Dual boot - Ubuntu 14.04 and Windows 7

[jeff1evesque]

We will create a dual boot, instead of running Ubuntu within VirtualBox. Therefore we will download the following:

• Ubuntu Server 14.04
• UNetbootin

Using UNetbootin, we create a bootable flash drive using the Ubuntu Server 14.04 ISO image we downloaded above.

[jeff1evesque]

We decreased the partition size on the C: drive, enough to allow Ubuntu install, using windows Disk Management tool. Then, we booted from the USB we created earlier with UNetbootin, and attempted to install Ubuntu Server 14.04. We notice the amount of space we freed up earlier (using Disk Management) did not match any of the partitions that Ubuntu provides us during the installation process. So, we exit the Ubuntu installation, and boot back into windows 7. We goto our partition (formatted as ntfs) we created, and format it to exFat, that way we know which partition to install Ubuntu Server 14.04 into.

We proceeded to boot from the USB containing Ubuntu Server 14.04 (again) on our windows 7 machine. During the installation process we notice that one of the partitions changed from ntfs to nothing. We assume this partition corresponds to the one we defined to exFat, and use it to install Ubuntu Server 14.04. The installation proceeds -- but, fails to install GRUB. So, we install LILO, instead. After the installation finishes, we received the following messages after startup:

LILO 24.0 Loading LInux................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... BIOS data check successful Gave up waiting for root device. Common problems:

• Boot args (cat /proc/cmdlin)
  • Check rootdelay= (did the system wait long enough?)
  • Check root= (did the system wait for the right device?)
• Missing modules (cat /proc/modules; ls /dev) ALERT! /dev/sdb5 does not exist. Dropping to a shell!

BusyBox v1.21.1 (Ubuntu 1:1.21.0-1ubuntu1) built-in shell (ash) Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.

(initramfs)

[jeff1evesque]

After our above startup, we execute the command blkid in order to obtain all UUID's within the system, then reboot:

(initramfs) blkid
/dev/sda1:  UUID="A8CBA1A8C10BCDD"  TYPE="ntfs"
/dev/sda2:  UUID="482C2BCBC82BABA2"  TYPE="ntfs"
/dev/sda3:  UUID="2793-2771"  TYPE="exfat"
/dev/sda4:  LABEL="RECOVERY"  UUID="1E28CE3416CBC473"  TYPE="NTFS"
/dev/sda5:  LABEL="HP_TOOLS"  UUID="1B45-F37F"  TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sdB1:  SEC-TYPE="msdos"  LABEL="DISK_IMG"  UUID="0028-3BA2"  TYPE="vfat"
(initramfs) reboot

While reboot, press esc, select F9 Boot Device Options, boot from the USB which contains our Ubuntu Server 14.04 installer. Then, we select Command-line install. When given a chance, select Go Back, then select Execute a shell. We create a backup, and modify fstab:

# cd /etc
# cp fstab _fstab_backup
# nano fstab

We modified the file from:

none     /dev/pts     devpts    defaults     0    0
none     /run         tmpfs     nosuid,size=10%,mode=755    0     0
none     /proc        proc      defaults     0    0
none     /sys         sysfs     noauto       0    0

to the following:

2793-2771     /dev/pts     devpts    defaults     0    0
none          /run         tmpfs     nosuid,size=10%,mode=755    0     0
none          /proc        proc      defaults     0    0
none          /sys         sysfs     noauto       0    0

We rebooted the machine again, and noticed that our back _fstab_backup no longer exists, and our previous modifications have been restored the former fstab file.

---

Note: the above UUID values are random numbers I scrambled up.

[jeff1evesque]

We attempt to see which devices are mounted, and notice that Ubuntu 14.04 is not mounted (since the first column should resemble /dev/sda3, and the last column should be Mounted on /):

# df
Filesystem      1K-blocks    Used    Available    Use%    Mounted on
none               397320     180       397140      0%    /run
devtmpfs          1974768       0      1974768      0%    /dev

[jeff1evesque]

We attempt to create a Windows USB Recovery Stick within OSX.

Prepare USB Key:

• First open Disk Utility
• Select the USB key (select the root device, not its partitions)
• Select the partition section at the top
• Change the Scheme to 1 Partition
• Change the Format to Free space
• Click Apply

Download ISO Image:

We will download the ISO image from Microsofts Download Center.

Preparing the ISO image:

$ cd /Users/jeffrey/Downloads
$ hdiutil convert -format UDRW -o KB2840165-Win7-RTM-SP1-X86.img KB2840165-Win7-RTM-SP1-X86.iso
Reading KB2840165-WIN7-RTM-SP1-X86       (Apple_ISO : 0)…
...............................................................................
Elapsed Time:  1m  8.763s
Speed: 3.2Mbytes/sec
Savings: 0.0%
created: /Users/jeffrey/Downloads/KB2840165-Win7-RTM-SP1-X86.img.dmg

Copy the image to the USB key:

$ diskutil list
/dev/disk0
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *120.0 GB   disk0
   1:                        EFI                         209.7 MB   disk0s1
   2:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh HD            119.7 GB   disk0s2
/dev/disk1
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme Repair disc Windows 7 64-bit *16.1 GB    disk1
   1:                        EFI                         209.7 MB   disk1s1

Now, we use dd to copy the image:

$ sudo dd if=./KB2840165-Win7-RTM-SP1-X86.img.dmg of=/dev/rdisk1s1 bs=1m
Password:
220+1 records in
220+1 records out
231184384 bytes transferred in 21.419008 secs (10793422 bytes/sec)

Unmount USB:

$ sudo diskutil unmountDisk /dev/disk1
Unmount of all volumes on disk1 was successful

Contents of USB:

AUTORUN.INF BOOTMGR     EFI             LICENSE.TXT SOURCES
BOOT        BOOTMGR.EFI LAUNCHMEDIA.CMD SMS         VOLUMEID.XML

[jeff1evesque]

Upon reboot after creating our Windows USB Recovery Stick, we insert it to the Windows 7 Machine - press esc, select F9 Boot Device Options, boot from the USB which contains our Windows USB Recovery Stick. However, it continues trying to boot Ubuntu Server 14.04:

LILO 24.0 Loading LInux................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... BIOS data check successful Gave up waiting for root device. Common problems:

Boot args (cat /proc/cmdlin) Check rootdelay= (did the system wait long enough?) Check root= (did the system wait for the right device?) Missing modules (cat /proc/modules; ls /dev) ALERT! /dev/sdb5 does not exist. Dropping to a shell! BusyBox v1.21.1 (Ubuntu 1:1.21.0-1ubuntu1) built-in shell (ash) Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.

(initramfs)

[jeff1evesque]

The reason the above didn't work is because the bootable USB stick is for OSX.

IRC #MacOSX (07/23/14 ~ 5:00pm EST):

jeffreylevesque I followed a tutorial, which said "Once it’s completed you can exit Terminal and remove the USB key from your OS X machine, it should now be able to bootup your ISO on another machine." - http://borgstrom.ca/2010/10/14/os-x-bootable-usb.html

hExDJ jeffreylevesque: is that OTHER machine a Mac?

jeffreylevesque no sir, it's a windows machine

hExDJ there's your problem hExDJ its not gonna work

jeffreylevesque I thought they meant "any" other machine

Tom01_ only Macintosh

[jeff1evesque]

We will attempt again using UNetbootin. First we format the USB:

Configurations: choose Volume Scheme: 1 Partition, Format: MS-DOS (FAT), and select Master Boot Record from Options:

Create USB Bootstick: Click Apply to format the Magic USB stick. Then, open UNetbootin, and create a bootable flash using our ISO:

Undesired Results:

After the USB stick has been created from the OSX, we unmount it, and attempt to boot from it on the windows laptop. During startup press esc, select F9 Boot Device Options. The screen now has a dialog box titled UNetbootin with a choice reading Default. Under the box, it says Automatic boot in 10 seconds .... After 10s, the screen glitches, and counts down again. If we select default, the screen glitches, and counts down again.

Further Research:

We did further research on this topic, and found that the USB bootable flash needs to be formatted to NTFS, and not FAT. Unfortunately, OSX cannot partition to NTFS. Therefore, the above method will result in an infinite loop in regards to Automatic boot in 10 seconds . . .

IRC #MacOSX (07/24/14 ~ 1:20pm EST):

jeffreylevesque: how do i format my usb as ntfs, either in terminal or disk utility?

ibiwan: I don't think OSX can write ntfs yet, so I'd be surprised if it could format as it

drmarvel: OSX can't write an NTFS FS

We further discovered that we can partition a USB to NTFS on linux. However, the only linux distribution we have available is Ubuntu 11.04 running on our VirtualBox 4.1.10. It seems there is a solution to allow access to USB ports within VirtualBox. However, we will simply try to acquire the long lost repair disk, and forgo this route.

[jeff1evesque]

We acquired Boot Repair Disk ISO, then created a USB startup using UNetbootin using MS-DOS (FAT) format on our OSX. Then, we proceeded to boot the windows machine using the USB. After repairing the windows machine with the boot repair disk, the following displays after startup:

Windows Error Recovery

Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause.

If Windows files have been damaged or configured incorrectly, Startup Repair can help diagnose and fix the problem. If power was interrupted during startup, choose Start Windows Normally. (Use the arrow keys to highlight your choice.)

Launch Startup Repair (recommended) Start Windows Normally

Description: Fix problems that are preventing Windows from starting

Choosing the latter, results in windows attempting to start (quick blue screen glitch), then returns us to the above screen.

---

Choosing Launch Startup Repair (recommended) brings us to the following:

Windows Boot Manager

Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:

1. Insert your Windows installation disc and restart your computer
2. Choose your language settings, and then click "Next."
3. Click "Repair your computer."

If you do not have this disk, contact your system administrator or computer manufacturer for assistance

Status: 0xc0000225

Info: The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible

Enter=Continue

When we hit enter on the latter screen, it returns us to the screen we see at startup (the former - Windows Error Recovery).

[jeff1evesque]

We acquired a Windows 7 Installation CD (unfortunately the wrong version, Windows 7 Ultimate). We booted from this CD, examined the partitions, and concluded that our earlier attempts to create a partition exclusively for Ubuntu Server 14.04 altered the primary hard disk (C: drive). So, we merged all the partitions into one then executed the command clean all.

After the disk was cleaned, we reinstalled windows using UNetbootin, a windows 7 home _ISO_, along with the Product Key located under the machine.

After Windows 7 was reinstalled, we used Disk Management to decrease the partition for the C: drive (by 60GB). Then, with UNetbootin, and Ubuntu Server 14.04 ISO, we installed onto our unallocated memory (~60GB) we freed up earlier.

This entailed booting up our Ubuntu start-up flash drive, and selecting Install. We follow the general installation, creating a user, password, encrypting the ubuntu workspace, etc. Upon reaching the [!] Software Selection section, we only selected:

[ ] Basic Ubuntu Server . . . [ ] Ubuntu desktop

Then, upon reaching the GRUB installation section, we selected yes when asked *Install the GRUB boot loader to the master boot record?".

After the installation completed, GRUB did not work. Therefore, Ubuntu Server 14.04 was not bootable. We created a bootable flash drive of boot-repair-disk with UNetbootin. Using this flash drive, we reinstalled GRUB. Upon the next reboot, we were able to boot into Ubuntu Server 14.04, as well as Windows 7 afterwards.