How to install linux os on windows 7 with dynamic partition

[10bce0491]

Hello,
i am having hp dv6 6121tx ,with windows 7 installed and i want to install linux side by side... without losing data... but while trying to install it shows the whole dynamic partition where cant install the is there any way to change that partition alone to static without affecting other sectors of HDD..? plz help

 

[Pyroflea]

You need to boot into Windows and access your Disk Management utility. You then need to shrink your primary partition, freeing up space on your drive. Once you have done this, you should have an option when installing Ubuntu to install beside your Windows 7 installation. There is a very small chance of data loss when you shrink the partition, so make sure anything vital or important is backed up, just to be safe.

There shouldn't be any issues, so best of luck! If you run into anything let us know.

 

[amdfangirl]

We should make a sticky on this kinda stuff.

 

[Pyroflea]

Probably yes.

 

[Ijack]

I believe that you are wrong. As far as I know it is not possible to install Linux on a Dynamic Disk (it's disk that are dynamic, not partitions). You need to reinstall with a Basic Disk (or find some way to non-destructively convert).

No time to do any further research at the moment as the dogs are asking for their walk, but I'll have a look around to see if I can find any further info.

 

[10bce0491]

Best answer selected by 10bce0491.

 

[10bce0491]

thanks for replies ,
yes, you are right.we can not install linux on a dynamic disk,dynamic disk can only have windows not even dos,but basic can have both,i know that.but is there any trusted tool to change the disk from dynamic to basic and is it a good option to convert it or should i go for linux installation in an external hard disk?as i dont have much work to do with linux. and i dont want to format my system....

 

[Ijack]

Linux installation on an external USB drive is perfectly feasible and is probably the best solution in your case. You can either use EasyBCD to set up a boot menu, or just use your BIOS's menu to choose the boot up drive.

I don't know if there are any utilities that let you convert a dynamic disk back to a basic one, but I wouldn't undertake such an operation without a full backup. I did find, with a little extra reading, that it is possible to compile a kernel that will recognize a dynamic disk (but that doesn't necessarily mean you can boot from it). However, I don't think any distro comes with such a pre-compiled kernel so you would have to do it yourself. This is not particularly difficult if you are familiar with Linux, and can be great fun, but it's not for beginners.

 

[10bce0491]

thanks,
as i am a beginner,just in btech 2 nd yr, not much familiar with linux , i won't try kernal compilation right now, but i will try in future..
thanks for ur guidance,it is very helpful to me. i am planning to install linux on a USB 3.0 16 gb pen drive, while searching i found that on usb 2.0 the boot will be very slow am my system is having 3.0 port so i should go for that. e-SATA is a better option but i don't have any SATA port... i read that usb 3.0 boots quite well ... again thanks for ur help..

 

[masterofmanythings]

Linux installation on an external USB drive is perfectly feasible and is probably the best solution in your case. You can either use EasyBCD to set up a boot menu, or just use your BIOS's menu to choose the boot up drive.

I don't know if there are any utilities that let you convert a dynamic disk back to a basic one, but I wouldn't undertake such an operation without a full backup. I did find, with a little extra reading, that it is possible to compile a kernel that will recognize a dynamic disk (but that doesn't necessarily mean you can boot from it). However, I don't think any distro comes with such a pre-compiled kernel so you would have to do it yourself. This is not particularly difficult if you are familiar with Linux, and can be great fun, but it's not for beginners.

I am having the same problem, with my new HP Pavilion dv6 laptop. I need to keep the Microsoft Windows 7 software on the laptop and need to install Linux on the "dynamic disk" that was created after "shrinking" disk c:. I don't want to install onto the HP recovery drive either as I might need it in the future.

This might be a common problem for linux users. Can the Linux distributors ship the installation iso image with a kernel that works with the dynamic disk ?

 

[Ijack]

Well, the joy of Linux is that it's Open Source and anyone can ship a distribution. If you think there's a demand, here's your chance.