[ubuntu-uk] Two questions: 64bit live USB problem and dual boot with recovery partition

[James Morrissey]

Hi all,

I have just received my new laptop. Its a Thinkpad x121e, with Intel (Core i3).

I am trying to put ubuntu on it, but i am having some problems with
the 64 bit live USB.

When i run the USB i get i get a GRUB-looking screen, with options to:
1. Try Ubuntu without installing
2. Install Ubuntu
3. Check the disk

Wanting to repartition my HDD (using GParted) so that i can dual boot,
i 'Try Ubuntu without Installing', at which point the screen goes
blank and nothing happens. I am then forced into a hard reboot. I get
the exact same result when i 'Check the disk'.

To check the USB, i tried it on my old laptop (32bit, Celeron M). When
i did so i got a purple screen with an image of what looks like a
keyboard and a man, and then a message telling me to try a kernel
which matches with my machined architecture.

I then tried a live USB with 32 bit ubuntu and the live USB works fine
- i am sending this email from this live instance. The same can be
said for a 32 bit Mint live usb.

So i am not sure what is going on. If anyone could tell me why the
64bit install is not working, it would be great as i'd like to get it
up and running. The only thing i could think of was that i have
downloaded the amd64.iso, and this is an intel machine, but all the
sites on the web suggest that this shouldn't make a difference (if it
does, where might i get an 64 bit version for intel). In addition i am
not sure why, if this was the problem, my old celeron laptop brings up
the error message while the new machine just hangs.

One more question i have is about dual booting and maintaining my
recovery partition (something i have not had to do before). From
GParted i see that the recovery partition is located at the end of the
hard drive. I am wondering two things:
1. If i resize the windows partition will the recovery partition move
next to it?
2. If not would i do well to install ubuntu between the windows and
recovery partition, and how do i do this since the 'install into
largest continuous space' option seems to have been replaced by the
'install alongside windows' option in the installer. Will the
alongside option put the install in the right place?

As always, any and all help is very much appreciated.

Thanks,

James.