Vista then Kubuntu

[drwho200]

I purchased the PC Ultilities magazine today with Kubuntu on it. I have Vista installed already, how do I install Kubuntu without overwriting Vista?

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista then Kubuntu

Can you be more specific?
When you say you do not want to overwrite Vista, then two things:

1 Put the Kubuntu OS on a partition distinct from the partition(s) where Vista is.
So, you might have to do some partitioning (create a partition for Kubuntu on your hard drive), and many folks here would recommend you do that with a good partitioning editor you trust. Lots of Linux people use the (free) GParted Live CD.

2 When you turn on your PC, what do you expect to see first (after the POST)? Do you want Vista’s bootloader to offer you a choice of loading either Vista or Kubuntu? Or, do you want to see the Kubuntu bootloader (called GRUB) to offer you a choice of loading either Vista or Kubuntu? In other words, which OS do you want to control the booting process?

[drwho200]

Re: Vista then Kubuntu

I will create a partition as that is included on the install CD and also I don't mind which one controls the Booting, but I would like the more stable one.

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista then Kubuntu

In former versions of Windows, like XP, there were ways to make the Windows bootloader, NTLDR, boot both Windows and your Linux. I never did it, but saw references to it. I hear the picture has now changed with the new Vista bootloader. The author of EasyBCD, Computer Guru, is a member of Ubuntu Web Forums and here is a link to his EasyBCD website, http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1 .
The intro to the wesite says:
“EasyBCD is NeoSmart Technologies' multiple award-winning answer to tweaking the new Windows Vista bootloader. With EasyBCD, almost anything is possible. Setting up and configuring Windows boot entries is simple, and there is no easier way to quickly boot right into Linux, Mac OS X, or BSD straight from the Windows Vista bootloader - on the fly, no expert knowledge needed! . . . EasyBCD is geared for users of all kinds.”

On the other hand, if you want GRUB to control your boot menu (and so overwrite the Vista bootloader code in the MBR of the Windows drive), here’s a How-To about how GRUB works:

How To GRUB Methods - Toolkit
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0

(You can always run your Vista CD or whatever to restore your Windows MBR bootloader if you so wish – I think you can, anyway, check on that, too.)

The How-To works beautifully with XP, for sure. It should also work for Vista (read down a ways to an add-on post about two separate, additional topics: UUIDs and Vista). The How-To tells you very clearly how GRUB handles the booting, and it will help you plan your setup.

As for which is best, I’m not the expert there. I’ve only used GRUB with my XP and a dozen Linux distros on two SATA hard drives, and it’s worked well for me, but I realize there are folks who want their Windows bootloader to run the boot show.

In the meantime, while you are planning/researching, have you tried out the Kubuntu Live CD to see how it works on your hardware? It will not change anything on your hard drive, it only runs in RAM and then vanishes when you quit your session (assuming you do not click the Install button yet!).

Jumping ahead of your story a bit, but something to keep in mind: IF you decide NOT to let GRUB run the boot show, then remember during the installation of Kubuntu to NOT let the installer put GRUB in the MBR! That is, you might, instead, have the installer put GRUB in the same partition as you are putting Kubuntu (and so it will be safe there, you can use it as you wish, but it will not overwrite the Windows MBR). You must be careful and watch it because the installer may put GRUB in the MBR automatically for you if you don't intervene. For this reason, some people use the Alternate Kubuntu installer instead of the regular Desktop installer. But you already have the latter. So use it, but select the Manual method (not the automatic method), and work through the 6 steps. In Step 6, there's an Advanced button at the lower right corner. behind it is your chance to tell the installer where to put GRUB, which would be the same place you told the installer to put Kubuntu, specified as either an sdan format or a (hdx, y) format. Jumping ahead here, but you must be aware of all this.

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista then Kubuntu

At Kubuntu here somewhere, I ran into these tutorials on dual booting Vista and Linux:

Vista, Windows, dual boot with Linux: Dual boot Vista/XP/Linux in various combinations: http://apcmag.com/dualboot

(Following the tutorial, the readers’ questions/comments are useful. E.g., note Jay Lacher/MS MVP Shell/User who installed Vista – Ubuntu dual boot on a SATA drive with a second IDE drive present, and how he did it (ans: he temporarily unplugged the IDE).)

On a quick glance, looks like fairly standard, basic methods but there’s misc tips/insights here and there that might be useful for some users. The presentation is real clean and step-by-step, easy to follow for new users, complete with screenshots. And, as mentioned, the readers’ comments following the tutorials have some good stuff.

[Snowhog]

Re: Vista then Kubuntu

I have a dual-boot Vista Kubuntu setup. My laptop came with OEM Windows Vista Home Premium.

One thing about Vista - it is configured to have the *entire* hard drive it is installed on, even if it isn't actually using all of it - which it isn't.

In order to put another OS onto the harddrive where Vista is installed, you have to 'shrink' the volume it is on in order to create the 'unallocated' space needed to set up and configure additional partitions. Windows Vista Help can guide you through that process (shrinking the volume). It isn't difficult.

Once that has been done, then you go about partitioning and formating the unallocated space for you additional OS. As Qqmike suggested, Qparted LiveCD is a good choice - I used it. Once the new partitions are set up and formated, it is a simple matter of using the Kubuntu LiveCD to install the OS.

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista then Kubuntu

Should he not use GParted Live CD to do the Vista-partition shrinking?
I've heard that shrinking the NTSF partition can cause problems or can be tricky, or is that true? Ss it safe to use GParted Live CD to do the shrinking?

Mike

[Snowhog]

Re: Vista then Kubuntu

Should he not use GParted Live CD to do the Vista-partition shrinking?

Before I set my system up with Kubuntu, I considered that questions. But, I felt, best to allow the built in utility in Vista do the job of shrinking the volume. There was no danger, but there is one caveat that you have to be aware of: if you set up restore points, you need to turn that function off before you shrink the volume. Other than that, Vista's shrink function works just as it is supposed to. I had zero problem doing it.

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista then Kubuntu

Snowhog, thanks for the feedback on Vista there. -- Mike

[Snowhog]

Re: Vista then Kubuntu

Hey Qqmike, you're welcome.

One of the things that I've come to *trust* (?) is that in general, it is best to use the tools available within the OS you want to manage, than to use someone elses. That isn't always true of course, but 'generally speaking...'

[drwho200]

Re: Vista then Kubuntu

Thanks, I managed to burn an .iso image to DVD which the Magazine told me to do. When booted it loaded Kubuntu loading bar then went into Unix like command area with the contents of teh DVD. What do I do? It will not install.

[Snowhog]

Re: Vista then Kubuntu

Thanks, I managed to burn an .iso image to DVD which the Magazine told me to do. When booted it loaded Kubuntu loading bar then went into Unix like command area with the contents of teh DVD. What do I do? It will not install.

Please read my posts in this thread. The volume that Vista is installed on must be shrunk first before you can think about installing additional operating systems.

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista then Kubuntu

. . . and read the How-To (Vista then Linux) that I referenced at apcmag.com

[Qqmike]

Re: Vista then Kubuntu

I just added some stuff on dual booting Vista and Linux to the following How-To:

How To GRUB Methods - Toolkit
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0
Scroll down to July 17, 2007.

(I wrote a conceptual summary of methods so you know what’s involved and what your choices are, and then I refer you there to the excellent, step-by-step tutorial at apcmag.com that I referenced.)

[blake589t]

Re: Vista then Kubuntu

Duz it do anything to ur files? I like kubuntu, but my life relies on windows. I'm looking for a safe way to install kubuntu without even touching my windows files. I cannot partition or reformat though so yah... but most certainly, i dont want to lose any part of windows or my files.