I recently got a Dell Inspiron Special Edition 7720 computer. I am trying to install Ubuntu along side Windows. When I use the WUBI installer, the installation of Ubuntu works as long as I do not boot into Windows; if I boot into Windows, when I go back into Ubuntu, I am given a variety of error messages which claim to have corrupt or missing kernel/root directory, etc. I have been working with this problem for about a week, and have reinstalled Ubuntu MANY times. So far, I have eliminated all of the following problems: Corrupt WUBI installation (Downloaded multiple times, used on other systems), I have tried using a CD and a flash drive, both of which work on other computers. I know that no program within Ubuntu is creating the problem. I know that others have successfully installed Ubuntu on a computer with my operating system (Windows 7 SP1).
This is a much shortened version of the original question, which has been up for about 5 days, and included a more detailed description of the problem, but left everyone clueless as to the source of this problem. When I spoke with the Dell service technician who came over today to replace my keyboard, he suggested that the driver for my HDD was so new that it was not compatible with the current version of Ubuntu. His reasoning is as follows:
1) During an install from a flash drive or CD, where I am supposed to get the option to wipe my system or create a dual boot, I get a window that asks me to select a hard drive partition, but none are listed.
2) This model of computer was made public in June of this year, while Ubuntu was released in April
Adopting this theory, it would seem to me that the WUBI install fails after booting into Windows because Ubuntu can no longer find the files that it needs to load.
Does this theory seem at all plausible to anyone? I just want to install Ubuntu and have it stay on my computer. I don't care how I put it there, I just need it to work, so I would TRULY appreciate any advice or suggestions anyone could give.
Thanks so much for your time and support!!!
WUBI installs Ubuntu within a Windows partition, and it is quite apparent that Windows break your Ubuntu installation. In a regular installation, Ubuntu will get its own partition, and the chances of Windows breaking something are much smaller.
First, download the ISO image of the Ubuntu CD and burn it on a CD. Then, you can use Windows to shrink the Windows partition, and finally tell Ubuntu to install itself in the remaining free space.
If you still want to install the WUBI variant, though, you will need to provide more details:
Well, I finally seem to have found the solution; through all of the comments and suggestions made here, as well as many other outside conversations, I narrowed down the source of the problem to be with the hard drive. Eventually, I found a post that suggested that dmraid was keeping the installer from recognizing the operating system. By removing this, I was able to install Ubuntu on my laptop, though Windows now boots significantly slower.