HP laptop has used up all four primary partitions

Well I created the DVDs using HP's Recovery Manager, so they were created with whatever program that uses. I simply inserted the blank discs when prompted and let it get on with it! :)

Just to let you know that I have decided (for the present at least) to take the easy way out. I have a Macrium Reflect backup of the entire hard drive, and a separate Macrium Reflect backup of the D: Recovery Partition on its own, plus my Recovery DVDs - so hopefully I am covered for all eventualities should disaster strike. :)

Today I deleted the D: Recovery Partition and, using Disk Management in Windows, created two partitions in the newly available free space (to which I added a little extra by shrinking the C: partition slightly), one for Linux root and one for Linux swap, and have just finished installing Ubuntu 10.04.

I may well at some stage in the future attempt a complete fresh installation of Windows 7 but the set-up I have now is quite satisfactory.

Many thanks to all of you for your help.

Just one slightly bizarre thing. Following the installation of Ubuntu, Windows Disk Management now shows five primary partitions, although it was previously showing the extended partition containing the two logicals. Ubuntu itself however correctly shows the right partitioning. See screenshots below. Anyone else come across this before?


Originally correctly showing extended partition with two logicals


Following installation of Ubuntu, incorrectly showing five primary partitions


However, Ubuntu shows correct partitioning

Yes....
That's because windows doesn't recognize file systems other that FAT FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS, and sees all other partition formats as free space, even if there's a fully functional operating system
Ubuntu, however, uses the EXT file system, and can be expanded to work with almost all other file systems.

In other words, Windows sees Ubuntu as unformatted free space, and since Mr. Gates doesn't want any competition, Windows refuses to play nice with other operating systems, in the hopes that people like you will see that "free space", format it, and in the process, erase the linux installation that now has the MBR.. in the further hope that people like you will then blame ubuntu for wrecking your computer

It's now showing 2 Primary Partitions where the Extended Logical was, which is interesting since Ubuntu contradicts it as shown.

I would use free Partition Wizard bootable CD to get the second opinion, as it is the best partition manager we have.

gregrocker said:

It's now showing 2 Primary Partitions where the Extended Logical was, which is interesting since Ubuntu contradicts it as shown.

I would use free Partition Wizard bootable CD to get the second opinion, as it is the best partition manager we have.

Supported File System - Partition Wizard Help

partition wizard only supports windows file systems.

Ubuntu uses EXT2/EXT3/EXT4 and SWAP file system formats in its partitions, which partition wizard will only see as free space.

Well it's gotta be Disk Mgmt error, which is likely given it doesn't like the Ubuntu format.

Disk Mgmt can even be wrong in Windows, which is why I use PW as a second opinion. It's CD version is almost always correct but can also differ from PW Windows version.

I was thinking OP might try emailing the guy who posted the video on extracting HP programs from Recov disks as he might have a workaround or answer to the probs you were experiencing.

My only experience with WAIK is avoiding its install in Vlite by installing newer version over old one before slipstreaming drivers/apps into Win7/Vista. Why this only takes 2-3 minutes tops while downloading WAIK takes hours is perplexing.

On top of that.. it's possible windows can't even detect a swapfile partition.. (swap is the linux equivalent of the windows pagefile)

Right, here we go. This is what Partition Wizard shows. As you will see, it correctly identifies the three primary and two logical partitions:



Therefore I think we can assume that it is Windows Disk Management which is up the creek.

Interestingly, Disk Management on my separate Win XP/Linux multiboot desktop computer, although not able to identify the Linux file systems, does at least correctly show the extended partition containing the logicals.



The only difference being that on my desktop I created the partitions with Partition Magic and on my laptop I created them with Disk Management.

madtownidiot said:

… and in the process, erase the linux installation that now has the MBR..

Not a scenario I am familiar with, thank goodness. I’ve been using Linux for about seven years and I never, ever, let it take control of the MBR in a dual/multi boot situation with Windows. I always put Grub on the Linux root partition.

gregrocker said:

I was thinking OP might try emailing the guy who posted the video on extracting HP programs from Recov disks as he might have a workaround or answer to the probs you were experiencing.

I’m not really bothered about pursuing this further at the moment quite honestly. The only pre-installed software I really wanted was the CyberLink DVD Suite and, as I haven’t hosed my system, I still have that. I’ve uninstalled most of the other programs. I’m not interested in Works as I have Microsoft Office 2010. As a personal secretary by profession I simply must have my MS Office.:)