New windows7 netbook, how to set up dual boot?
 

I have only used Linux once, to repair a laptop with a Knoppix CD, don't really remember how I did that. I just bought an ACER AOD260 netbook (with the N475 processer, 250GB hard drive) & have not yet taken it out of the box. I want to set up dual boot & need to know how to procede. I have downloaded Kubuntu (not sure why I picked that over other distributions) for netbooks to my desktop computer. The netbook also has a hidden 6GB partition for recovery as well as what I assume it the rest of the drive for windows. I need to know how to partition for Linux & install. I have a usb hard drive or a usb memory stick that I can use. I can also connect the netbook to my LAN. I do not have a USB CD/DVD drive.

The first question is do you want to resize windows or use what you have left over... 6GB is what I would call a little tight space wise (tho it can easily be done, it doesn't leave much space for your own files). There are tools what can resize an NTFS partition (it would be worth leaving the recovery partition alone for now, just in case this step fails, these partitions are usually the way left to re-install windows in worst case scenarios). The tools to use are generally based on preference, there are things like partition magic, gparted and others to boot. I generally do not do this myself but there are tools available and so I don't give any preference for myself.

It should be as simple as just installing the distribution, windows might or might not be detected initially by the grub configuration but this can be fixed. Depending on how/where you are going to install the distribution will mean different things. If you do it on the same hard drive you need to be careful not to delete/overwrite the existing NTFS windows partition. If you do it on a USB Disk, you would likely still want the /boot to go on the laptop itself... if you were to use the 6GB you would have to consider what you need exactly and go for as minimalistic install as possible.

The drive is partitioned, I am guessing, as 244 GB as C: & the 6 GB as a hidden partition. I assume I should add several partitions for Linux, maybe 100 GB, but I don't really know what I need or should use. I have not done any of this before. Someone suggested that Linux should be installed before windows but I would like to leave the windows7 install alone & add Linux.

This isn't a step I have done myself but I have mentioned to pieces of software that would resize the Windows NTFS partition, these being partition magic and gparted, there are many other pieces of software that can do this too. The Linux Partitioning usually has to be done within the installation itself, but from my experience with Ubuntu (if I remember correctly) it does not ask you for partitioning during a default install, an expert type install has to be run for that.

Is there a reason to make it dual boot? Netbook + Windows7 + Linux VM works well.

I want to try Linux but I am comfortable with years of windows. I have software that I want to run that may only run on windows such as MS Trips & Streets (GPS) & maybe others. I am not ready to go to only Linux.

Can I partition an adequate amount of space for Linux without disturbing Windows? Don't I need to partition a root & one or more swap partitions & another for files? How big do these need to be?

Can I run partition magic from a USB hard drive or memory stick?

Maybe I did't understand. Is Linux VM a way of running Linux within windows? I thought I read that a dual boot with separate partitions for Linux was preferred & more stable & secure.

If you want space on the laptop for linux then no, you will have to disturb windows which is why I said for the time being to leave the hidden partition alone in case anything goes wrong. It would be helpful if vendors did not just do a straight C that covers the entire hard drive to begin with.

I am not sure about Partition Magic, I do not believe it's free however so I am not certain. Gparted I am almost certain can be run from a USB Stick however.

If you are worried you could try the VM option as lartman however I am not sure how well an Intel Atom processor would support a VM on the other hand.

I would like to leave the 6 GB hidden partition alone & split the rest, like I said maybe 100 GB of it for Linux. I don't know what is reasonable. Saving the data is why I am wanting to do this before I begin doing anything else on this machine & why it is still in the box.

With virtualbox, a linux VM in full-screen mode looks and feels like a dedicated linux box. The atom processor handles virtualization fine. I've been using such a setup for 2 years and found it to be stable.

I would suggest you use your Linux Live CD (installation CD) to get partition information to post here so someone can give you advice specific to your machine. I purchased a computer last year with win 7 on it and it had three partitions, a boot partition, a filesystem partition (C:\) and a Recovery partition so you may have those also, Mine is an HP so maybe not?

It is also a very good idea to save the Recovery partition if you expect to continue using windows.

That should not be difficult, post the partition information. Use the command (as root) fdisk -l (lower case Letter L to get the output).

Using the Windows7 disk utility, I just shrunk the C: partition & created the raw logical drive. Now this is what I have:

Simple Basic 13.01 GB (Recovery) Partition
Simple Basic 192 MB NTFS (System Reserved) System, Active, Primary Partition
Simple Basic 122.12 GB NTFS (Acer (C: )) Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, Primary Partition
Simple Basic 97.65 GB RAW (no name) Logical Drive - 100% free space

Do I have to get the new partition set as a Primary partition or is it ok as a logical one.

Am I ready to install Kubuntu? I will have to get that onto the memory stick.

Most Linux installation CDs can also be used as a Live CD. You just load it in the CD drive, boot the computer with the CD in first boot priority in the BIOS and use it much the same as an installed system, considerably slower.

The information from your last post indicates you do have a small partition which is most likely the win 7 boot partition along with the Recovery and system files partitions. If the fourth partition is an extended partition with a logical partition in it, the logical is where you would install Kubuntu. You don't need a primary partition to install any Linux that I am aware of.

To give you specific information, you should give us specific information about your computer. Since you indicated your Acer does not have a CD drive, are you planning to install from a usb stick? If so, before beginning the installation from the usb, boot from the usb after you have Kubuntu on it and run this command to get partition information to post: sudo fdisk -l (Lower case Letter L in command).

I downloaded Kubuntu for netbooks onto my desktop's drive. I need to know how to get it on the usb stick & make the usb stick bootable. I expect to install the Kubuntu onto the netbook's new 97GB logical partition that I just created. Do I use the Universal-USB-Installer-v1.7.7.exe to put kubuntu 10.04 netbook i386.iso on the usb stick like I got the GParted there?

I got GParted onto the usb memory stick & got this:
/dev/sda (232.89) GiB

/dev/sda1 ntfs PQSERVICE 13.01GiB diag
/dev/sda2 ntfs SYSTEM RESERVED 101.98 MiB boot
/dev/sda3 ntfs Acer 122.12 GiB
/dev/sda4 extended 97.66 GiB lba
/dev/sda5 unknown 97.65 GiB
unallocated unallocated 1.18 MiB

You can use unetbootin, go to this site for info:

http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

You can also use pendrivelinux. Check the link below. There is a link on the left side of the page for Kubuntu.

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/

I'm not familiar with the software you mention but as it has an "exe" extension it is a windows executable and you would need to create the usb bootable on a windows machine.

The sda5 partition is where you would install Kubuntu.

Hmmm, I thought Ubuntu could be installed from within windows? Is Kubuntu not able to do this too? Rather then having to mess around with all these things. That is to say, download the CD Image and just using software like deamon tools or Alcohol to mount the Kubuntu CD image as a virtual CD.