HowTo: The Ideal Dual Boot Setup, Part I

So you've decided you want to install Ubuntu, but you're not quite ready to give up on Windows just yet. What's the most ideal setup you should use for your system? Well, doing this involves some math. You will be setting up multiple partitions on your computer as you begin the install process. In addition, you will require the following install discs: Windows (XP, Vista, 7, etc.) Installation CD-ROM (Not the upgrade disc, it has to be for a fresh install) (The instructions will be using Windows 7) Ubuntu 10.04 Alternate Installation CD-ROM Now, you need to get out a piece of paper and a pencil and write down the following two pieces of information about your computer: Hard Drive capacity and RAM inside your system. With this information, you will be determining how big the partitions you will be creating will be. In my case, it is a 160GB hard drive and 2GB of RAM. Copy the following table in order to help you determine what size each of your partitions should be:

Hard Drive Partition Allocation
Partition Description	Format	Partition Size
Windows C:\Drive	NTFS
Windows Swap File	NTFS
Shared Windows/Ubuntu Drive	NTFS
Ubuntu Installation Partition	ext3 / ext4
Ubuntu Home Partition	ext3 / ext4
Ubuntu Swap	N/A

Some given calculations:

• Your C:\ drive should be at least 20GB for Windows XP and at least 40 GB for Windows Vista or Windows 7.
• Your Windows Swap File partitions should equal at least 1.5xRAM for XP or 2xRAM for Vista or 7.
• Your shared data partition will be your largest, so make it last with all remaining space.
• Your Ubuntu installation partition should be at least 10GB, but make it 20GB if you can.
• Your /home partition does not need to be very big as most personal data will be stored on your shared drive, so make it 10GB at the most to cover your hidden files and whatnot
• Your Ubuntu swap again should be 1.5-2xRAM, just as it was in Windows.

So, for my hard drive and RAM combination, I have the following setup:

Hard Drive Partition Allocation
Partition Description	Format	Partition Size
Windows C:\Drive	NTFS	40GB
Windows Swap File	NTFS	4GB
Shared Windows/Ubuntu Drive	NTFS	88GB
Ubuntu Installation Partition	ext3 / ext4	20GB
Ubuntu Home Partition	ext3 / ext4	5GB
Ubuntu Swap	N/A	3GB

So there's the Math. That's what you do before you even think about taking your computer, reformatting, and deleting all existing partitions. In Part Two, I'll get into the actual installation process further.

How to: Install Ubuntu 7.10 with a Separate /home Partition

Introduction

The following guide is an instruction on installing Ubuntu 7.10 with a separate /home partition. In the PC Magazine March 2008 issue, the article The Battle for Your Desktop under the section about installation that it is a good idea to “create a separate hard disk partition for your /home directory for your data and applications.” They couldn't be more correct. A separate /home partition is important because if something goes wrong with your data, it is possible to do a reinstall of Linux without affecting your /home folder. The /home folder in GNU/Linux is basically the equivalent to the "Documents and Settings" folder under Microsoft Windows XP. If you have multiple users on your system you will see multiple folders, ie: /home/justin/ & /home/johndoe/. This is basically the equivalent to the "My Documents" folder for each user under Microsoft Windows XP. This isn't a failsafe way to make sure your data is preserved in the event of a meltdown, backing up is the only safe way to do that, but it is helpful if backups do not occur often. Unlike under Windows, you won't see separate drives for partitions like a c:, d:. etc. Everything will fall under the / folder, including all CD-ROMs, floppy drives, external devices, etc. This also includes partitions. Your /home folder will be in a separate partition, but it will look like it is a subdirectory of the / folder. You can think of / as your c:\ drive if you are used to running Windows.

What You Will Need:

• Computer with the following minimum system requirements:
  
  • 233 MHz Processor
    
  • 384 MB RAM
    
  • 10 GB Hard Drive
  
  
• Ubuntu 7.10 Alternate Install Disc, available from http://releases.ubuntu.com/7.10/ubuntu-7.10-alternate-i386.iso
  
• Wired Internet connection
  
• Calculator

Preparation:

This guide assumes that all data will be destroyed on the hard drive in which you are installing, so make sure that all data has been backed up. You must also burn the Ubuntu 7.10 disc to a CD. If you are using Windows and do not have a commercial CD-burning software such as Roxio Easy CD Creator or Nero Burning ROM, install the following freeware tool to help you: http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm

Installing:

1. Ensure your computer is connected to your network.
   
2. Turn on your computer.
   
3. Insert the Ubuntu 7.10 Alternate Disc into the CD-ROM tray on your computer.
   
4. You should see the screen in Fig. 1:
   Figure 1: Initial Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon Alternate Menu
   
   1. Reboot the computer if the screen in Fig. 1 does not appear and look for Fig. 1 again.
      
   2. If Fig. 1 does not appear this time, reboot once again and check your BIOS settings to ensure that the CD-ROM is first in the boot menu.
   
   
5. Select the first choice, "Install in text mode," by pressing "Enter."
   
6. Scroll through the language selection screen shown in Fig. 2 to choose your language by using the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys.
   Figure 2: Language Selection Screen
   
7. Press "Enter" to select your language and continue to the next screen.
   
8. Scroll through the country selection screen shown in Fig. 3 to choose your country by pressing the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys.
   Figure 3: Country Selection Screen
   
9. Press "Enter" to select your country and continue to the next screen.
   
10. Choose "No" on the Ubuntu installer main menu screen shown in Fig. 4 by pressing the "Right" arrow key and pressing "Enter."
    Figure 4: Keyboard Detection Screen
    
11. Scroll through the keyboard origin screen shown in Fig. 5 by pressing the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys.
    Figure 5: Keyboard Country Origin Screen
    
12. Press "Enter" to select your keyboard origin and continue to the next screen.
    
13. Scroll through the keyboard layout screen shown in Fig. 6 by pressing the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys.
    Figure 6: Keyboard Layout Screen
    
14. Press "Enter" to select your keyboard layout and continue to the next screen.
    
15. Wait for the next few screens to continue automatically until Fig. 7, Configure the network is shown.
    Figure 7: Configure the Network Screen.
    
16. Choose your wired Internet NIC. In most cases it is "eth0." Press "Enter" to continue to the next screen.
    
17. Type a name for the computer on the network in the screen shown in Fig. 8. Press "Enter" to continue to the next screen.
    Figure 8: Configure the Network Screen
    
18. Wait for the next few screens to continue automatically until Fig.9, Partition Disks is shown.
    Figure 9: Partition Disks
    
19. Determine how big your partitions will be using a calculator:
    
    • Calculate a minimum of 4 GB for your / partition. The best bet is 25% of the hard drive's space, but 40 GB is more than enough if your hard drive will accommodate the space.
      
    • Multiply the amount of RAM you have by two. This will be your swap partition.
      
    • Use all remaining free space for your /home partition.
    
    
20. Choose "Manual" by pressing the "Down" arrow key and pressing "Enter."
    
21. Choose the hard drive in your system by looking for a line that contains either the term "(sda)" or "(hda)" by scrolling with your "Up" and "Down" arrow keys as shown in Fig. 10 and pressing "Enter."
    Figure 10: Partition Disks
    
22. Select "Yes" on the warning screen shown in Fig. 11 by pressing the "Left" arrow key and pressing "Enter." This will return you to the screen in step 18.
    Figure 11: Partition Disks
    
23. Press the "Down" arrow to highlight the line containing the text "pri/log" and press "Enter" as shown in Fig. 12.
    Figure 12: Partition Disks
    
24. Select Create a new partition on the screen shown in Fig. 13 by pressing "Enter."
    Figure 13: Partition Disks
    
25. Type in the hard drive space you wish to use for the "/" partition and press "Enter" on the screen shown in Fig. 14. REMINDER: You can use any size you like, but it must be a minimum of 4 GB.
    Figure 14: Partition Disks
    
26. Choose "Primary" on the screen shown in Fig. 15. by pressing "Enter."
    Figure 15: Partition Disks
    
27. Choose "Beginning" on the screen shown in Fig. 16 by pressing "Enter."
    Figure 16: Partition Disks
    
28. Scroll down to "Done setting up the partition" on the screen shown in Fig. 17 by pressing the down arrow and pressing "Enter"
    Figure 17: Partition Disks
    
29. Press the "Down" arrow to highlight the line containing the text "pri/log" and press "Enter" as shown in Fig. 18.
    Figure 18: Partition Disks
    
30. Select "Create a new partition" on the screen shown in Fig. 13 by pressing "Enter."
    
31. Type in the hard drive space you want to use for the "/home" partition and press "Enter" on the screen shown in Fig. 19. REMINDER: Be sure to leave free space equal to 2*RAM for your swap.
    Figure 19: Partition Disks
    
32. Choose "Primary" on the screen shown in Fig. 15. by pressing "Enter."
    
33. Choose "Beginning" on the screen shown in Fig. 16 by pressing "Enter."
    
34. Scroll down to "Done setting up the partition" on the screen shown in Fig. 20 by pressing the "Down" arrow and pressing "Enter."
    Figure 20: Partition Disks
    
35. Press the "Down" arrow to highlight the line containing the text "pri/log" and press "Enter" as shown in Fig. 21.
    Figure 21: Partition Disks
    
36. Select "Create a new partition" on the screen shown in Fig. 13 by pressing "Enter."
    
37. Press "Enter" to select the remaining space on the hard drive as shown in Fig. 22.
    Figure 22: Partition Disks
    
38. Choose "Primary" on the screen shown in Fig. 15. by pressing "Enter."
    
39. Choose "Beginning" on the screen shown in Fig. 16 by pressing "Enter."
    
40. Press the "Up" arrow to highlight the "Use as:" line and press "Enter" as shown in Fig. 23.
    Figure 23: Partition Disks
    
41. Press the "Down" arrow to highlight "swap area" and press "Enter" as shown in Fig. 24.
    Figure 24: Partition Disks
    
42. Scroll down to "Done setting up the partition on the screen shown in Fig. 25 by pressing the "Down" arrow and pressing "Enter."
    Figure 25: Partition Disks
    
43. Verify your screen looks similar to the one shown in Fig. 26.
    Figure 26: Partition Disks
    
44. Scroll down to "Finish partitioning and write changes to disk" and press "Enter." NOTE: If you want to change your mind, choose "Undo changes to partitions" and no changes will be made to your system.
    
45. Choose "Yes" on the screen shown in Fig. 27 by pressing the "Left" arrow and pressing "Enter" to overwrite all previous data on the system.
    Figure 27: Partition Disks
    
46. Wait for the next few screens to continue automatically until Fig. 28, "Configure time zone" is shown.
    Figure 28: Configure Time Zone
    
47. Select your time zone on the screen shown in Fig. 28 by using the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys and pressing "Enter."
    
48. Select "Yes" on the screen shown in Fig. 29 by pressing "Enter."
    Figure 29: Configure the Clock
    
49. Type in your full name on the screen shown in Fig. 30 and press "Enter"
    Figure 30: Set up Users and Passwords
    
50. Type in a username for your account or press "Enter" to accept the username given as shown in Fig. 31.
    Figure 31: Set up Users and Passwords
    
51. Type in a password for your account and press "Enter" on the screen shown in Fig. 32.
    Figure 32: Set up Users and Passwords
    
52. Type in the same password again and press "Enter" on the screen shown in Fig. 33.
    Figure 33: Set up Users and Passwords
    
53. Wait for the next few screens to continue automatically until Fig. 34, "Configure the package manager" is shown. NOTE: This process will take about five minutes in most cases and may seem like it has hung up at times.
    Figure 34: Configure the Package Manager
    
54. Type in any HTTP proxy information and press "Enter." In most cases, this should just be left blank.
    
55. Wait for the next few screens to continue automatically until Fig. 35, "Finish the installation" is shown. NOTE: This process will take about 20-30 minutes in most cases and may seem like it has hung up at times, particularly on the screen that says "Configuring apt" shown in Fig. 36.
    Figure 35: Finish the Installation
    Figure 36: Configuring Apt
    
56. Remove the CD-ROM from the tray when it opens.
    
57. Press "Enter" on the screen shown in Fig. 35 to reboot the computer.
    
58. Wait for the system to load through the screen shown in Fig. 37.
    Figure 37: Ubuntu Loading Screen
    
59. Type your username you setup in step 50 on the log-in screen shown in Fig. 38 and press "Enter."
    Figure 38: Ubuntu Login Screen
    
60. Type your password you setup in steps 51 and 52 on the log-in screen shown in Fig. 39 and press "Enter."
    Figure 39: Ubuntu Login Screen
    
61. Enjoy your new Ubuntu system! (Fig. 40)
    Figure 40: Ubuntu Fully Loaded

Based on:
NTFS + Gutsy Gibbon with /home Partition

Original Source:
Self-Post at the Ubuntu Forums

Technorati Tags: 7.10, Alternate, Alternate Install, Gutsy, Gutsy Gibbon, How to, HOWTO, Installation, Tutorial, Ubuntu
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HOWTO: Get Airgo-Based WiFi Enabled Using ndiswrapper

*UPDATE* February 21, 2008
Due to some changes in the ndiswrapper software, this tutorial became obsolete. As per comments in the original post, I have changed the instructions to once again make them work.

For months I was trying to get my Belkin F5D8010 Pre-N WiFi card to work in my laptop under Ubuntu Feisty Fawn (7.04). Finally I have figured it out, using the Ubuntu Documentation & the NDISwrapper page on Sourceforge. Now I present these steps to you.

Cards This Will Work On:

Note: This list is from the ndiswrapper wiki. I do not know if these steps will actually work for your card. Verified cards are in bold. If you follow these steps and they work for your card, leave a comment and I will point it out.

• Belkin F5D8010

• Linksys WPC511GX

• Netgear WGM511

• Buffalo WLI-CB-G108

• AeroGuard AGN1023PC

• Planex CQW-NS108AG

• Planex CQW-NS108G

• amsung X20 Laptop

• GemTek WPCO-131G

• Corega CG-WLCB108GM

Ubuntu Version Required:

Ubuntu 6.10 (Edgy Eft) or later

Because I was able to get this to work under Feisty Fawn, I am going to write these steps as if you were using that version. I will post the links for files required by Edgy and Gutsy, but I can't guarantee it will work for you. I am providing two versions of instructions: one if you can get online through a wired connection (the preferred method), and one if you cannot get online through a wired connection.

Online Version

Part One: Installing ndisWrapper

1. Open Terminal.

2. Type lspci -nn

3. Look for the following: 03:00.0 Ethernet Controller: Airgo Networks Inc AGN100 802.11 a/b/g True MIMO Wireless Card [17cb:0001] (rev 01)

• If the line is not present, these instructions will not work for you.

4. Type (or copy/paste) the following lines into Terminal:
   sudo modprobe -r ndiswrapper
sudo apt-get --purge remove ndiswrapper-utils
sudo rm -r /etc/ndiswrapper/
sudo rm -r /etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper
sudo rm /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/net/ndiswrapper/ndiswrapper.ko

5. Type (or copy/paste) the following line into Terminal:
   sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)

6. Type (or copy/paste) the following line into Terminal:
   sudo apt-get install dh-make fakeroot gcc-3.4 build-essential

7. Navigate to Sourceforge to download the latest version of ndisWrapper.

8. Save the file you download in your Home folder

9. Type (or copy/paste) the following lines into Terminal:
   tar xvfz ndiswrapper-[current version].tar.gz
cd ndiswrapper-[current version]
   (Where [current version] is the version number of the file you downloaded. i.e.: ndiswrapper-1.52.tar.gz)

10. Type (or copy/paste) the following lines into Terminal:
    sudo make uninstall
sudo make

11. Type (or copy/paste) the following lines into Terminal:
    fakeroot
sudo make install

Part Two: Installing the drivers

1. Type (or copy/paste) the following into a terminal to download the drivers:
   wget http://77.91.202.10/~alpoimco/Satanas/belkin_pre-n.tar.gz
   Mirror (If the first link is down): wget http://www.someawe.com/uploads/belkin_pre-n.tar.gz

2. Type (or copy/paste) the following into a terminal to extract the drivers you just downloaded:
   tar xvfz belkin_pre-n.tar.gz
cd belkin_pre-n

3. Type (or copy/paste) the following line into terminal:
   echo 'blacklist bcm43xx' | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist

4. Type (or copy/paste) the following line into terminal:
   sudo ndiswrapper -i NetAni.inf

5. Type (or copy/paste) the following line into terminal:
   ndiswrapper -l

6. Look for the following:
   tmimo3p: driver installed
        device (17CB:0001) present

7. Type (or copy/paste) the following into Terminal to activate the driver:
   sudo depmod -a
sudo modprobe ndiswrapper

8. Type (or copy/paste) the following into Terminal to check for errors:
   tail /var/log/messages

9. Type (or copy/paste) the following into Terminal to open the Network Manager:
   gksudo network-admin

10. Verify the connection labeled "Wireless connection" says "Roaming mode enabled" beneath it.

11. Perform the following steps if it does not say "Roaming mode enabled:"

1. Click the Wireless connection to highlight it.

2. Click the Properties button to open the properties window.

3. Click the check box next to Enable roaming mode and click Ok.

4. Verify that the wireless connection now says "Roaming mode enabled."

12. Click the close button on the Network manager to close it and return to the Terminal.

13. Type (or copy/paste) the following into Terminal to create an alias for your wireless card:
    sudo ndiswrapper -m

14. Type (or copy/paste) the following into Terminal to open the modules list:
    gksudo gedit /etc/modules

15. Type the following at the end of the text document that loads (if not already present):
    ndiswrapper

16. Reboot your system to make sure everything is in full working order

Offline Version

1. Open Terminal.

2. Type lspci -nn

3. Look for the following: 03:00.0 Ethernet Controller: Airgo Networks Inc AGN100 802.11 a/b/g True MIMO Wireless Card [17cb:0001] (rev 01)

• If the line is not present, these instructions will not work for you.

4. Download the files you need to install the drivers:

• Download the driver file from either here or here. This file is required for all distributions of Ubuntu.

• Download the ndisWrapper files for your distribution:

• Ubuntu 6.10 (Edgy Eft):
  ndiswrapper-common
  ndiswrapper-utils-1.8
  ndisgtk

• Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn):
  ndiswrapper-common
  ndiswrapper-utils-1.9
  ndisgtk

• Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon):
  ndiswrapper-common
  ndiswrapper-utils-1.9
  ndisgtk

5. Copy the four files you downloaded to your Home folder on your Ubuntu system using a flash drive, CD-ROM, or other means.

6. Open terminal on your Ubuntu system.

7. Type (or copy/paste) the following into Terminal to install ndisWrapper:
   sudo dpkg -i ndiswrapper-common_*.deb
sudo dpkg -i ndiswrapper-utils*.deb
sudo dpkg -i --force-depends ndisgtk_*.deb

8. Type (or copy/paste) the following into a terminal to extract the drivers you just downloaded:
   tar xvfz belkin_pre-n.tar.gz
cd belkin_pre-n

9. Type (or copy/paste) the following line into terminal:
   echo 'blacklist bcm43xx' | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist

10. Type (or copy/paste) the following line into terminal:
    sudo ndiswrapper -i NetAni.inf

11. Type (or copy/paste) the following line into terminal:
    ndiswrapper -l

12. Look for the following:
    tmimo3p: driver installed
         device (17CB:0001) present

13. Type (or copy/paste) the following into Terminal to activate the driver:
    sudo depmod -a
sudo modprobe ndiswrapper

14. Type (or copy/paste) the following into Terminal to check for errors:
    tail /var/log/messages

15. Type (or copy/paste) the following into Terminal to open the Network Manager:
    gksudo network-admin

16. Verify the connection labeled "Wireless connection" says "Roaming mode enabled" beneath it.

17. Perform the following steps if it does not say "Roaming mode enabled:"

1. Click the Wireless connection to highlight it.

2. Click the Properties button to open the properties window.

3. Click the check box next to Enable roaming mode and click Ok.

4. Verify that the wireless connection now says "Roaming mode enabled."

18. Click the close button on the Network manager to close it and return to the Terminal.

19. Type (or copy/paste) the following into Terminal to create an alias for your wireless card:
    sudo ndiswrapper -m

20. Type (or copy/paste) the following into Terminal to open the modules list:
    gksudo gedit /etc/modules

21. Type the following at the end of the text document that loads (if not already present):
    ndiswrapper

22. Reboot your system to make sure everything is in full working order

That's it! I hope that this will help you get onto the Internet through Ubuntu using one of the toughest cards to get working through Ubuntu. Again, if you try out any of the other cards in the list, please feel free to leave a comment to let me know you got it to work. Likewise, if you run into issues, leave a comment and I'll do what I can to assist you.

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