I installed Ubuntu 10.10 on my C drive. It will not boot Ubunto from C drive. It will still boot from installation disc, but does not prompt for a password.

The OS is called UBUNTU (pronounced oo-boon-too), not Ubunto
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_(operating_system)

What version of Windows are you using? Does Windows boot ok?

I am using Windows 7. It boots OK.

I can recommend you use programs and features to uninstall Wubi, then use the disk manager to resize the NTFS partition to create free space. Burn the MD5 tested Ubuntu ISO to a CD (or transfer to USB) and install to the free space. This will give you a much better experience of the OS as well as being easier to troubleshoot.

I didn't understand this answer. I didn't install the version of Ubuntu that can be readily uninstalled from inside Windows. I installed it from the installation utility inside Ubuntu which prompted for resizing disc space on the C drive. This was done. I specified 95.5 Gb for Ubuntu.

I see, then Ubuntu isn't installed on your C drive at all, 'C drive' is how windows incorrectly names your NTFS partition. You have now resized the partition to make room for Ubuntu. Installing in the NTFS partition is how wubi is used. Windows incorrectly naming partitions as drives causes massive confucion (as you can see) when you come to an OS which names block devices CORRECTLY.

If you boot to the live CD or USB can you fsck the partition as ok? Have you tested your RAM in Grub?

The installer utility indicated a successful installation, so Ubuntu is installed somewhere isn't It? I should be able to boot from it. I am a complete newbie in Ubuntu speech so I don't understand some of your references. What, for example, is Grub? What do you mean by "fsck the partition" ? I am not yet familiar with Linux commands.

Yes it's installed on an extra partition on your internal drive. You resized your NTFS partition to make space. Your drive now has 2 partitions.

Grub is the bootloader Ubuntu uses, it can boot both Windows and Ubuntu (as well as other OSes) and is installed to the MBR when Ubuntu is installed. If you hold shift at boot you can select the memtest to make sure your RAM is healthy.

Dear actionparsnip, Thank you so much for your patience, but I'm still in a fog here. What is the MBR. Couldn't I run a memory test from Windows? Is Grub responsible for displaying the OS choices on bootup?

MBR == Master boot record. It is one of the first bit of information read by the system when it boots. It tells the drive how and where to start booting from.

You cannot run a memory test effectively in Windows and your Ubuntu install has given you a very respected memory tester which is avilable if you hold shift when you turn on your system.

Yes, Grub is the thing that gives the OS choices at boot.

Thank you, actionparsnip, I will logoff and attempt the memory test. Will be back shortly.

Hello again, actionparsnip. I attempted the memory test. I don't think it was the one you intended. I held down the shift button as you described but got the "Windows Boot Manager" which may have been installed when I first attempted to run Ubuntu from the disc. ( There was a prompt for "Help me boot from the disc" which apparently installed this utility. It is from this utility that select the OS.) Another selection was a "Tool Menu" which had only one selection: the "Windows Memory Diagnostic". I ran this tool which indicated (after I logged back into Windows) that the memory was in normal condition. My point is that this appears to be a Windows utility rather than a Ubuntu utility. Could this mean that Grub was not installed at all?

Actionparsnip: I am going to attempt your fsck suggestion. I'll look up fsck somewhere. Thanks for your help.

I went back into the disc based Ubuntu, brought up a Terminal screen and checked the man page for fsck.
From a prompt that looked like this: ubuntu@ubuntu ~$ I entered fsck -A and got this response:
          fsck from util-linux-ng 2.17.2
which of course meant nothing to me. As I said I am not familiar with linux commands yet. Can you give me more detailed advice about running this check?

Can I use the Windows Boot Manager bootloader to boot from the Ubuntu partition rather from the disc. How can I do that if so?

Let me rephrase that last question. Can I edit Windows Boot Manager to boot from the Ubuntu partition in my internal hard drive rather than from the Wubi CD or must I install Grub somehow?

Wayne, I have a laptop here that "dual-boots" Windows XP and Ubuntu 10.10.

When I power up the machine, I get a screen that offers me a selection of a few things I can boot: one or more Linux kernels, a Windows XP, and a "memtest". Do you get a screen like this when you boot? This screen is provided by "grub", the Linux "grand unified boot loader".

I'm not familiar with WIndows 7, I'm afraid, but hearing about a Windows Boot Manager makes me pretty nervous.

Going back to how you got here in the first place, you had a CD with Ubuntu 10.10 or something similar? You booted from that CD? And when you booted, your system came up in Ubuntu, providing you a choice of running from the CD in Ubuntu or installing it? And you installed it, selecting the option that resized your WIndows partition?

How am I doing so far?

Hello Chris,

Thank you for telling me the meaning of the Grub acronym; that motivated me to Google for information about Grub. I am now quite certain that my computer is not booting from Grub but from the Windows bootloader. Let me give you a fuller account of how I came to this impasse.

I first downloaded the Wubi (the Windows-based Ubuntu Installer) and burned it to a disc. Upon loading the disc into my CD drive, a "Ubuntu Menu" window popped up having the following choices:
 1. Demo and Full Installation
     Try Ubuntu without installing! Simply reboot your machine with the CD in the tray. You may perform a full installation from within the demo to install Ubuntu either alongside windows or as the only operating system.
 2. Install Inside Windows
     Install an uninstallable Ubuntu like any other application, without the need for a dedicated partition. You will be able to boot into either Windows or Ubuntu. Hibernation is not enabled in this modeand the disk performance is slightly reduced.
 3. Learn More
     Ubuntu is a free etc. etc. ( A blurb; I never touched this button)

After playing with the demo for awhile, I decided to try the second choice: the "uninstallable" version. After installation, I rebooted, but was given no choices. The machine booted directly into Windows 7. At that point a small window popped up offering "help" booting into Ubuntu ( I don't recall the exact wording). I pushed the button. It was at this point, I believe, that the Windows bootloader (or "Windows Boot Manager") was installed. I rebooted my machine and voila! I now had choice of booting into Windows or Ubuntu. All seemed well, so I decided to try a full partitioned installation onto the internal hard drive alongside Windows 7.

After uninstalling the "uninstallable" version of Ubuntu and doing a full system backup of Windows 7, I put the Wubi CD into the tray and punched into choice 1, the demo and installation button. I was now in CD demo mode. Gathering my courage, I punched the full installation button. The installation went perfectly. ( I didn't attempt the advanced version).
At some point, I was prompted for a login name and a password, which I entered. Near the end, I was presented a graphic that enabled me to size the Ubuntu partition. I gave Ubuntu 95.5 Gbs. I entered some other routine information like the timezone and then I was done with the interactive portion of the installation. The installation continued downloading and installing some software. It was at this point, I suppose, that Grub was to have been installed. If it was installed, it was not enabled or perhaps it was disabled. After the installation completed, I did some exploring. I found that I could see both the Windows partition and the Ubuntu partition and the files inside them. Ubuntu appeared to have a fully bootable partition.
I now felt confident that the installation was successful, so I took the CD out of the tray and rebooted.

When the boot prompt came up I chose Ubuntu, but it didn't boot into Ubuntu. Instead I got a black screen with this message: "(initramfs) Unable to find a medium containing a live file system." I tried a couple of more times with same result. By using the CD I could get back into the demo version which did not prompt for a login name and password as I had specified during the installation. On the Windows side, I could see the new partition using Windows maintainance features though I couldn't see the files within. I am certain that I now have a bootable Ubuntu partition but no way to boot into it.

So here I am, Chris. I don't care if I boot from Grub or the Windows bootloader as long as I can get into both Ubuntu and Windows. I will either have to find a way to force the Windows loader to do it or somehow install or enable Grub. Any suggestions will be gleefully accepted.

Your Friend, Wayne

Hello,

I still need help getting my Windows bootloader to boot into my Ubuntu partition instead of the the CD drive when I select the Ubuntu option on bootup. Any one have any ideas or some other alternative?

OK guys, I fixed the problem. I used EasyBCD to install NeoGrub; it worked like a charm. EasyBCD can be downloaded fron the Neosmart website.