My question is more-or-less a summary of all pre-existing Ask Ubuntu questions and answers relating to the installation of Ubuntu along with Windows 7.
I have bought a new HP laptop with its original Windows 7. I want to install Ubuntu along with Windows 7 64-bit. I ran the Ubuntu 12.04 Desktop installation CD, but the Ubuntu installer doesn't show the "along with Windows 7 option" -- it is only showing two options.
I read some questions and answers posted on this community, then focussed on Ubuntu 12.04 installer does not see Windows already installed on my computer.
I tried the following things,
I ran the terminal in live CD and tried
sudo dmraid -rE
command anddmraid remove
command, but the terminal says that there are no dmraid partitions.
Then I tried another scenario and checked my partitions with GParted. There are some partitions labelled C, HP tools, Recovery and System. C contains Windows 7 files.
So I shrank the volume of the C Drive.
Now I have 50000MB of unallocated disk space. I tried with GParted to create a partition on that allocated space. It says something like "you can't create more than four primary partitions". Of course, all four other partitions created on Windows are actually the type of the primary partition.
So I went back to Windows 7 and tried to create a new volume on the unallocated space. Unfortunately, it says that if I create a new volume, it will be the type of Dynamic partition. It says we can't boot another OS from that partition, so I cancelled that step.
Now I have 50000MB of unallocated space, but how can I install Ubuntu on that partition without harming the existing Windows 7? Because I still have only two options:
- Erase and install Ubuntu.
- Try something else.
(I can see my unallocated space by going to "something else" option.)