Different problems trying to install Linux Mint alongside Windows 10.
 

I have Windows 10 updated from Windows 7. I'm using a Sony Vaio E series, about 4 years old.

First Windows let me get a partition of just 12 gigabytes, even though I had lots of space available (more than 500g).
I defragmented using Windows and using Defaggler, I cleared the recycle bin, but with no real effect, it just gave some 300 megabytes extra. 12gi is over the minimum to install Mint (9gi), but it's not recommended.
Then I used Minitool Partition (https://www.partitionwizard.com/). With this software I could get a normal partition (NTFS for Windows 300gi; leaving other 300gi for the installation of Mint (“no asignado” in the original Spanish of my computer). It took over an hour to get the partition.

Finally I start the installation of Mint, from a USB. Everything normal and fine, until I get to a screen that says that no other OS is detected. It gives me the possibility to install Mint, but that would format my hard drive and I decide to cancel the installation.

¿Anyone know id there is anything I can do?

Muchas gracias, beforehand.

Look carefully at the options on that page. There should be one to partition the disk by hand. I believe Mint calls it "Something else" which I think is a silly and uninformative heading.

It will lead you to a partitioning tool and you can use that to create a Linux partition and swap partition in the empty space you have made.

Welcome to LQ.

This dual-boot article may be of assistance:

http://linuxbsdos.com/2015/08/18/how...uefi-firmware/

It may be better to use the MATE or Xfce version of Linux Mint 17.3 instead of Cinnamon to avoid possible graphics problems later.

If you did an upgrade to windows 10 from 7, it is probably using MBR rather than UEFI but you should verify that before continuing. A detailed explanation is at the Ubuntu site below. Scroll down the page to the section "Identifying if the computer boots the HDD in UEFI mode" and run the command shown just below that when booted to the Mint DVD.

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

While in the terminal in Mint, run the command: sudo fdisk -l (Lower Case Letter L in the command) and post the output here. Also, if you are not using the manual "Something Else" option, you need to use that.

Thanks very much for your response.

The partition I had made to install Linux was considered "inútil" (useless) by Linux Mint... There was probably something wrong with my computer. In any case, I have decided to install Linux and erase Windows. Everything works fine at the moment, my computer is almost like new: fast response, laptop fans are much quiter, etc. But... There are weird things. The last thing: I install Google Earth from the software manager, then I try to start the app and it's no where to be seen. Disappeared. I try to start the app using the terminal (writing "google-earth"). No result. I find the Google Earth .deb file, double click it, and the system tells me that the program is already installed... A mess. I suppose I'll try to open another thread, because it is a real mystery to me.

Thanks again.

I'm not sure where you would find google-earth in Mint. Try looking in the Menu under internet or running 'whereis google-earth' to find it's location. On my system it is in /usr/bin/google-earth' so you could try that in a terminal and then make a Desktop shortcut if you want.