Not sure if this is the right place to ask or if anyone can help me, but today, I installed the ubuntu ISO & converted it to a bootable format on an 128GB SD card (All my USBs are too small) I ran the installer as normal & here’s where I think I messed up. I allocated a 27GB partition for linux but that option didnt apper on the installer upon being asked where to install to. Thinking nothing of it, I ran the installer clicking on the install to drive option & halfway through it failed saying something like Error16 Drive is busy & the installation was only half done. now on attempt to restart windows is completely gone & all I can do is boot up a very fragmented Ubuntu without internet & firefox works very slowly. If anyone can help, then it’s appreciated. I’ve always wanted to try Linux & just got an SD card large enough to do it, but now this happens.
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You’re getting good advice here.
“Bricking” though normally means turning a software problem into a hardware problem. You just have a software problem, which is infinitely easier to fix.
Don’t fret.
I agree, if the data loss is no issue and there is no need to recover anything, just start from scratch.
Not needed
Not needed what…?
Windows should be intact
Actually It was completely wiped apart from a few fragments in the recovery D: drive & thanks to the disk management system being the worst I have ever seen, it put the C: drive into a 26GB partition instead of the 210GB that its supposed to be in which is now D:
Do you have backup copies of your important files? If so, nuke that shizzle and try again starting from scratch.
Editing to clarify: Nuke that shizzle = nuke the installation device, not the backup. 😉
Instructions unclear, Asia be gone
Well since u broke windows itself u can try new attempt and let installer to format partition and install ubuntu.
Install Windows again, then install Linux.
Windows is annoying with it’s bootloader, but when you have separate drive, it would be way smoother experience.
That is overkill. They just need to reinstall Ubuntu into the same partition
Or better yet:
- Run the live Linux environment, run
gparted, wipe every partition of the disk - Reinstall Windows
- Launch Windows, launch
dskmng, shrink Windows by the needed amount (having another OS shrink it might break it) - Reinstall Linux, it should offer to install alongside the other system if there’s enough space
Windows can wipe everything on its own
True, fixed
- Run the live Linux environment, run
If it’s on the same drive, after updates, Windows will try to ‘fix’
that you have another OSitself, and remove GRUB.Windows generally isn’t removing grub, it’s just switching the EFI boot priority. You can change that back in bios, or with efibootmgr.
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Boot from the live USB and then restart the install. Make sure you overwrite the existing Ubuntu partition.
You removed Windows. Not sure why Ubuntu is slow, but that may be because of snaps.
The internet issue may also be just because of missing drivers.
Please test if it works on a live USB or SD (I guess, never used an SD Card) before.
And yes, Windows installer is notorious for removing Linux, so install Windows again, then inside of Windows use their shitty partition manager and shrink the big storage partition, then install Linux in there
Note that I dont recommend Ubuntu as they got pretty shitty. They theme the desktop environment GNOME a lot, and everybody hates their Snap package system. Instead I highly recommend Fedora, which is a less opinionated distro.
I also dont recommend dual booting with Windows, as you should never update Windows again, which is a security risk. The updater often removes the Linux bootloader and you need to unbreak that.
I will try another Disto if I can. I restored windows too. Are there other, safer methods to do this if I only have one SSD. Also, If I do reinstall how do I tell the installer specifically which partition to use
Shrink the main NTFS storage partition of Windows.
This will be empty space.
Install into empty space.
Never used Ubuntus installer but Fedoras installer should work fine. Just dont delete anything
As an aside I think I’ve seen Windows 11 being extremely intolerant of allowing another OS to setup the dual boot. I think someone responded to an inquiry about it that - sarcastically - Microsoft was jealous other OSes are being used more so they fuck with anything and need to be the install that establishes the boot loader. Not sure how much of that to take seriously but let’s face it, they’re dying and not going without a hissy fit.
