Question about dual-boot

[NoobAnonKS]

Hey guys. Planning on installing ubuntu tonight, along side win7. The last time I tried to dual boot linux and windows, I ran into a huge problem, though. I was trying to install opensuse alongside xp and used the built in partitioning / dualboot options during the linux setup. Suse then took over my entire hdd! Is there a way to prevent this from happening? Do I need to set up the partition in windows first?
And also, I heard that the newest version of ubuntu has built in ad/spyware. Is there a way to delete that crap?

Thanks for your time guys. I'm a linux noob, except for some screwin around with redhat back in the day.

[centip3de]

Hey guys. Planning on installing ubuntu tonight, along side win7. The last time I tried to dual boot linux and windows, I ran into a huge problem, though. I was trying to install opensuse alongside xp and used the built in partitioning / dualboot options during the linux setup. Suse then took over my entire hdd! Is there a way to prevent this from happening? Do I need to set up the partition in windows first?

No, you don't need to, but it does make the whole process of installing the OS quite a bit quicker. However, if you're unsure whether you'll like and want to keep Linux on your computer, try using Wubi for this. Wubi sets everything up for you, and installs Ubuntu just like any other program on your Windows computer. If you don't want to keep Linux, instead of reformatting your drives, you can just go to Add/Remove Programs > Wubi > Uninstall, and it's gone.

And also, I heard that the newest version of ubuntu has built in ad/spyware. Is there a way to delete that crap?

I'm assuming people are talking about how they have integrated the search with Amazon search in 12.10... I'm pretty sure someone out there has figured out how to remove/disable it, but if you don't want to have to deal with that, use 12.04.1 LTS (Long Term Support).

redhat back in the day.

Ew.

[-Ninjex-]

Suse then took over my entire hdd! Is there a way to prevent this from happening? Do I need to set up the partition in windows first?

Of course, if you are on Windows now, you can get a tool called partition magic. Make sure you read how it works and know what you are doing first, as it could delete files and/or corrupt the os. Always be sure to backup important files while formating drives. Be sure you have another os to install on a disk or usb so that in case you corrupt the os, you can re-install it and have your files backed up. When partitioning your Windows drive, start from the back end of the line, as this will be where your "free space" in Windows would be at. Once formated into two seperate drives, install Linux onto the other formatted drive. Keep in mind also, that you can try to run the install first, before formatting your drive because a lot of the Linux distros seem to have the "Install side by side with *Other os name here*" however, sometimes depending on what and how the drive is formatted, it may not be able to read the data. If it can however, it will do this for you automatically" Still, be sure to create backups of important files and docs.
Also, as cent had said previously, install Ubuntu 12.04 Lite. I have been using the os for a while now, and it has been great to me.

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Thanks for your time guys. I'm a linux noob, except for some screwin around with redhat back in the day.

That os is as old as me, that's sad.

[NoobAnonKS]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll let ya know how it turns out.
And what do you guys have against redhat? lol.

I've had ubuntu before as my main os. Had it because it made android devvin easier. Just realised I wasn't ready yet to quit windows cold turkey. And I was afraid to dual boot because of the Suse incident.

-- Wed Jan 02, 2013 12:59 pm --

I'm having a hard time right now, deciding between ubuntu and kubuntu. meh. the kubuntu ui looks pretty good

-- Wed Jan 02, 2013 6:29 pm --

ok so I installed kubuntu 12.04. It's running alongside win7 and the bootloader is functioning perfectly. looks awesome, runs even better

Apparently there's a bug that causes the installer to crash if you manually set the partition size tho. So I just left it to the default 80GB dynamic settings. It'll automatically grow the partition if I ever need more space.