Can not dual boot with Ubuntu.

[Narendra]

Hello,
I am trying to reinstall Ubuntu 13.04 on a disk that already has Windows 7, A dual - boot.
But the installer on the ubuntu 13.04 Disk says:
The computer currently has no detected operating system. What would you like to do? If I install the Ubuntu, ithe Windows 7 will be wiped out.
Please advise where am I going wrong!

Thank you.

[RedWillow]

Interesting problem. I'm surprised you haven't had a response yet.

We'll need more information. Possible causes for what you are seeing are:

• Irregularity in the partition table confusing the installer.
• Residual RAID metadata confusing the installer (unlikely since you seem to have been able to install Ubuntu prior to this).
• Failing hard drive.
• HD cable has dropped off.
• Something else.

I'm just speculating here - we'll need to investigate.

Questions:

• Is your current installation of Ubuntu 13.04 working, and why do you want to re-install it?
• Does Windows boot up OK?

For starters, either boot up Ubuntu from the permanent installation if it's working, or from a live CD/USB, and post the output of this terminal command:

Code: Select all

sudo fdisk -lu

EDIT: just noticed this:

http://www.linuxformat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16209

Since the possibility if a failing hard drive has already occurred to you, and since this could be a cause of what you are seeing here, this is what you do in Ubuntu 13.04. Open the Disks application. Highlight the hard drive you want to check in the left pane. Click on the cogwheel icon top-right and select SMART data and tests.

[Narendra]

Code: Select all

narendra@narendra:~$ sudo fdisk -lu
[sudo] password for narendra:

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x4ff74ff6

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *          63   338842979   169421458+   7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2       338843041   976768064   318962512    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5       338843043   545069384   103113171    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda6       545069448   766075589   110503071    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda7       766076928   926597119    80260096    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda8       926597133   976768064    25085466    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

Disk /dev/sdb: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0001c22a

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1           16126   976768064   488375969+   f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sdb5           16128   153597464    76790668+   7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb6       153597528   194739929    20571201    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb7       194739993   256413464    30836736    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb8       256413528   287306459    15446466    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb9       287306523   348947864    30820671    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb10      348947928   390090329    20571201    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb11      390090393   431264924    20587266    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb12      431264988   482560469    25647741    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb13      482560533   585973864    51706666    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb14  *   688803003   804641639    57919318+   7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb15      804647718   976768064    86060173+   7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb16      585975808   672098303    43061248   83  Linux
/dev/sdb17      672100352   688801791     8350720   82  Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order
narendra@narendra:~$

Thank you very much for your reply.
The Windows 7 boots up Ok.
I have to 2 500 Gb hard drives on my computer and on one of the drives I had installed Windows 7 and Ubuntu 13.04.
Now, trying to install the ubuntu again it has installed on the other drive. But I want both the operating systems on the same drive.
The drives are Western Digital so I downloaded a programme from its website to diagnose the hard drives and both are perfect, no faults. I did Smart tests.
I am posting the results of $ sudo fdisk -lu

Please advise.
Thank you again.

[RedWillow]

Two things. Please edit your post and put code tags around your terminal output in order to restore formatting. At the moment, it's making my eyes swim. Code tags thusly:

[code]
Your terminal output
[/code]

Second thing - have you tried choosing "something else" in the installer and simply telling it to install Ubuntu to sdb16 as the / (root) partition? Assuming, that is, that you want to overwrite the current installation.

Don't do that just yet. I'd like to check your fdisk output, but only after it doesn't give me terminal eye failure!

[Narendra]

I did try 'Something Else' in the installer but it did not work, it did not show up the hard drive on which I wanted to install Ubuntu.

[towy71]

RedWillow I have put code tags on for Narendra

The drive setup looks ok but I'm wondering why Narendra has put to installs of whatever Windows on when one is more than enough lol

[RedWillow]

RedWillow I have put code tags on for Narendra

Much obliged! I help staff another forum and if I had £5 for every time I've edited in code tags....

The drive setup looks ok but I'm wondering why Narendra has put to installs of whatever Windows on when one is more than enough lol

There is certainly a sufficiency of ntfs partitions!

@Narendra, I might have missed something, but I can't see anything wrong with your fdisk output - not overlapping partitions, no extended outside the physical limit of the drive - the sort of things that can happen to a partition table and drive an installer crazy. Your out-of-order partitions don't matter.

Simple question, but it needs to be asked. When you say sdb didn't show up under something else, it's worth double-checking this. The something else window is quite small and you have - ahem - a lot of partitions. Are you sure you didn't just need to scroll down a bit? The now-you-see-it-now-you-don't scroll thingy is easily missed in Ubuntu.

[DavidMcCrossan]

Greetings RedWillow/Towy.

I have just read your helpful responses to Narenda, and I harbour suspicions about my HHD, so I tried to find out more from the disk utilty, only to find SMART not enabled. Under Smart Tests I find the line is greyed out. The item is ST3200822AS (3.01), 200GB.

Can I try another sort of disk-checker which you may know of?

Any advice/help you can give would be gratefully received.

Best regards

David

[nelz]

SMART needs to enabled in the computer's BIOS. Reboot and go into the BIOS settings and you'll probably find it is turned off.

[Narendra]

Thank you Towy, Redwillow, David and netz for helping me out.
I use windows for image editting only, for adobe photoshop and elements!

Simple question, but it needs to be asked. When you say sdb didn't show up under something else, it's worth double-checking this. The something else window is quite small and you have - ahem - a lot of partitions. Are you sure you didn't just need to scroll down a bit? The now-you-see-it-now-you-don't scroll thingy is easily missed in Ubuntu.

I am not sure now.But The Ubuntu is installed on the second drive. on the second drive now, I'll check it again when there is trouble again.
Thank you again.

[Narendra]

Read on this post that there should
not be more than 5 partitions on a hard drive and I have many. May be that is the reason.

http://tinyurl.com/q7cy7kv

[DavidMcCrossan]

Thank once again, Neil.

Apologies Narenda, for hijacking your post.

Best regards

David

[towy71]

Read on this post that there should
not be more than 5 partitions on a hard drive and I have many. May be that is the reason.

http://tinyurl.com/q7cy7kv

On sda you have 2 primary partitions one of which is extended and has 4 logical partitions all of them Windows.

On sdb you have 1 primary partition which is extended and has 12 logical partitions 10 of them Windows 1 Linux and 1 swap partition.

All of that is fine and dandy

You can only have 4 primary partitions one of which can be an extended partition which can hold many logical partitions on which you can do just about everything*

Sadly I don't have multi partitions on my hard drive because the is only Linux onboard



*boot partitions need separate voodoo

[dandnsmith]

Sadly I don't have multi partitions on my hard drive because the is only Linux onboard

Why sadly?
The whole multi-partition thing started with Unix/Linux as a way to separate out 'fixed' bits from variable (and expanding) -so I had it right from my first install

[towy71]

Why sadly?
The whole multi-partition thing started with Unix/Linux as a way to separate out 'fixed' bits from variable (and expanding) -so I had it right from my first install

Cos I couldn't paste a tricky partition table just / /home /storage and swap