Installing Ubuntu as 2nd OS

[elmo]

Ilya Vishnyakov wrote:
>
> Hello Lucky Ubuntu Users!
>
>  
>
> I have a Dell laptop with Win Xp and 1 partition on it. This laptop 
> has very valuable information for me, personally. I was wondering if 
> will be able to install Ubuntu as second OS on my laptop, without 
> reformatting the hard drive. I need to keep the data on it intact.
>
>  
>
> Thank you for your advice.
>
>  
>
> Ilya.
>
>  
>
WARNING!!!!!!!!!!
Unless you can install a second hard drive for your additional operating 
systems you MUST do the
following:

Before you try to create a new partition for ubuntu you must (!!!!!!!!) 
defragment the partition you are using for Windows to make sure all the 
data is moved out of the way where you will make a partition for your 
ubuntu installation.   OTHERWISE, you will lose some of your Windows data.

To defragment the Windows  partition,  do:

Start> My Computer>local disk C:>Properties>Tools>Defragmentation 
Now>Defragment,

The entire graph represents the entire C: partition, the full size of 
your hard drive.  What we want to do is create enough space for another 
partition to the right of the green block(s).  You can estimate the 
space (GB) available for the new partition.

This wlll display the entire C: partition in graphical form and you will 
see the data moving toward the left side of the green block(s)
There will be 1 or 2 green segments and possibly some other colored 
blocks to the right.  The idea is to get all those to the right of the 
green to move to the left side of the green ones.  This will create 
space for a new partition for your ubuntu.

After ALL the blue has been moved to the left side of the green all that 
space to the right is available for a new partition  (D:)

It may be necessary to repeat the operation to move everything to the 
left of the green block(s).

What you want to do first after the space becomes available is use a 
partitioner to set  an upper limit  for  the size of the C:  partition.

If this has been done carefully, you should have a smaller  partition  
for all  your Windows with  its original data squeezed into a smaller  
partition .  The green blocks will be more to the right when you do the 
defragment again meaning that the C: partition has been shrunk.  You 
won't notice any difference in operation.

Use a partitioner to create a new ext3 partition that starts where the 
C: partition ends.   This new partition will start somewhere to the 
right of the green blocks.    You won't see the new partition if it has 
been formatted ext3.

The simplest way to avoid all the work of resetting the size of the 
windows partition is to install a second hard drive.