installing ubuntu 14.04 in Windoes 7
 

How can I install Ubuntu 14.04 alongside Windows 7?

Hi Jammo welcome to LQ :)

I haven't used Ubuntu in a long time, but I think it goes very similar to what I know about Linux Mint. Mint is what I'm using :)

Most likely your Windows 7 is using all of your computers hard disk space. So you'll need to make room for Ubuntu. To do so open Windows 7's Disk Manager. You'll find it in Control Panel -> System & Protection -> System Management -> Computer Management -> Disk Management. I hope I have translated everything correctly, since I'm using the Dutch version of Windows 7 :)

From here you can change the partition size of your Windows partition. This will free up space on the hard disk, which you can use for Ubuntu.

After you have changed the partition size, you can reboot the computer with your Ubuntu disc and start it's installation. Mint offers to install Mint side by side to Windows if it detects it. Ubuntu should do the same :) After installation Ubuntu should make a bootmenu where you can choose to either start Linux or Windows during computer boot.

Good luck :)

I'm assuming you already downloaded the ubuntu ISO file and burned it to a DVD and did a trial run to see if it works well on your pc and you like it (if not, speak up as you need to do that correctly).

When you boot off of the Ubuntu DVD, it will ask you if you want to install so choose that. If you are new to linux and all this, my suggestion would be to proceed as follows: You should get to a screen with some options and the first one will say "install ubuntu alongside windows 7" (if it doesn't say anything like that I would cancel and come back here!). If you choose that and proceed it will automatically install it alongside your windows 7. First, it will show you what it decided size wise to divide your hard drive (you can slide the sizes back and forth to fine tune it.

Here is a link for more info https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Ho...dowsPartitions

Again, this my advice for a newbie (I did it a few months ago with XP and Xubuntu, which uses the same installer, and glad I did) to jump in and get going. I am going to get a lot of flak for this because everyone else will most likely tell you to pick the manual option and create a home partition and so on. And that is certainly the absolutely best and greatest way to do it. But you are more likely to screw it up that way so I say it's more important to just get on with it and learn how to use the ubuntu. Later, you can always go back and do it differently (not ideal, but by then you will at least know what you are doing).

Three basic ways exist.

One is to create space for linux in Windows 7 and then boot to dvd and install to free space. (slight risk to data)

Two is to use wubi which installs linux to a windows file. It becomes a filesystem within a file. (slightly less risk to data)

Three is to get a free virtual machine and install it. You can then run many types of linux at the same time as windows. (almost no data risk)