Topic: Dual-Boot on my Laptop.

[Ken (OP)]

I'm going to do a dual-boot on my laptop using Ubuntu-14.04.2 and EasyBCD 2.2.

Added a partition to the HDD to be used for Ubuntu:
Shrunk the Storage(F:) drive by 30 Gig and then made the unallocated space into Ubuntu(U:). The resulting drive, (U:), ends up being 29.2 Gigs and that should be more than enough because Ubuntu calls for only(!) 5 Gigs of free space.

My laptop specs:
HP dv7-3067nr 'Entertainment Notebook'
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
AMD Turion(tm) II Dual-Core Mobile M500 2.20 GHz
4.0 GB

Starting to research website now to make sure to do the best and smoothest install possible.

Some links that are informing my process:
http://www.docskillz.com/docs/index.php?topic=751.0
https://neosmart.net/wiki/easybcd/dual-boot/linux/ubuntu/
http://www.docskillz.com/docs/index.php?topic=743.0

[Skhilled]

I had problems trying to install on any of my drives except for C:. Not sure why...

Also, you might want to use Ubuntu 14.10...although 14.04 should work as it originally did for me.

[Ken (OP)]

Not sure what I've done wrong, but my windows 7 seems to be thrashed! 

Looks like the restore disk is my only option, but I'm still looking at the situation trying to find another way.

[Skhilled]

Detail the steps you are taking.

[Ken (OP)]

For now I'm trying to restore/repair windows and that's not going too well, the restore didn't work because it's showing no restore points available. The repair didn't work, so atm I'm trying use trying to my recovery DVD's to reinstall to 'factory settings' and that's not working either. 

I have a windows 7 disc, so that may be a way to go... although I seriously considering using my XP Pro disc and just forgetting about win7. I always loved XP Pro. 

[Skhilled]

Yes, but they will stop supporting XP soon...no more updates or security fixes.

[Ken (OP)]

I'm taking a short break from this dual-boot for a min... got some other stuff that has been on hold and needs to be finished up/taken care of and then I'll try again. 

[Ken (OP)]

Ah well... looks like I need to take a pass on the dual-boot thing for now. 

After several tries it was apparent that the current release was not going to work so I tried an older version of Ubuntu and it didn't turn out any better.
So, I'm in the process of doing another 'factory reset' on my laptop because the system got trashed again. 
So, that's it for now.

[Ken (OP)]

I'm taking a short break from this dual-boot for a min... got some other stuff that has been on hold and needs to be finished up/taken care of and then I'll try again. 

... the short break is over!!! 

Yepp, I do know that it has been over three years since the last post to this topic, but this is a continuation of the same old song. 

Thank God for recovery discs!
Shortly after Kay gave me this laptop back in December, '09 I made a set of recovery discs(4) and now, for the second time, they have saved the day. Basically it's the same story all over again, only this time I'm trying to dual-boot Linux Mint and it's giving me the same result.  In the image below you see the option to install Linux along side Windows, but in my process that option is not avalible and if you try to proceed beyond this point the windows install gets trashed and will no longer boot up and that's where those four recovery discs come in.

Strangely enough Mint installed very easily on my desktop PC that is running Windows Vista. It set up its own partition and boot loader with very little input required from me, but this Windows 7 laptop continues to give me fits! Not giving up, but some more research will be required here before trying again.

[Ken (OP)]

Ah! Ha!
Might have found the fix already.
How to create a dual boot when preserving Windows seems impossible

[Skhilled]

You can also try EasyBCD. I've used it in the past and it works:

http://neosmart.net/EasyBCD/

[Ken (OP)]

This turned out to be an issue for this install:

Windows XP, Vista and 7: maximum of four primary partitions has been reached
2. On a computer with Windows XP, Vista and 7 you can sometimes only choose to give the entire hard disk to Mint, in the installer from Linux Mint.

In that case you probably already have the maximum of four primary partitions on the hard disk. Logical partitions have no maximum; primary partitions do. At least in the old fashioned BIOS, because modern Windows 10 computers running on UEFI (provided that the UEFI is in UEFI mode!), don't have this limitation.

The solution is to destroy one of the primary partitions, for example by means of the application GParted on the Mint DVD. This can be a tiny partition, because size doesn't matter: the installer can afterwards retrieve enough space by shrinking another, existing partition. It's simply a matter of reducing the number of the primary partitions.

After deleting one of the primary partitions that was not actually useful the install worked as expected. This time I used Ubuntu instead of Mint.

[Skhilled]

Ah, glad it worked out for you.

[Ken (OP)]

Thanks.

After spending some time with Mint (desktop pc) and Ubuntu (laptop) I've reaffirmed my love for Ubuntu Desktop over any other Linux favor, including Ubuntu Studio 18.10 that I played with briefly a few days ago while sorting through all of this.

For me the Ubuntu Desktop is the easiest to use and I like to layouts for all of the features.

[Skhilled]

I do agree. Ubuntu Desktop is the easiest to use. It was specifically designed for those coming from Windows to learn to use linux easily. That is something I've argued with linux designers for years and have even had some of my email printed in Linux Format magazine. My argument was to try to make it as easy as possible for people to convert THEN get them to learn the hardcore stuff. They didn't listen and tried to spam me to hell and back! LOL Now they agree...although, they've still never acknowledged me for it. LOL

Some of the other linux distros get more deep into how you can customize linux, etc. which are great after you get used to it. I'd rate Mint 2nd best for new users. Suse is also a pretty good for that.