I am completely new to Linux but i want to try it out. i have spent hours trying to install this but no matter what i do, when i go to install, i get to the preparing to install Ubuntu page, but when i click forward, it immediately goes to the Allocate Drive space page with nothing in the box, and all the buttons grayed out except for Back, Quit, and install now. When i click install now it tells me:
No root file system is defined.

Please correct this from the partitioning menu.

I have searched for hours on how to fix this but no one seems to have the same problem as me. i partitioned my HDD with gparted and followed the steps to do so exactly but it keeps coming up with the same thing. and when i try Wubi, it tells me the No root file system thing again. i am at a complete loss here and if any of you can help me, that would be great. (i have screen shots but I'm not sure if and how i can put them on my post)

Run Ubuntu as a liveCD ("Try without updating my system" or whatever they say these days), and open a terminal, then run this and post the output

3 would be what i want to install linux on.
and 4 is the hp recovery partition.

I think you typed "1" (the number one) not l (the letter L). Try it again and post the output.

haha, stupid mistake, i edited my post

Linux installers generally want to install into unpartitioned space, not into existing partitions.

So before installing Linux, you should delete the partition that you wanted to use for installing Linux. I assume you didn't have contents in that partition that you want to preserve (The files you want to preserve are in the other three partitions).

Once you have deleted that partition, that leaves the space it used to occupy as "unpartitioned space" on the drive. The Ubuntu installer will then use that unpartitioned space to create the partitions Ubuntu will use.

If you are still booted in the "liveCD" mode from the Ubuntu CD, the partitioning program in liveCD mode can be used to delete that partition (be careful to delete the correct one).

If you are back in Windows, then Windows disk partitioning utility can be used to delete that partition. Again, be careful to delete the correct one.

Same thing, even after deleting the partition so its unallocated space. also, i used a Linux application (Gparted) to repartition, and left it unformatted as i read to do here: http://tinyurl.com/ybfxlzz

It may be best to consider one of the many good free virtual machine apps. They are quite easy and safe ways to run both windows and linux at the same time. If you have a newish computer with enough ram it will be pretty much the way to start.

k, i guess ill give the virtual machines a try, my comp is plenty powerful so they shouldn't be that bad.

Here is a good manual for dual booting windows and linux:
It applies to Ubuntu, but obviously, it can be used with other distro's as well.

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