How To Install Ubuntu With Windows Dual-Boot [at] Krizzna™

Posted on June 6, 2010 by krizzna

Ubuntu Linux to the laptop which already has Windows XP installed (I have another guide for installing with Windows Vista using Wubi). This HOWTO does not cover the case where Linux is installed first, then Windows is (re)installed (if anyone know of good HOWTOs for this scenario, let me know so that I can link them) (if you do install Windows second and it overwrites your Linux bootloader, this link and this link show how to recover). I think, in general, installing Linux second is more useful.

Ubuntu with Windows Dual-Boot

An alternative to the method described in the HOWTO below is to use the partitioning tool and dual boot system that comes with the Ubuntu installer. In the Ubuntu forums, I have seen this page recommended as a good guide for those interested in trying that procedure. As mentioned in the Ubuntu documentation, the Ubuntu installer is not 100% effective in resizing NTFS partitions. Thus, while more complex, the advantages of using the method described in the HOWTO below include:

Ubuntu with Windows Dual-Boot

* It gives you more control of the installation process and, I think, gives you more opportunity to diagnose and fix problems if the installation goes awry.
* If the NTFS resizing in the Ubuntu installer fails, this method is more reliable in its partitioning. Thus, it can be used if a dual boot attempt with the Ubuntu installer fails.
* The partitioning and Linux installation sections are relatively generic and, therefore, should be mappable to Linux distributions other than Ubuntu which may not have as good of dual boot installer (if any) included.

If you’re interested in emulating Windows in Ubuntu, you might check out this guide on how to use QEMU, a free emulator. If you are interested in running Ubuntu as a guest OS via virtualization, you may consider using the freely available VMware Player and EasyVMX to create the Ubuntu virtual machine.gives you more control of the installation process and, I think, gives you more opportunity to diagnose and fix problems if the installation goes awry.
* If the NTFS resizing in the Ubuntu installer fails, this method is more reliable in its partitioning. Thus, it can be used if a dual boot attempt with the Ubuntu installer fails.
* The partitioning and Linux installation sections are relatively generic and, therefore, should be mappable to Linux distributions other than Ubuntu which may not have as good of dual boot installer (if any) included.

The relevant information for this install is:

* Laptop: Toshiba Satellite M45-S165
Output of lshw, lspci, and lsusb commands
* Windows Software: Windows XP SP2 (Later upgraded to SP3)
* Linux Software: Ubuntu Hoary Hedgehog 5.04
(Later upgraded to Breezy Badger 5.10)
(Later upgraded to Dapper Drake 6.06)
(Later upgraded to Edgy Eft 6.10)
(Later upgraded to Feisty Fawn 7.04)
(New install for Gutsy Gibbon 7.10)
(Later upgraded to Hardy Heron 8.04)
(Later upgraded to Intrepid Ibex 8.10)

Note: This guide appears on both TuxMobil and Linux on Laptops.
HOWTO

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