How to Dual Boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu 9.04

Finally, it’s done. Ever since I installed Windows 7, I couldn’t dual boot with Ubuntu, which was quite a frustration for me. But when Jaunty Jackalope sprang out in beta, the endless search for a tutorial how to do it finished. And Wubi doesn't work in Windows 7. (yet)
So this is how it’s done:

Step 1: You need a PC with Windows 7 installed. Preferably build 7057 or better.

Step 2: Download the beta of Ubuntu 9.04 ( Jaunty Jackalope) from www.ubuntu.com and burn it on a CD. (click here to start downloading).You can download from a direct link, or a torrent. My advice is to use a torrent client, since if your internet connection goes down or anything else goes wrong you will be able to continue the download. (click here to download the torrent file).

Step 3: Insert the burned CD (or DVD) into the computer and restart. The point is to boot from the CD (again, or DVD). (currently only CDs are available, but once the final release is out, there'll be DVDs here)

Step 4: After you have booted in Ubuntu double click the Install Icon on Desktop.

Step 5: And the standard procedure begins:

First choose language. English is default. Click "Forward".


Now choose time zone. Click "Forward".


Next is my favorite, the keyboard input layout.


And after you click Forward, the magic begins. Previous Ubuntu Editions (8.10 and below) couldn’t discover that there’s another OS on the computer, Jaunty Jackalope recognizes Windows 7 as Windows Vista, and although it doesn't do justice to Windows 7, that'll do just fine.

You can see the partitioner scanning the hard drives, on the screenshot below, checking for space and another OS.


Step 6: When the partitioner is done you can choose how much space from the disk you want for your Ubuntu. (This means that both OS will be on the same partition, so when in Windows you won’t be able to see the part of it where Ubuntu is installed, because the Windows partition will be shrunk).

In order to do so check “Install them side by side, choosing between them on each startup”.

And now you can drag the black separator with the mouse on the line to specify the space you want to be cut from the partition for Ubuntu. After you do that click "Forward".

And I don’t have anymore screenshots, because I’m an idiot, but don’t worry.

There’s not much to do, except wait.
Once you click Forward, the partitioner will first ask you if you are sure that you want to execute the specified actions, and it will warn you that two partitions will be formated. One primary partition for Ubuntu and a Swap partition. (The Windows partitions is "sda1", so the partitions that will be formated will be marked as "sda2/3/4/5...", or other numbers depending on the number of hard disks you have).

You can click Forward on that window too. Those two partition will be created from your OS drive, while the rest of the data on the drive will remain intact. This means a lot of waiting if your Windows partition is not well fragmented. I repeat you might wait for an entire hour or even more just for the partitioner to finish creating the partitions. While the installing of the system will be quite fast.

After the installing will finish, the computer will restart, (it might ask you to remove the CD first, I don’t remember.)

After the first reboot, the Grub Loader will make Ubuntu as the default OS. You can change this by following instructions, provided here. (if instructions are not provided it means I haven't written them yet)

Note 1: It is advisable to back up all important data, at least on your OS disk. Although screw ups are not expected, you just never know (that's why back up exist, for things we might not excpect).

Note 2: It's OK that the installer says Windows Vista, like I said Ubuntu "thinks" that Windows 7 is Windows Vista (so not true).

Note 3: Just once more, after step 6, when the partitioner will start creating the partitions for Ubuntu, during all time the progress bar might remain at 0%, but don't worry eventually it will finish.

Note 4: Windows 7 is in beta, Ubuntu 9.04 is in beta too (at least in the next 2 or 3 weeks). It is not recommended to install beta OSs as primary OS on your computer.

On a side note: I now am a proud owner of a machine running on two beta OSs, no crashes, no errors, no BSDs.

Take care.

Windows 7 RC1 in Screenshots

Rumor has it that in mid April this year Microsoft will start shipping the first release candidate of the much praised Windows 7. Other roumer has it that the first RC is the leaked build 7057. Anyhow here are some screenshots of the last build, which is 7057, to get a glimpse of the look and feel of the new mMicrosoft wonder. It's not an in-depth review, just a couple of screenshots focused on the visual.

This is the standard Aero Flip introduced in Vista.

The new Aero Peek feature in action.

In this build Alt+Tab also features Aero Peek, which wawsn't the case in the previous Windows 7 builds.

The Control Panel showing all items.

The desktop context menu. Notice the new "Screen Resolution" and "Gadgets" entries.

This is the same theme color changer. But on this screenshots you can see the large icons on the new dock-like taskbar. (Which is quite awesome and functional, by the way). While on the screenshot below you can see the taskbar with small icons and the Star Menu with the new Start Button.

Gadgets floating on desktop without the sidebar. I am not a fan of desktop gadgets anyway, but losing the sidebar is great.

The jumplists, with the most recent open files. Interesting is you can pin files to the jumplist that you use more often. Or folders you open on a regular base can also be pined to the jumplist of the windows explorer icon.

This is the new "libriries" feature. Librires contain all the folders of your PC with similar content, and you can orginize them yuorself. For example you can place folders from different partitions in the picture library for fast access, while physicaly the folders are still in their original locations. Some sort of shortcuts you might say.

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Windows 7 RC1 in Screenshots

The notificatoin area, and cosumizing for it.

Show Desktop icon is not an icon now, but the end of the taskbar, where if you float with the mouse pointer yo get all windows transparent (Aero Peek), and clicking on at the end of the taskbar, minimizes all windows and sjows the desktop.

Snaping windows by draging them to the edge of the screen. Draging to the left or right expands the windows to half of the screen, while draging to the top maximizes the window.

The Snipping tool, for capturing the screen or parts of it in action (taking screenshots).

Solitaire. Nothing new, just few more backgrounds and I had to post it because it's the first game everybody plays.

A little closer look of the Start Menu.

Sticky Notes.

Taskbar Properties.

The action center, which replaces the Security center.

The new calculator.

Desktop Slideshow.

Windows Paint with the new ribbon interface, and below is Wordpad.

Windows explorer.

You can find the wallpaper here, as many other Windows 7 wallpapers too.

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And This is How you Do It!

So, it' Thursday, March 19 and Internet Explorer is shipping today. What a happy day, for those testing Windows 7, since I am working for a week now without IE on my PC, not just IE8, but no IE in general. I don't want to be like one of those Microsoft bashers because Windows 7 rocks, but Internet Explorer is like the slowest, the most insecure browsers currently on the market. And this is how you turn it off and remove it, in Windows 7 Beta at least.

1. Open Computer>Uninstall or Change Program>Turn Windows Features On or Off

2. This is the Default state of optional Windows features. As you can see IE8 is checked.

3. IF you want to remove Internet Explorer 8 you unchecked. And since I don't use Windows Media Center and don't have a Tablet PC I unchecked those features as well.



And then you click OK.




And after two restarts (depends on what you unchecked) you have a n Internet Explorer Free PC.
That's How you Do It!

Check out the new Windows 7 Wallpapers