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Best way to dual-boot Ubuntu and Windows 7?

Last response: in Linux/Free BSD
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I've been wanting install Ubuntu on my machine along with Windows 7 for some time now, however I am aware that, if not done correctly, you can screw up the bootloader. Heck, I screwed it up simply by putting XP on alongside Win7 (managed to fix it but it's a pain). I've dual-booted XP and Ubuntu before but never Windows 7 and Ubuntu. So in light of this, and bearing in mind that Windows 7 is on the system first, what is the best method of dual-booting Ubuntu?

Any other recommendations you have would be welcome.

(And as a side note, should I use Ubuntu 64bit or is it not worth using yet? I've heard bad things about 64bit Ubuntu).

More about : dual boot ubuntu windows

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Windows 7 Expert

Easiest way is to get a second harddrive for linux, install it, then let grub find your windows partition and add it to grub with "update-grub". There is no reason to not use 64bit linux. Who told you bad things about it?

If you dont want to get a second harddrive, this is the recommended way to install: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

basically, resize the windows partition, install linux in the empty space, then install grub to the MBR.

Ah right. I would like to do the second hard drive, but that implies cost. It's certainly the easiest idea though.

That article looks fairly straightforward. I've just skim read it as I'm going to work in a second but I shall read it properly later.

In regards to the 64bit Linux, it was actually on Toms Hardware where they benchmarked Ubuntu 9.10 that made me feel unsure about 64bit. There were a lot of crashes and problems and apparently 64bit OS support for Linux isn't very good.

I guess, however, that it may be different with my system and work fine. I'm willing to try it.

There are a couple of third party proprietary applications that have poor 64-bit support. Flash used to be one, but the latest 64-bit alpha appears to be reasonable from the bit of reading I've been doing on some forums. Flash is often hit-and-miss on Linux though, because Adobe choose to neglect "niche" operating systems. I've never had problems with it myself but others have nightmares getting it to work. You can run the 32-bit version of the program though if the 64-bit one doesn't work out for you, it just means you need the 32-bit libraries.
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I guess I could try the 64-bit version, I don't really have anything to lose (other than time lost of frustration :p ), and I want to go 64-bit as I'm already there with Windows 7.

Flash is always crap on Ubuntu in my experience (in comparison to Windows), even on 32-bit. Why is that?

Frickles said:
What if you have a partitioned hard drive with Ubuntu on one partition. How would you put Window 7 onto the other partition and create dual boot? are there any gotyas?

Answered in the thread you started

bmouring said:
I've always wondered, charmaecy, what is your avatar? Is it a "thorny" berry of some evergreen shrub that I vaguely remember as a wee lad?




You are more correct than not, bmouring. Horticulturalists know the Genus as an ornamental shrubs or small trees. Here in the Pacific Northwest, in B.C. and Alaska, it is a tree whose presence is palpable and whose fragrance is evocative of memories like that to which you refer.

chamaecyparis said:
You are more correct than not, bmouring. Horticulturalists know the Genus as an ornamental shrubs or small trees. Here in the Pacific Northwest, in B.C. and Alaska, it is a tree whose presence is palpable and whose fragrance is evocative of memories like that to which you refer.

Wow, so I could have just literally just googled your account name and not terribly derailed this thread, I should take my own advice sometimes (namely, when all else fails, just google it)

Based on the various subspecies ranges, my guess is the one at my parent's house when I was growing up was an Atlantic White Cedar

"There was a topic once..." Yes, and the OP needs to mark it SOLVED should he/she be satisfied!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch . . . people have an example of what can be done with the GIMP -- without what they build houses with in the Southwest (composed of mud, straw and dung) -- wh(dung)at do they call it, now? :sol: 
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