Ubuntu

Install Ubuntu over Suse on a Linux-Vista dual boot

Asked by Ernst

I have Suse Linux and Windows Vista installed on a dual-boot laptop. I can boot to both OSs via the GRUB loader without problems, but I would like to replace Suse with Ubuntu (8.0).
My main concern is to not mess things up on my Windows partition during the install process, or to loose the ability to dual boot. All of the information in the Linux partitions can be overwritten (nothing to save) but I I don't want anything touched on the Windows partition. None of the partitions have to be re-sized.
My question is whether I can do a "standard" install from the Ubuntu CD so that Suse will be overwritten, but not the Windows partition? Do I run a risk of getting a triple boot machine (which I don't want) with both Vista, Suse and Ubuntu?

Thanks for any suggestions.

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Bhavani Shankar
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Revision history for this message
Tang (robertmcgreg) said : 		#1

Tang suggests this article as an answer to your question:
FAQ #65: “Dual Booting windows and *buntu”.

Revision history for this message
Tang (robertmcgreg) said : 		#2

Hi again Ernst.
Seems I need a FAQ for the FAQ :)
Intended to add the comment that all direct Ubuntu installs I've encountered give a [manual ] option for partitioning, enabling (Customary disclaimers aside) confidence windows partitions are safe.

The only exception I'm aware of is hidden Gigabyte recovery files that the Ubuntu installer sees but does not identify during manual partition configuration.

If you are installing on to the Suse partition I would definitely recommend you select the partition Format option.

HTH

Revision history for this message
Ernst (ernst-witter) said : 		#3

Hi Tang,

Thanks for your reply.
I had seen the FAQs before posting my question, but didn't find an answer
to my question what happens to the Suse intallation and to the bootloader
when Ubuntu is installed (i.e. if Suse and the bootloader are
automatically overwritten or not). The answer seems to be in your last
comment in which you suggest that I select the partition Format option
(thus wiping the Linux partitions before installing).

When I installed Suse (with only Vista installed prior to that) I let Suse
resize the Windows partition and create the Linux partitions. It did that,
but also wiped (or destroyed) the Windows partition in the process so I
had to re-install Windows and restore all Windows programmes and
documents. Perhaps I hadn't read the instructions carefully enough, but
Suse,just as Ubuntu, gives ensurances that the Windows partition is safe
while clearly it is quite possible to destroy things on a very standard
machine and using standard install options.
Hence my weariness before embarking on replacing Suse with Ubuntu without
being 100% sure that my Windows partition will remain untouched.

Ernst

On Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:38:07 +0200, Tang
<email address hidden> wrote:

> Your question #38555 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/38555
>
> Tang proposed the following answer:
> Hi again Ernst.
> Seems I need a FAQ for the FAQ :)
> Intended to add the comment that all direct Ubuntu installs I've
> encountered give a [manual ] option for partitioning, enabling
> (Customary disclaimers aside) confidence windows partitions are safe.
>
> The only exception I'm aware of is hidden Gigabyte recovery files that
> the Ubuntu installer sees but does not identify during manual partition
> configuration.
>
> If you are installing on to the Suse partition I would definitely
> recommend you select the partition Format option.
>
> HTH
>

--
Ernst Witter
Vissbo,
Asplund 231
SE - 740 21 Järlåsa

Tel (+46) (0) 224 61105
070 593 1694

Tel. +46 (0)224 61105
+46 (0=70 593 1694

Revision history for this message
Best Bhavani Shankar (bhavi) said : 		#4

Hello

First, back up the entire hard drive if you can, so that you can experiment without risk. If I were you I would boot from a live CD, start Gparted or whatever partitioning tool is on there, and delete the SuSE partitions. Then install Ubuntu and let it install into the newly unpartitioned space. If Grub still shows SuSE when you reboot, you can always edit /boot/grub/menu.lst to get rid of it, but I don't think it will.

And then to install ubuntu

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

Regards

Bhavani Shankar.

Revision history for this message
Ernst (ernst-witter) said : 		#5

Thanks,
I installed Ubuntu from the CD and kept all partitions (Windows and Linux) unchanged, but formatted the Linux partitions during install. This gave me a clean install of Ubuntu removing Suse and the old bootloader.

Revision history for this message
AlanB (alanbellamy) said : 		#6

Hi Ernst,

The only time I had any problems was re-installing Vista on a dual boot Ubuntu machine, it deleted all partitions even after being told exactly where I wanted it to go! all O/K now though, binned Vista.