[clue] Requesting more installation help

[M Paul Webb]

For anyone who is curious, after my inquiries, I met with my old friend yesterday and figured out how to install Linux as a dual boot on his laptop. After I had created an unallocated space using Easeus, it was indicated as unusable by the Ubuntu 12.04 installation disc.

The disk was then set up as set out below, with four primary partitions and one unallocated space as logical. I was advised to make the unallocated space an extended partition. I then noticed my laptop had such an extended partition with the ext4 and swap, but the installation disk had just made the partitions without my knowing it.

So, using Easeus, I converted the Recovery partition and HP_Tools partition from primary to logical. Then, I put in the installation disc and restarted. On clicking installation, I now had the option of installing beside Windows, and the disk just automatically made an extended partition with ext 4 and swap. It was easy, and I still don't know how to make the extended partition myself, but that is OK.

Thanks for the help David and Charles. Your advice pointed me in the right direction, and I got the solution.  Now I'll put something on the internet about it to help others -- maybe, next week. So I guess soon, all those other guys at McDonalds will want to install Linux too. That would be nice, and I can always send e-mails here for help.

*: System NTFS 199 MB
C:        NTFS 94.39 GB
* unallocated
D: Recovery NFTS 17.35 GB
 F: HP_Toos  Fat32 103.34MB



________________________________
 From: David L. Anselmi <anselmi at anselmi.us>
To: M Paul Webb <hsechmvt at yahoo.com>; CLUE's mailing list <clue at cluedenver.org> 
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 2:57 PM
Subject: Re: [clue] Requesting more installation help
 
M Paul Webb wrote:
> Using Easeus Partition Master, I made a block of space on the hard drive unallocated for the
> Linux partition. However, on trying to install, the unallocated space came up designated as
> unusable. Going then to GParted -- it was noted only four partitions can be used, and that I had
> to make an extended partition to put other partitions inside of.
>
> At any rate, can someone tell me what to do with my friends computer, in order to have a
> Windows/Ubuntu dual boot. Here is how the hard drive looks now.
>
> *: System NTFS 199 MB
> C:        NTFS 94.39 GB
> * unallocated
> D: Recovery NFTS 17.35 GB
> F: HP_Toos  Fat32 103.34MB

It's a pity the hard drive is so complicated.  I wonder what the 199MB NTFS is for?

It would help if you'd use Linux partition tools to show the drive layout.  Your list doesn't tell us the partition order or where the free blocks are so you may run into issues that we can't anticipate.

You can Google for DOS partition table and you'll find an explanation of how the extended partition works.

Assuming that your 4 partitions are (in order) System, C:, D:, and F: you'll want to make D: and F: into logical partitions inside an extended partition that also contains your unallocated space.

I think gparted can do that.  It ought to be able to move D: and F: without copying their data.  But I don't have a test handy that I can confirm that.

Dave
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