New Laptop with Windows 10

[Catfish]

Ubuntu is not much different from other Linux installations, only the install panels look different.
You can add and remove programs (or "Apps" if you belong to the FB generation ) later at any time. And you do not have to de-install and such, becasue yu do not live in the Windows DLL-hell here.
If you want to change the Linux kernel to a new version however, you have to re-install all – or is there a newish trick – anyone?

^ First radio button should be right, or use the LVM Logical volume one. Have no expericence with that yet.
You have physical volunmes, and you have partitions, and then you have so-called logical volumes.
All need space on your harddisk, of course. Installing a logical volume deos not screw with the physical partition though, and can easily be tweaked, or removed. Should not have influence on the native Win installation then.

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by Reece

Well it looks like my Win 10 system is totally stuffed so have to get that sorted sometime.
I am trying to install UBUNTU Linux but since there are no books around I am having problems installing this!!!
The following screen comes up but don't know where to go from here:

I tried each one but nowhere does it show drive C, D, or E, just a lot of mumbo jumbo, I think it is referring to the two 1Tb drives nothing about D at all.
Pressing the first option shows:

This is not the sizes if C and D, and why would I slide the divider??? (I'm having a melt down)
I am trying to install it on D does anyone know how or can offer some advice please?

I installed 2 Linux based operating systems alongside windows. Linux had an installed boot loader as well. That's 3 operating systems. I loaded them as a test bed to evaluate them. The Linux based systems will format and partition the hard drive upon initial loading If you want it to. ( That's what your screen is ) After installation, I was prompted to boot into the OS of my choice at the initial turn on and boot up phase. The Operating Systems all worked fine.

2 days later, I had some free time so turned on the computer only to discover that Windows had corrupted the 2 versions of Linux I had loaded only 2 days before. That's something to keep in mind. For this reason, I don't recommend running Linux or it's derivatives with any version of Windows on the same drive.

When loading them, keep in mind the recovery partition as well. When I installed everything, it was essentially a fresh install on a new and expansive drive. 2tb worth. 2Tb or more will enable you to partition and have ample space for your programs.

[Reece]

I wanted to keep the E drive as a backup, currently that is where the image of C is kept. Looking at the second pic the drive seems to be E since it is named sdb not sda, the first partition sdb1 and for some reason the second is scb2.
My thoughts:
It looks like it wants to put the Linux operating system on the second partition on E (ext4 whatever that is) and make the data the first partition being in ntfs format, so I assume I could use this for my backups still, is this correct?
I can't believe I just wrote that!!
Maybe I will have to invest in a usb hdd for backups!

[BarracudaUAK]

Reece,


At first it is a bunch of "mumbo jumbo"... but it is very simple... once you know.

First the older stuff, since you remember DOS:

On older IDE systems the Hard Drives where listed as:

hda
hdb
hdc
hdd

"hard disk a/b/c/d"

The IDE controller had a "Primary" and a "Secondary" controler.
Each controller had a "master" and a "slave" drive.

If we made ONE PARTITION per drive,
--
DOS/WIN would see it as:

Primary Master: C:\
Primary Slave: D:\
Secondary Master: E:\
Secondary Slave: F:\

--
Linux would see it as:

Primary Master: hda1
Primary Slave: hdb1
Secondary Master: hdc1
Secondary Slave: hdd1
--

I think (it has been a while) the 3rd "letter" (hdA, hdB) is based on which controller, and whether it is the master/slave.

I'll cover partitions in the next section. Although you may have already guessed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Now let's switch to SATA drives.

SATA drives change the drive designation in Linux from "h" to "s".

My mother board has six (6) SATA connectors. I have four (4) 2TB drives.

These Hard Drives are listed as:

sda
sdb
sdc
sdd

I forget what the "s" actually stands for, but I always think "SATA".

The "Number" is for the partition.

(I have 4 hard drives in a raid0, striped RAID for speed),
For my first "Physical Hard Disk" my "drives" (partitions) are listed as:
sda1
sda2
sda3
sda4


---------------------------

The upside of this "difference of opinion" is that when Windows automatically assigns a drive letter, it starts with the FIRST partition on the FIRST hard drive and labels that partition as drive "C:\".

Where as Linux would label it "hda1" for an IDE drive, or "sda1" for a SATA drive.

So looking at your screenshot,

sdb1, and sdb2 would be your 2nd hard disk.

IF in Win10, your 2nd Physical Hard Drive was drive E:, then "sdb1", is your drive E:

Since you selected "Install along Side Windows 10", Ubuntu's installer is NOT touching your system (1st) drive, BECAUSE YOU HAVE A 2ND DRIVE.

It IS using your 2nd Hard Drive because it does NOT have as OS on it.

To use Drive "D:\", you would need to install to SDA2.

Which means you will most likely have to do that manually.
-------------------------------

Let me know if I need to clear any of this up. I tried to "cover the basics" so you could understand any situations you run across, and also to address your specific situation.
It is a bit confusing at the beginning. But once you start thinking of your drives as hda/b/etc, you know EXACTLY which drive you are using/talking about!

Barracuda

P.S. ext4 is a Linux file system format. Like Fat, Fat32, and NTFS, it is the newest of the Linux File System formats. There are others BTRFS, etc....

[BarracudaUAK]

Originally Posted by Reece

I wanted to keep the E drive as a backup, currently that is where the image of C is kept. Looking at the second pic the drive seems to be E since it is named sdb not sda, the first partition sdb1 and for some reason the second is scb2.
My thoughts:
It looks like it wants to put the Linux operating system on the second partition on E (ext4 whatever that is) and make the data the first partition being in ntfs format, so I assume I could use this for my backups still, is this correct?
I can't believe I just wrote that!!
Maybe I will have to invest in a usb hdd for backups!

To the part I bolded, YES.

And if I read the first part of your post more closely (I was on my phone when I read it), I would have seen that you are deciphering this yourself!

Sorry for the massively long post when I could have just said: "yes"....

a massively overworked,
Barracuda

[Reece]

Thanks all it is becoming much clearer now, the only confusing part is: why the "c" in scb2 ? Maybe some program naming error, it should surely be sdb2.
I might keep the first HDD as Windows and the second as Linux. I bet the VEEAM backup will not backup Linux!! If not I still might have to have an external usb hdd as backup.

[Reece]

Well I proceeded to install Linux, it went ok till I struck this error:






This is getting soooo frustrating!!

[BarracudaUAK]

You could try selecting "/dev/sdb", or "/dev/sdb1".
This SHOULD keep it from messing with your Win10 drive/install.
I've put my boot loader all over the place and it still worked.

Usually, you have to put the boot loader on a partition: sda1/sdb1/sdc1...
sda/sdb/sdc are the actual physical drives, the device itself, the "1" is the partition where the data is written...

I've installed Ubuntu twice, once on my brothers PC about 3 1/2 years ago, and the video was too new, and I tried 14.04 on mine about 2 years ago, same situation... So I'm really out of practice with Ubuntu...


Which version of Ubuntu did you download? I'll install it in a virtual machine on my PC, so I'm more familiar with the steps for it...

Barracuda

P.S. I keep typing Ubuntu as "Ubunto", then I have to stop and correct my spelling....

[Reece]

The version of Ubuntu is 16.10.
So far Windows is stuffed and has to be reinstalled and Linux is stuffed!!!
I do want Windows 10 and Linux with dual boot, I have ordered and paid for Windows 10 Pro with genuine key but not here yet.

[Rockin Robbins]

I recommend not installing Ubuntu and Windows to the same hard drive. The reason for this is that Windows defends itself against Linux and loves to overwrite Linux boot code and otherwise stomp over your preferences. Your computer isn't yours. It belongs to Microsoft.

However, if you install Linux on a separate disk, Windows will merely ignore it. That is preferable to Windows attacking it. So here's the plan: let Windows live on its own hard drive, pretending it's the only operating system in the universe.

Meanwhile, we'll install Linux and GRUB (GRand Unified Bootloader) on a completely separate hard drive. We'll set up the computer to boot from the Linux disk. Since the central value of the Linux community is interoperability, GRUB will automatically find Windows and let you boot into Windows if you prefer. It will also start Ubuntu if you wish.

That leaves it possible to boot either disk. If you boot the Ubuntu disk you have the choice of what you want to run. If you boot the Windows disk, then Windows is the only operating system in the universe, just like it demands.

Balance is restored to the cosmos!

[BarracudaUAK]

Originally Posted by Reece

The version of Ubuntu is 16.10.
...

Ok, I downloaded 16.04 AND 16.10 after I asked, so I'll run through the steps and see if it complains if I put GRUB somewhere other than the first partition....

Originally Posted by Reece

So far Windows is stuffed and has to be reinstalled and Linux is stuffed!!!
...

There is this excellent OS called DOS. Perhaps you should try that?!?

In all seriousness, this is why I don't have a laptop, too many "features" to save battery power. (READ: "Too much stuff to go wrong".)
Although, If I could build a laptop the way I build my desktops, I'd definitely be looking into it!

Barracuda

[Reece]

Yes well I pressed cancel but the computer just sits there doing nothing so about the only thing left to do is reboot.
@ Rockin Robbins, we had tried to install Linux on it's own drive but now have grub problems. Both Windows and Linux are stuffed.
I seriously don't know what to do.

[BarracudaUAK]

I am digging for a solution, but I've had to work around a few problems I forgot about when it comes to running a Virtual Machine... so I can "install" Ubuntu and see what the trouble might be.
(no spare HDD laying around to do an actual install.)

I'm also digging for some info on the net about Ubuntu install related GRUB issues.

Work has been busy, so I'm running behind on everything, but I am looking.

Barracuda

[Reece]

Thanks for your time and effort Barracuda but don't go to that much bother, I am hoping next week a friend of mine will be able to help.
Due to distance (150Kms) I counted it out but after all the pain I've been through I might take the trip.

This computer bios is running UEFI mostly for Win 10, I have switched it over to Legacy bios but every time I try to run the Linux disk I get a fatal error.
I think I will have to remove all partitions on sda and sdb and start over.

[Rockin Robbins]

One thing I found that is if your computer is in UEFI mode Ubuntu automatically installs in UEFI mode. If you later change to BIOS mode, Ubuntu will no longer start. I just switched a Windows 10 HP All-in-one computer to Ubuntu and killing UEFI, then getting Ubuntu installed in BIOS mode was a royal pain. I finally got it right on the 4th try. I feel your pain.