Ubuntu Linux Installation

[Richard Sharpe]

Hi Jay...

On 10/5/05, Jayasimha Yerramilli <jayasimha.yerramilli at gmail.com> wrote:
> Once I was warned by the HP Technical Support not to install any other OS on
> my HP comp or else I would lose the recovery drive of 377MB.

Instead of keeping the Restore Partition, you can often create a set of Recovery
CDs.  The creation of the Recovery CDs may vary slightly from HP to HP,
but the program to create the CDs is sometimes under:

HP Recovery Disc Creator Software...
Start, All Programs, Hewlett-Packard, HP Pavilion PC Tools, and then
HP PC Recovery CD Creator

It can take 7-9 CDs to make these restore CDs.  In whatever way possible, make
certain that the CDs you created are good.  If you have a created a
bad set of CDs and you have deleted the Recovery Partition, then you
will have to order a set of Recovery CDs from HP.  This will cost you
about $20 USD and then some more for
shipping.  On top of that, I have had several problems with the CDs
that are sent by HP.  There is a reason why HP was found guilty in the
lawsuit that addressed their implementation of Recovery Partition/CDs:

http://www.computersettlement.com/

> The installation happened very well and I just had to reboot and create a
> user account for my login. After reboot a disaster  struck the HP recovery
> started. I recovered my system and I was back to square1. I reinstalled my
> Windows OS.

This is as it should be...
As long as that Recovery Partition is on the HDD and the Recovery Partition
believes that the HDD is damaged (in this case you installed Ubuntu - Now isn't
that ironic :) )  Then the recovery process will kick in...

> Now Ubuntu does not show up at all anywhere.

That is as it should be in the world of HP...
It restored the Master HDD to a workable state; the state of the computer
when it was firsted purchased, WildTangent (spyware?) and all...

> One of my friends told me that HP, IBM, APPLE write their own boot sequence

I believe that HP may modify the BIOS in some manner to accomodate
this process, but this information is gained from observation, not
from actually reading...

> Advice me what to do. Any of the above steps would simply cost me dearly. Is
> there any work around except for the live CD. I want Ubuntu installed on my
> system?

What should you do...  I don't want to answer that question...
You want Ubuntu, but you want your Windows too...
If you Google for: "Ubuntu howto dual boot" you will get good explainations.
I liked the one that was on UbuntuForums:
  http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-16353.html
The way the process is described in this document, you will need the Recovery
CDs.  In addition, I think you will have to delete the Recovery
Partitition.  Then
go through the process described...

What would I do...
First, I would tell you what I would _not_ do... Dual Boot.
Used these kind of solutions back in the mid-90s with OS/2, Linux, Windows.
Something funky happened too frequently with these dual-boot systems...
Now I either:
  1. Dedicate a machine to the OS (most frequent solution)
  2. Use "Hard Drive Mobile Racks" (use Google) so you have separate
HDDs for separate OSs...

Do what you will Jay...
And good luck with your project.


Rick