dual booting Ubuntu 13.04 and Windows 7

[Gerhard Magnus]

This may be helpful to anyone trying to dual boot Ubuntu 13.04 and 
Windows 7, or even just to install Ubuntu 13.04 by itself on some 
post-2010 machines. At least the details will end up on the Web for 
someone having similar problems.

I bought a new box with the Intel DB75EN motherboard that uses the UEFI 
standard and DPT partitioning for the hard drives. I also bought Windows 
7 Home Premium and had it installed at the shop. My plan was to dual 
boot Windows and Linux as I have successfully for the past decade or so. 
(I still need Windows because some people I collaborate with use 
Microsoft Word, and LibreOffice has never quite caught up with it.)

Back home, I was able to easily install Ubuntu 13.04. Upon restarting, I 
was booted into Ubuntu without seeing a grub menu page.  After shutting 
down, I did, however, find entries on the BIOS boot menu for both 
Microsoft and Ubuntu, and by changing the boot order I was able to boot 
successfully back into Windows.

That was the last I saw of the Ubuntu installation for several days. 
There was still no grub menu but now no reference to Ubuntu in the BIOS 
boot list. And I could only boot into Windows 7.

Although interesting and/or incredibly time wasting, none of the threads 
I traced on the Web offering solutions to this problem were useful in 
getting the Ubuntu OS back, let alone in allowing me to dual boot Ubuntu 
13.04 with Windows 7. The dual boot may even be impossible with this 
post-2010 motherboard, fulfilling Microsoft's long-term agenda to block 
Intel machines from running anything except Microsoft products. Those 
people are so evil!

After a lot of hacking through the underbrush that got me nowhere, 
here's what ultimately worked:
(1) Select "Try Ubuntu" with the 64-bit Desktop Installation CD and 
connect to the Internet.
(2) sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair
(3) sudo apt-get update
(4) sudo apt-get install boot-repair
(5) Run boot-repair. Go to the "advanced" menu, and repair the MBR. This 
is the crucial step.
(6) Install Ubuntu 13.04, being sure to use the option that erases the 
entire disk.

I think Windows 7 keeps writing over information in the MBR to prevent 
the installation of any other OS. What I did completely nuked my Windows 
OS, but at least I was able to install Ubuntu 13.04.

One wonderful thing about computers and computer software is that what 
little one knows is automatically leveraged into being able to do so 
much more. I don't fully understand why this procedure worked (it's not 
on the Web) and would appreciate any insights. I suspect the problem is 
that the new DPT partitioning scheme uses the old-school Master Book 
Record in very different ways. Can modern motherboards work with, let 
alone boot from MBR-partitioned hard drives? Has anyone actually been 
able to dual boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu 13.04 on a new machine? (The 
threads on the Web start out so bravely and then seem to peter out....)

The long-time dealer (Computek in Portland, OR) who sold me the box has 
delivered superior, long-lasting products, and when components have 
invariably failed I've gotten great service, even on obsolete machines. 
Unfortunately, he adamantly does not "do Linux" and the best I can hope 
from him would be to get me back to where I started.  But I'd rather eat 
the cost and use my Windows 7 disc as a coaster than go through this again!