Starting Ubuntu fails but Grub works ok.


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Sorry if I sound noob but I am installing ubuntu for real for the first time after installing them in virtual machines in Windows.

Now I would like to dual boot Windows XP and Ubuntu. Done this great but when the installation of Ubuntu was at 95%, it seems to do nothing but stand there. I checked the monitor from other room (I was playing on my Xbox360) and about half an hour later still same. So I rebooted it assuming it has frozen.

Now I get a GRUB boot loader which should be normal, right? Windows XP does show up but as last in the list. There were about 4 entries about ubuntu but I chose the first one saying Generic or something.

It seems to boot fine (showing me the Ubuntu boot menu but then it goes to a command line and asks me to log in. Ok so I did then it does many lines saying "something... permission denied" and then seems to wait for my command.

So I rebooted and tried to install ubuntu, assuming it will format over the screwed installation, but no, when it came to partitions, I try to tell it to format the existing ubuntu partiton but I get an error saying something like "define root device" and it attempts to install another copy of ubuntu in another partition next to the existing one.

I am sorry I am not familiar but this is part of learning more about different operating systems, right? So teach me what I must have done wrong. I can boot into XP using the boot loader so the GRUB is great, just that I can't boot into Ubuntu.

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Boot the CD into a live session. Use gparted to remove the Ubuntu partitions (this will make GRUB break, since GRUB is pointing into your Linux /boot partition now, but that is OK, because we can fix that). Write/save the changes of removed partitions to your hard drive and exit/reboot.

You your install now, from the CD. Let it pick the unallocated space, and it should auto-fill. When it sees existing Linux partitions, it expects to be told which one you want to use. If nothing is there, it goes into "I'll help you do this" mode.

If it is freezing at the end, are you sure that the CD media is ok? No scratches or anything weird? There is a mediacheck option there, I believe. Might give that a try, for peace of mind.

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Okay, now I have booted into a live session and when I go to delete the partitions, The nfts one is XP Pro. I was trying to delete the logical (cyan-coloured section) partitions but I get the error:

EDIT: never mind. It just wanted me to swap off the small swap partition and now it lets me delete it. All is ok. Useless post lol.

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