[Elnystrom]

Ok, heres the deal. I am running a Dell Dimension 4550 with windows XP pro. Im trying to install UBUNTU Linux as a dual boot. Im hoping there is a way to install it without deleting everything on the windows partition. When i get to the partition manager it shows 3 partitions. The second of which is the windows partition which takes up 119.9 of my 120 GB Hard Drive. IM LOST....help!!!! Im paranoid about losing everything on my disk but I want to run linux on the same box. I have Ubuntu running on an old computer, but its useless because it has no ethernet port and i'm broke, as most teenagers are.

[bloody]

Hmm, yes, teenagers are broke, though a cheap network card can be got for $10, maybe less. As for installing linux, that presents a real problem if windows is taking up the entire drive. Unless you've got a really nice piece of partitioning software, the only way to install linux would probably be to repartition the drive, which would indeed lose everything. Doing that wouldn't be nice though, so it'd be a smart idea to back anything and everything you need up first ...

[Elnystrom]

therein lies the other problem, i could care less about my documents as i could retrieve them from my teachers to copy and all that jazz. I really care about my 7. Something GB Music collecction. Isn't there a way to make windows take up less space without losing everything? Resizing the partition? there has to be something that doesn't require me to spend more than i have (which is about 5 cents or maybe a few bucks) to fix this, I know for a fact i am not using all of the 119.9 that it says windows is using.

[danleff]

From the Ubuntu wiki page Windows Dual Boot How-to.

Make sure that you read the entire article, including the section on Issues with Windows XP and NTFS.

Make absolutely sure that you defrag the Windows partition first.

You should always back-up your important files, even if you don't install Ubuntu, to cd disks or DVD. You risk losing your data anyway, say if the hard drive goes south, or a virsu takes the system down.

[Elnystrom]

I have a really good feeling about the system rescue ISO thats linked there, thank you. I will see if it works!
-Erik

[bloody]

Really though... don't forget to back up before you try resizing. Oh my.... bad memories resurfacing.

[danleff]

Yes, defrag the Windows partition first, before trying any resizing of the Windows partition.

I agree. I think that the best utility to resize partitions is PartitionMagic. I use it all the time. But I'm sure elnystrom will not invest in this utility.

[bloody]

Neither have I ... so I'm not really one to talk. Then again, I think I'm for the most part settled, and I'm considering making a stronger investment - another hard drive

[Elnystrom]

i did all of that but the resize failed so im still stuck in a rut. If anyone knows where i can get a "free" (pirated, cracked) edition of partition magic i would love to know what it is and where to get it. I am still very much broke. I dont want to buy a new hard drive and even if i did, i couldn't

[bloody]

So I presume you didn't back anything up before you tried to resize the partition? Oh bother, knew this was a baaaaaaad idea.

Well, hopefully you haven't tried to mess with anything since, for that could cause problems. I'm presuming you're going to want to recover that data, which at least puts you back to square one, the point where you have your data. To get your data back, freely, try this - it worked for me, and doesn't involve stooping to piracy.

To recover your data, one thing that might work is to get your hands on a copy of Knoppix, Ultimate Boot CD, or something similar. I used Knoppix. I *think* that the tool you need is included on either of those, but I'm not positive about Ultimate Boot CD.

What you'll want to do, is, first get access to a command line interface, in Knoppix this can be done by running the program Konsole. Maximize the Konsole window. You'll want to type "sudo testdisk". It *should* show you a list of disks that it has detected, select the one that is your hard drive (probably /dev/hda), and press enter. In the next screen, select "Analyze", and press enter again. It should be able to recover it, if it hasn't been written over. Cross your fingers, and I hope this helps.

As per else, presuming that goes well, I'd recommend in some way shape or form (CDs/DVDs, USB drives are good), backing up the data, and then proceeding.

[Elnystrom]

no no no no no.....i didn't lose everything, everything is still fine, The software wouldn't resize my partition. I did defrag and all that other business. I need to find something pirated or c r a c k e d......any ideas on where i can get one...( i would pay, but being 15.....IM BROKE!)

[danleff]

Try 7 Tools Partition Manager. This demo copy should allow you to do the job. Let us know.