Installation overwrote windows installation too easily

[Chris Jeffries]

On Mon, 2008-09-08 at 16:12 +0100, ubuntu-users-request at lists.ubuntu.com
wrote:
> 
> On Mon, Sep 8, 2008 at 10:57 AM, Bart Silverstrim
> <bsilver at chrononomicon.com> wrote: 
>         James Takac wrote:
>         > Hi Ken
>         >
>         > On Monday 08 September 2008 13:36:57 Ken McLennan wrote:
>         >> G'day there One & All,
>         >>
>         >>>     Alas there is no software I am aware of that can tell
>         the difference
>         >>> between Windows and any other data on a Hard Drive.
>         >>     It doesn't have to determine any differences, nor to
>         find what OSes
>         >> are installed anywhere. It needs to halt the process, offer
>         a dialog
>         >> with an explicit warning to the user about what will happen
>         and giving
>         >> them an opportunity to back out just in case they DO have
>         windows (or
>         >> Solaris, or Fedora, or Mandriva, any other OS) installed.
>         It doesn't
>         >> matter whether they do or not, but should provide the
>         warning for a
>         >> worst case scenario.
>         >>
>         >>     I doubt it would be difficult, just a dialog with a
>         "Cancel &
>         >> Return" option and a "Go Ahead and Nuke" option.
>         >>
>         >> See ya,
>         >> Ken
>         >
>         >
>         > Agreed. What's really needed is a reminder that before
>         anything happens just
>         > what is going to happen and the chance to turn back. So if
>         it happens that
>         > your choice means you will delete the entire disk and hence
>         lose everything
>         > on  it that warning could make all the difference for a
>         newbie. Hell, even
>         > someone who knows what they're doing can still stuff up big
>         time and so the
>         > warning would be something that might make the difference
>         regardless of
>         > newbie or veteran status
>         
>         
>         I thought it did give these warnings?
>         
>         Maybe not something as obvious as WARNING YOU WILL LOSE
>         WINDOWS IF YOU
>         HAVE IT INSTALLED but I thought there were warnings about
>         losing your data.
>         
>         And it's good practice no matter what to back up your data if
>         you have
>         important information. I can't count how many people I've
>         known over the
>         years that hadn't thought of this until their disk went belly
>         up then
>         react as if it's a novel idea afterwards. People who should
>         know better
>         don't do it enough either.
>         
>         Why would someone be playing with a new OS without a backup if
>         their
>         data were critical to them?
>         
>         Last, while you might want these warnings in place...most
>         people will
>         still ignore them. I get support calls and requests from
>         people all the
>         time who had the instructions or information *on the display
>         in front of
>         them* and they still didn't know what to do, when the message
>         was
>         surprisingly non-cryptic.
>         
>         People will click through or hit enter on whatever pops up
>         simply
>         because they don't want to deal with it and assume the
>         defaults are
>         safe. When you're playing with partitions, there is *NO* safe
>         option.
>         You have to resign yourself to the idea that you are risking
>         data and
>         need a backup.
>         
>         
>         --
> Yes there is a warning. It is a little difficult to understand at
> least the first time but you know that if you use the entire hard
> drive everything that is already on it is deleted. I guess you could
> add that Windows is on the hard drive for the completely not
> knowledgeable people but they would certainly press enter no matter
> what.
> And no Ubuntu is not on the hard drive anymore after a complete
> restore of Windows. It didn't find its partition and recreate one
> deleting everything else. So when I reinstall Windows with the cd I
> loose Ubuntu (and yes there is a warning).
> No need of solution for loosing Ubuntu the computer is reinstalled
> about once a month and empty of files. I think my son think
> computer=game and will download anything on it viruses included!
> When he will want to use it as a computer I'll look into a solution
> and antivirus.
> Meg
> 

When  was advising a friend on how to install Ubuntu. I gave the
following advice.

1. If you value your sanity, do a backup

2. Tidy up your disk and make space for Ubuntu. e.g move all the files
off one of your partitions and then delete it, or use Windows disk
management to size down your partition. Either way make sure there is
enough unused space on the disk BEFORE you start to install Ubuntu. If
you can't do that buy another disk for Ubuntu.

3. When you install Ubuntu, choose MANUAL install and only allow Ubuntu
to use UNUSED disk space.

The logic for this?

He was already familiar with Windows. 

Finding his way around would be less challenging, and mistakes less
likely. 

Using the 'manual' option he would be in control. 

Personally I would NEVER choose 'automatic' on such a potentially
destructive process - who knows what is going to be automatically done
before you have a chance to say NO NO NO!

Chris.