Install Ubuntu 14.04 alongside with windows7

I'm trying to install Ubuntu 14.04 alongside Windows 7. I created with Acronis partion on 130Gb where I want to install Ubuntu, downloaded Ubuntu 14.04, made boot DVD and run it. During installation I don't see an option Install Ubuntu alognside Windows 7. I select other option than erase the whole hdd. There I can see only my full 1Tb hdd drive.

Why my Windows partitions are not visible? What I should do to make them visible?

2 Answers

It sometimes can happen that certain partitions/OS's aren't detected, due to various reasons. But the installer always offers you the option to do "Something else".

When you select the "Something else" option, you're being presented with a partitioning screen. Now do the following:

1. If you want to use swap memory (recommended, hard drive memory reserved for RAM outsourcing, e.g. when the RAM is full or when you hibernate), delete the new 130GB partition. In the new space, create a partition with the size of your RAM, and format it as swap.

2. If you followed the instructions in step 1, create a new EXT4 partition filling the remaining space. Else, simply reformat the new 130GB partition as EXT4. Give this partition the mount point /.

3. In the drop down menu at the bottom, select where the boot loader is going to be installed. If you're using UEFI, select the EFI partition (ca. 500MB, FAT32). If you're using Legacy BIOS, select the hard drive itself, e.g. /dev/sda, to install the bootloader in the drive's MBR.

4. Click the installation button.

After the installation, reboot the computer. You should then see a menu which asks you which OS to boot. If this menu doesn't appear, or Windows 7 isn't listed there, boot into Ubuntu, and open the file /etc/default/grub with a root text editor: sudo nano /etc/default/grub.

Change the line

GRUB_TIMEOUT=0 #Time the os selection menu is being shown

to

GRUB_TIMEOUT=10 #Or any other number of seconds you prefer

Save with Ctrl+O and exit with Ctrl+X. Now run sudo update-grub to apply the changes to the boot loader. At the next boot, Windows should appear in the selection menu.

I'm not familiar with Acronis, so let's use disk management. If you can delete the current partition you created that would be great.

1. Go to Control Panel and then Administrative Tools

2. Select Computer Management

3. Select disk management

When that loads you will see all the partitions. Click the one you want to shrink (to make room for Ubuntu) and right click.

4. Select shrink and shrink to desired size

This will create a new partition and it will show as being unallocated, leave it like this

5. reboot and attempt install again. This time you should get the "install alongside" option.