Windows with Kubuntu

[Riki]

Following partitioning for XP and Kubuntu I can no longer boot in Safe Mode. Is this normal?

Also, if I delete Kubuntu’s partitions, Primary and Logical drive, I get error 22 and every time I reboot I don’t get the option to start XP and back to error 22. I had to reinstall Kubuntu, using the live CD, to recover XP. Is this also normal?

[analyticalman]

Re: Windows with Kubuntu

Firstly, I can't think why Dual booting should stop you booting in safe mode

Secondly, that behaviour is perfectly normal. You delete the partitions and Grub reports error 22 - No such partition (its looking for partitions in its config file that you've deleted). Even though you deleted Kubuntu, its bootloader (Grub) remains on your master boot record (MBR). When you reinstalled Kubuntu Grub was restored to normal. To recover XP after you delete Kubuntu, use your XP disk enter the recovery console and do fixmbr which restores XP's bootloader over Grub

[Riki]

Re: Windows with Kubuntu

Thanks for input .........man. Since reinstalling 6.06 Safe Mode works OK on XP.

[Tuxic]

Re: Windows with Kubuntu

Hello. I faced the same problem after deleting Kubuntu, and I did a FIXMBR and got back Windows. But now I'm not able to install Kubuntu because the installer crashes.

All the details of my Kubuntu install are here:
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/index.php?topic=8326.0

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

[analyticalman]

Re: Windows with Kubuntu

Tuxic,
I'm confused by your partition structure - could you post a graphical representation of it or say explicitly what your partitions are - that might help us to help you

[Tuxic]

Re: Windows with Kubuntu

Hi analyticalman,
The computer has two hard drives. One, an older 20GB which contains C, D and E partitions, with C containing Windows. The second one is a 40GB which WAS divided into two logical drives, F and G, within an extended partition. All I did was delete G, which was completely empty with 18-19 GB, to make some free space. I installed Kubuntu in it. But then some problems came up, which I have listed in the other thread. So, I deleted the part where Linux was installed from the Windows Disk Manager, and it became an unallocated space of 18.something GB and 600+ MB of free space (I think this is the swap part). I tried installing again in the unallocated space, but the installer crashed, and it has been crashing ever since. But then I managed to make the unallocated space a Primary partition and transferred the couples of files in F to it. Now since F could be made empty (and currently it is), I tried installing Kubuntu there, but as stated before there was "SIGABRT 6" error, and the installation process wouldn't beyond a certain point. Btw, if it helps, during all this, I somehow managed to add some of that free space of 600+MB into F.

This was how it was immediately after deleting Kubuntu
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...eth/disk-1.jpg ,

and current status
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...eeth/disk2.jpg

[analyticalman]

Re: Windows with Kubuntu

All I can suggest is that somehow the installer does not like your partition table - it may contain errors. Therefore I suggest that, if you can, you delete all partitions from your second disk and start again from scratch with the alternative installer, or after deleting all partitions, you repartition the disc how you want it (for instance using the gparted live CD which is a very good tool for this) and then attempt to install kubuntu

[Tuxic]

Re: Windows with Kubuntu

I was thinking along similar lines. Thanks for the info. But the problem is I've never done such things with the hard drive before; even the original partitions was done by someone else. So could you please provide me with instructions on how to completely remove the drives and do the install again, or provide links to reliable documents on the web.

Thanks

[analyticalman]

Re: Windows with Kubuntu

First of all here is a guide

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/partitioning.html

You need a suitable tool to do the job - as I've said - I use the Gparted live CD found here

http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livecd.php

Its a small download. You can just delete all your partitions with this- and then let the installer do your partitioning, or - you can make the partitions you want using this tool.

I'm assuming that you want to use your whole second disk for kubuntu in which case you could just let the installer do its job. If you want a more complex scheme then I suggest you do them in Gparted prior to the install. Does this help?

[Tuxic]

Re: Windows with Kubuntu

Thanks a lot, analyticalman! At the moment, I just want to use 15-20GB for Kubuntu. Assuming that all the stuff from the second drive is deleted, my Kubuntu Live CD installer shouldn't find any errors, right?

Now, off I go to remove all the %*$& errors from the hard drive.

[analyticalman]

Re: Windows with Kubuntu

OK - but a word of caution. As you want to do other things with your drive you may run into the "max 4 partitions per drive" rule. So my suggestion is that you put your kubuntu partitions into an extended partitions so they will just count as one, or you put your other partitions into an extended partition.

If your partition table is empty I would hope that it will not contain errors!

[Tuxic]

Re: Windows with Kubuntu

I'm back, but without luck. I used GParted to delete whatever was in the second drive. The Windows Manager showed it as completely Free Space. So, I made an NTFS logical drive, keeping 15.5GB aside for Kubuntu. Ran the installer. Nothing was wrong with the "install," but then a progress bar came up with the title "Scanning Mirror...", and it was stuck at 1% for 20 minutes. This has happened before. But during the first time I properly installed Kubuntu, everything was completed in under twenty minutes.

With all this, do you think the alternate CD would work? And does it have a graphical installer?

EDIT: I just thought I would add this. When I deleted the various partitions using GParted, the whole hard drive became one big Unallocated space. I think this might be causing the problem, and it should be something like Unused space instead (white background instead of gray).

[analyticalman]

Re: Windows with Kubuntu

No - its fine that its unallocated

I would use the alternate installer

Here is a guide

http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/p3.htm

[Tuxic]

Re: Windows with Kubuntu

Okay, thanks. It'll take one or two nights to download the Live CD (due to a somewhat slow connection and dl limit). So I'll make sure to post the results in a few days. You've been a great help these past couple of days.

[analyticalman]

Re: Windows with Kubuntu

OK - Good luck and remember that you have two choices - to partition your disk as you like it with Gparted BEFORE you start installing (so that the installer just has to install the system) or to use the installer to do the partitioning for you (personally I use the former method)