notation. This will definitely change in the coming version of Ubuntu.

Take a expect at the existing layout. At that place's a small, 100MB Windows system partition present and some other thirteen.6GB division in use, plus some costless infinite. If you remember the Windows 7 installation, these are exactly the partitions nosotros created, both primary!

We now know that nosotros should non touch or alert the small Windows organization segmentation, only nosotros might be able to resize (shrink) the big NTFS division in social club to adjust more space for Ubuntu. Then far so good.

Allow's meet what else the installer offers us:

The default installation choice is to install Windows and Ubuntu side by side. Good. This is what we want. Ubuntu fifty-fifty suggests its ain recommended layout.

While information technology looks quite OK, I do not remember you should accept it. I think that sectionalization is as well important to go out in the hands of an automatic installer. This is a chore that you need to practice manually, carefully examining each and every pace.

Then we should cull the third choice, Specify partitions manually (advanced).

Now, we need to manually edit the partitions.

Planning is everything

Before you make whatever alter, allow'south examine the image above some more than.

Again, it's the same thing from before, only shown in the table course rather than as a graph ribbon. We accept ii partitions on the deejay, sda1 and sda2, both principal, both formatted every bit NTFS. There's as well some gratuitous space. What more, sda2 is also quite free, with less than half occupied by Windows 7 files.

Nosotros take several options:

Install Ubuntu into the free space

This is the simplest choice. We will have to create the Extended partitioning and so create iii logical partitions inside information technology, i for the root filesystem, one for home and one for swap. The 6.3GB free space is enough for a Ubuntu installation.

Notation: On a production system, the free space might have been occupied by one or more existing partition, maybe a FAT32 or NTFS partition used for data in Windows or mayhap a previous Linux installation. Whichever the case, you need to KNOW what'due south in that location, correctly friction match data seen in Windows to what you lot see in the installer and make your option.

Compress Windows and create a new layout

This is besides an selection, somewhat more complex. Let's say we want more than the costless space we take. This ways we will take to make the Windows sda2 partitioning smaller. Luckily, this can be done, because the partition is quite big and mostly unused.

We will go for option (b), both because it is harder and because it more than closely resembles reality, where most people do not programme ahead and have to work around the limitations of their installations.

Which brings me to the near important matter of all: planning is everything.

Plan ahead, two, three, v years. It's not easy or always possible, only information technology's a must for flexible, carefree calculating. You need to recollect alee and make certain your setup will be valid many years into the future.

What am I trying to tell you?

Before yous install any operating system, remember, think, remember! Is this going to be a dual-boot arrangement? Will you be installing more than than one operating system? If so, make sure yous create a smart sectionalisation layout in advance and dedicate partitions to each instance.

Not only does this make more sense, information technology is safer. Y'all won't have to fiddle with existing partitions containing important data. You lot will be instantly ready for new installations, with partitions waiting for you.

Recommendation:

If yous're going to create dual-boot layouts on your machines, and then here are some golden rules that should serve you well.

• Create partitions using a defended sectionalisation tool like GParted.
• Windows needs to be installed into master partitions. Windows 7 requires that its system partitioning be primary. The second sectionalization tin exist logical, significant it can exist placed into the Extended partition.
• Create partitions large enough then y'all won't need to enlarge them.
• Create split up data partition for Windows files and another for data.
• Create separate Linux root and home partitions.
• Perhaps create a partition for sharing of data between Windows and Linux.

Example:

Here's the layout I would make. Let'due south assume a 100GB deejay, so nosotros can relate to partition sizes in relative terms (pct). I will besides utilise generic /dev/sdaX names for the partitions.

• Windows vii system partitioning - 1GB (sda1)
• Extended sectionalization - 99GB (sda2)
• Windows partition (Windows files) - 20GB (sda5)
• Windows data partition (user files) - 60GB (sda6); yous tin share it in Linux
• Linux root - 10GB (sda7)
• Linux swap - RAM size, permit's assume 2GB (sda8)
• Linux abode - remaining space (sda9)

This setup does not yield all-time performance in Linux, because Linux root and bandy are toward the end of the disk, which is slower, but it makes sense for a typical dual-boot user. Creating this setup AHEAD of any installation is a wise, healthy move.

Tin can nosotros use this recommended setup in our case?

The answer is: no. We did not create the partitions using a third-party tool like GParted. We created the partitions using Windows 7 installer. Unfortunately, Windows 7 creates all new partitions as primary.

Here'south a reminder:

So, nosotros will accept to handle the situation a trivial differently.

We even so demand iii partitions for Linux (root, swap, habitation). There are already two partitions in apply past Windows. At that place can only exist a total of four primary partitions on whatever hard disk. This means we must create the Extended segmentation in the gratis space, including the actress infinite gained by Windows 7 partition shrinking, otherwise we must forgo either the utilise of separate bandy or home in Ubuntu. If push comes to shove, Ubuntu can manage with just ane segmentation, just this is not recommended.

And then, the tasks at mitt are:

• Resize Windows partition (sda2).
• Create Extended partition - will be chosen sda3.
• Create logical partitions (root, swap, home) inside the Extended - will be called sda5, sda6 and sda7.

Edit partitioning

Our first chore is to edit sda2:

Stop!

Recollect the recommendation to use a dedicated partitioning tool? This is what we're going to exercise. We're going to close the installer and utilize GParted. We know what we demand, the only thing left is to use the right tool for the correct job - GParted.

Use GParted to create partition layout

GParted comes with Ubuntu. It tin can be found nether System > Assistants > Partition Editor.

OK, let'south make sure we take everything we want and need:

• Windows vii data is backed upwards, cheque.
• We will resize (compress) Windows 7 partitioning (sda2).
• We will create the Extended partition.
• We will create logical partitions.
• We will then resume the Ubuntu installation.

Let's begin.

Resize (Compress) Windows NTFS partition

If you've read my extensive GParted tutorial, you know how to do this. It'south rather elementary. Highlight the partitioning and click on Resize/Movement in the icon menu.

Choose the new size. We'll lake information technology smaller by some 2GB.

One time you lot corroborate of the new size, click Resize/Move. Zero will happen yet. GParted volition write down the job, but information technology will not run it until you click Apply in the chief icon menu. This is a good thing, every bit information technology lets y'all make new changes and cancel tasks.

Create Extended sectionalisation

The next stride is to create the Extended partition that will span the entire complimentary infinite, including the new 2GB freed from Windows.

Create Linux partitions

Next, we will create the root, swap and abode for Ubuntu. Nosotros'll format the root and dwelling with Ext4 filesystem. Delight refer to the Ubuntu installation guide for more details.

Final layout

This is the concluding layout:

Use the changes

Triple cheque the layout, make certain yous've done everything every bit you planned. In one case you're fully satisfied, click Apply and let the tool run.

GParted volition start working. It will beginning run the shrinking chore.

GParted is quite friendly. GParted volition start run a simulation to brand certain it can practise the desired task. Then, it volition run a consistency bank check on the NTFS division and try to fix errors if it finds any, it will then resize the partition and copy all the data over. Depending on the chosen sizes and the deejay speed, this can accept many hours.

Next, information technology will create the Linux partitions.

Success!

If everything went equally expected, GParted volition complete all of the task successfully. However, please note there is no guarantee that you lot will succeed. Your disk may exist damaged or in that location might be irreparable errors with the filesystem you're working on. What more than, GParted might not exist able to resize Windows partitions.

Remember, partitioning is a very delicate procedure. Information technology may (and should) work. Then over again, in a few cases, it may and volition fail. Yous must exist aware of this.

Luckily, we had no problems.

New layout

And hither'south the desired layout:

Now we tin go dorsum and resume the installation.

Resume installation

We will close GParted and click on the Install icon one time once again. In Step four, we volition now be seeing a whole new layout:

Again, nosotros will use the third option (Specify partitions manually). Ubuntu recommends yet another shrinking of the Windows 7 partition, but it is not necessary. We accept all we need. We will not manually assign mountpoints to our freshly created root, swap and home partitions.

Highlight the partitions (sda5-7) and assign them relevant mountain points. In that location's no need to format them again, because we just did that with GParted.

Here's the final setup:

Warning

The installer will warn you that y'all're not formatting the root filesystem and that it'due south going to destroy whatever existing directories found there. Since we know nosotros've simply created the partitions and want to use them for our new Ubuntu installation, this is ok.

Our installation is gear up.

But at that place'southward one more matter to configure.

Configure bootloader

Ubuntu informed united states of america that sda1 contains Vista (loader) on it. This is expected. Every operating arrangement must use some form of bootloader to start.

When you're running a dual boot system, yous will accept two options, using either the Windows bootloader or GRUB, which is the default loader in most Linux distros, including Ubuntu.

If you've read my Chow tutorial, you know that Chow can be used to boot both Linux and Windows operating systems. This is what nosotros're going to do. We'll apply Chow and call on Windows 7 bootloader from it, which will and then manage the Windows boot sequence.

This is a standard process in dual boot systems.

The default setting is to install the bootloader, so y'all need not exercise anything.

Nosotros're gear up. Click Install and allow the procedure complete.

Installation consummate, enjoy your dual-boot

Later y'all reboot the organisation following Ubuntu installation, y'all will at present see the Chow menu, showing entries for both Linux and Windows, just as we've expected. This is very similar to what we've seen with Windows XP and Kubuntu.

Notice the "erroneous" Windows Vista entry. No affair, we tin can modify information technology. See Grub tutorial for more details.

Boot Ubuntu

Let's showtime boot Ubuntu. Indeed, everything works fine.

Allow's brand some more checks. For example, if yous go to Place, you can see the Windows partitions in the list, called Organization Reserved and 11.5GB Media.

And hither are the contents of the xi.5GB drive:

Now, let'southward kicking Windows.

Boot Windows

Oops, nosotros get this horrible error!

This is exactly what I wanted you to see! Don't panic!

Whenever you use a sectionalization tool against an installed organization, there's a gamble of a problem, filesystem corruption and who knows what else. There is no guarantee for success. Re-partitioning of installed operating systems is risky. This is why y'all should always create your setup Earlier installations, so you never have to face this kind of problem.

What went wrong?

Well, my guess is the resizing (shrinking) messed up the filesystem. No worries, we volition fix it. Luckily, we can solve this 1 rather easily. The fault message itself suggests the form of action - boot from Windows installation disc, choose Linguistic communication settings, click on Repair your computer and let the built-in Windows tools practice the job. Let'due south do it, then.

Repair unbootable Windows installation

Following the instructions, we will boot from the Windows installation disc.

Click on Repair your computer:

And you will run across this bill of fare:

Let Windows repair itself. It should practice a pretty adept job.

Indeed, we're upwardly and running. Windows 7 will beginning booting and recommend you run checkdisk confronting your disk, offering notwithstanding some other hint that the resizing procedure messed things upwards a fiddling. You should indeed permit the tool run.

And soon, you'll come across the login menu:

And here we can see the changes in My Computer and the Deejay Direction.

One thing that Windows 7 does not report correctly are the partition types for our Linux partitions. It reports all of them as master, for a full of five on the same disk! Impossible! Only this is a modest glitch overall.

Other Windows repair & recovery tools

In case the automatic Windows 7 self-repair does not work, you tin utilise boosted tools available via the Recovery panel. In add-on to Startup Repair, you can as well try System Restore, Image Recovery, and even check the Memory.

Congratulations!

That's information technology, we're done!

We have our dual-boot arrangement running. Windows 7 and Ubuntu are installed next. Everything works as expected. We've even had to deal with a serious kick issue in Windows, simply we managed it quite well. This is a very important lesson.

Conclusion

Dual booting Windows seven and Ubuntu is not a uncomplicated task. Information technology requires attention to details and patience. And there is no guarantee that information technology volition piece of work.

However, if you lot follow the instructions carefully and invest time planning your setup, yous volition enjoy a pleasant, problem-free feel of running two or more than operating systems side past side. What more, fifty-fifty if you lot practice encounter errors, you have the right knowledge and tools to solve them easily.

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How To Install Ubuntu On Windows 7,

Source: https://www.just.edu.jo/~mzali/courses/Fall14/Cis345/files/dual-boot-windows-7-ubuntu.html

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