[DaveSS]

Hi Folks,

Two main questions here. I am about to set up a dual boot with Vista already installed and Ubuntu 8.04

1) I seem to remember a time when XP and 7.04 had serious issue with XP's hibernation mode.

Are there any issues now?

2) in lieu of the above I was thinking of installing the boot loader on a separate partition. Would this make sense? Or should I just dual boot install as instructed commonly http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/installing
?

Also does anyone have a link to clear instructions on how to repair Grub if the dual boot goes down? As in a quick fix when on the road?

MAny thanks

Dave

[saikee]

AFAIK the hibernation mode of one running OS has nothing to do with another inactive OS in a separate partition.

Just use Vista's disk management to resize the hard disk to get unallocated space for the Linux installation. Make sure you run Vista satisfactorily with the empty hard disk space before install Linux.

No need to put the boot loader in a separate partition. I never do and think people only need one if the Linux is in a server and inside a LVM where none of the Linux boot loaders can read.

To repair Grub the last of my signature refers.

[DaveSS]

Thanks for that. My drive is already partitioned. I used the recover partition as am ok for a back up. It's was 5 GB and a resized it. Now its 4gb and I have another new partion of 1gb. A pain. So I think I have to do some resizing with Gparted anyway to get the two together again. Shame MS don't make that as easy as the resize tool!

Is the Vista resize on C: still needed. I only want 5gb for Ubuntu?

[saikee]

Vista keeps a record of the partition table and checks it on every boot up. Thus using a non-Vista resizing tools will keep Vista in the dark and the bugger doesn't like this and can refuse to boot, all in the name of security as it couldn't tell if the system is under attack. That is why it is a lot safer to use the resizing function inside its disk management program. MS system did not have this faciility before and Vista is the first one offering it. It is pretty quick too, much faster than Gparted and you don't need to go back to the recovery partition either to restore Vista.

For Ubuntu, as almost all standard installation first time, you need two partitions; one for the swao and the other for the distro. Most Linux has an installed footprint 2.5 to 3.5Gb, 5Gb is fine and 4Gb is tight. I would do a 10Gb partition for Linux myself if I have the space.

[DaveSS]

Ok. But my prob is I now have 3 partitions do to the resize test. The rcovery was 5, I tried the resize to test it. And now its 4gb and I have a new volume that is 1gb. Using Vista is it possible to put the 1 GB into the 4GB again?

I want to give the whole 5GB to Ubuntu, and keep C: for Vista

[saikee]

You can delete the unwanted partition and so its space become unallocated empty space which you can resize into another partition.

[DaveSS]

I get the unallocated space thing.

My query is two fold:

1) Is it possible in Vista to put the two unused partitions back together again (resize is easy, but can it merge partition just as easy)?

2) If I erase the 4gb and 1bg partitions should it be done through ubuntu or something else, you mentioned Vista not happy with not using vista resizing tools? Will this effect my installation?

[saikee]

Think you have been spoiled by M$ systems for too long.

If you delecte the unwanted partitions the space become unallocated empty space and you can ask Vista to resize it boundary to take up any slack. So you can let Vista to absorb 10 unused partitions as long as the space is ajacent to its boundary.

If you delete a partition or resize its boundary you alter the partition table and so upset Vista. If that alteration is done with Vista then it will self-adjust and so no complaint.

In Linux terminal commands, same as the old Dos command like fdisk, separate the partition creation from formatting, which are two different operations.

[DaveSS]

Thanks. I think the problem is this recovery partition. It is not allowing any changes. All data is deleted on it so I might just try to resize it and start again with a new 5gb partition. Either that or see if gparted can help. Have to wait until tomorrow as i need the system until then.

The 1GB was easily deleted into unallocated space. But C: where vista is will not extend. D recovery is the only one that will except is, but will not except formatting nor deletion itself

[DaveSS]

Right I tried G parted on D and it reformatted it.

VISTA did not boot. An error about kernal missing popped up. So I am guessing Sony in all their wisdom put something on D: that was booting the system on C:

The whole purpose on this was to aid in installing a dual boot with ubuntu and vista.

Taking this into account I installed ubuntu 8 onto D: using a manual partition and letting it decide where to put the boot loader.

It did not see or allow any windows user settings to be imported so I assumed it did not see it at all.

Then on restart I saw Vista loader and it worked. Now got dual boot working with no more Sony inspired D:

Rather than save 20 cents on a CD to some with an already expensive laptop they went for this common recovery drive which is a complete pain in arse to me. I have a back up, even online storage with all. My laptop came with 80GB HD and yet i only had 65 GB in reality after Vista consumed so much and then the 5GB recovery partition. If Sony had just stated 75GB HD Availible or the like it would not have pissed me off so much. But they didn't. So I kicked it out. And reclaimed what I paid for.

I hope this helps other Sony users. My advice to those not wanting to Dual boot and just get rid of D: is to either wipe D: out with file manager settings, and then use Vista to resize it. Reclaim the unallocated space and leave D: as a small 50MB boot partition.

Either that or delete D: with gparted as above, and then use Vista recovery disk to reinstal the MBR boot loader on C:

Case closed

[saikee]

Case not closed!

There is an alternative

Last November I bought a HP laptop with 160Gb with a Vista inside. Within 24 hours of the purchase I bought a 250Gb laptop disk and and an external hard disk enclosure to clone the system across and remove the original disk as a backup.

A few months later the 320Gb latop disks were available so I got hold of one and cloned the Vista from working cloned disk. I now run the 320Gb disk in my HP laptop.

[DaveSS]

Very good, nice work. I am on the road though and don't have access to additional equipment that much anymore. Everything is working now on the dual boot. I will use your lower link to create a grub fix in case anything messes with it. The only issue I have is not being able to hibernate with ubuntu. And a good vaio TX 13 graphics driver would be nice too, the fonts are not so sharp