Smooth Operator: My Dual-Booting Experience
March 25th, 2008 by
Eric Socia
I recently had some problems with my Ubuntu 7.10 installation on my HP Pavillion. I therefore decided to bite the bullet and just wipe it clean and dual-boot Vista and Ubuntu. I was, however, worried that I would encounter a bunch of problems in doing so, since I seem to be so prone to that kind of thing. To my delightful suprise, however, I ran into absolutely zero issues, and the installation for both Vista and then the secondary installation of Ubuntu 7.10 went completely smooth. Both OS’s are running perfectly and I’m thoroughly enjoying the fact that I can now boot into whichever one I like, depending on my needs at the time.
For instance, Ubuntu does not currently have support for syncing my particular Windows Mobile 6 Pocket PC, but Windows Vista does so without a hitch. On the other hand, Vista is fairly bulky and not as customizable as Ubuntu. Linux is, in my opinion, much more fun to use anyway. I love being able to easily find and install, or compile from source, completely free applications that were created by everyday people like myself. And yet, Windows operating systems are the target OS for tons and tons of PC video games that I’d love to try out. Sure, I could run Windows apps and games in VirtualBox from within Ubuntu, but that uses a lot more memory than simply booting into Windows and running those programs/games right inside their native OS.
In any case, I just wanted to point out to everyone that it certainly IS possible to dual-boot Windows Vista AND Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) without ANY problems whatsoever. I’ve done it, and you can, too.
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Adam Hyman
I really like Ubuntu, the only problem is that I battle to find drivers for certain things like wireless network cards.
Mar 26th, 2008 at 12:51 am
Anon
I love dual boot! Its great…. i just need to get more ram so I can search these off topic forums that i am addicted to.
Mar 26th, 2008 at 12:57 am
Vista Sidebar Gadgets
Dual booting is great when you want the best of both worlds. There are also other alternatives, if your machine is powerful enough.
I currently use VMware to have several OS running at once. Since I develop sidebar gadgets and browser extensions, this is a must for me. I have to make sure that my code executes correctly on different OS’es
Vista Sidebar Gadgets’s last blog post..SayIt! Text-To-Speech Sidebar Gadget
Mar 26th, 2008 at 9:41 am
meachel
Well I have used dual booting many times but with combination of windows 98 and xp.I dont know how well ubuntu works because I didnt heard much about it.
Mar 27th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Pregnancy Insomnia
There’s your problem, you bought a HP
Mar 27th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Placement Papers
Yes. There are some problems with HP
Mar 28th, 2008 at 2:17 am
Victoria's Secret Models
Ubuntu is just getting better and better!
Mar 29th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Best Data Recovery Software Blog
Dual boot is nice, make sure you have a proper backup plan for your imp files, recovering data in dual boot is not easy.
Mar 29th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Chill Pill
dual boot works great for me. i have it with windows xp. no major issues
Chill Pill’s last blog post..Simona Fusco Stratten-Is Now Missing Her Bikini
Mar 29th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Justin
Have never used Ubuntu. I played around a little with nix back in the day, but now I dual boot Mac OS X + XP and I really enjoy having both options.
Justin’s last blog post..Samsung L830 Review
Mar 29th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
fenix
I like your comparision because your dont bash the MS. IMO Vista runs a lot slower then ubuntu and but I would never stick with ubuntu as i dont have the same feasilibity
Mar 30th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
ed
Dual boot is cool, but I would highly recommend ditching Windows for OS X.
ed’s last blog post..What Causes Erectile Dysfunction?
Mar 31st, 2008 at 11:34 am
Diana Peter
Ubuntu is really good, except for the fact that it is difficult to find drivers for certain applications like wireless network cards.
Mar 31st, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Cruises
I like your comparision because your dont bash the MS. IMO Vista runs a lot slower then ubuntu and but I would never stick with ubuntu as i dont have the same feasilibity
Mar 31st, 2008 at 1:04 pm
how to invest
I always have dual boot on my machines… Only really use windows for gaming
Mar 31st, 2008 at 6:03 pm
college reviews by students
What software are you using for syncing Windows Mobile to Linux? Just curious - I have some older Mac hardware (intel) that I’ve been thinking about getting a linux install up and running on, and I’m trying to fill in all the application gaps before I tackle it.
Thanks!
Apr 1st, 2008 at 7:29 am
Eric Socia
Actually, that was the problem… Ubuntu doesn’t even have any software that supports syncing Windows Mobile 5/6 devices.
Apr 1st, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Makeup Junkie
Thanks for the heads up on the dual booting! Personally, I prefer using SUSE, but only because I’m more familiar with it.
Makeup Junkie’s last blog post..Bare Escentuals bare Minerals or Sheer Cover
Apr 1st, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Park City
I have been wanting to try Ubuntu for a while now, I too will be putting it on a HP Pavillion.
Park City’s last blog post..Pond Skimming at The Canyons
Apr 2nd, 2008 at 4:42 pm
JImmy Davison
yeh dual booting is essential for saving ya sking when things go pete tong ! Its saved my life so many times i can remember how many. a wise move for anyone.
Apr 2nd, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Health Faculty Jobs
I’m glad to see you didn’t come back with another post about being a neglectful blogger. It was clever the first time. But, if you took months off between posts and came back every time with the neglectful blogger bit, that would be lame.
Apr 3rd, 2008 at 9:14 am
Registry Cleaner Reviews
What is dual booting? This is the first time I’ve heard of it.
Apr 3rd, 2008 at 10:46 am
Cologne
Dual booting is when you’ve got two or more different OS’s running on a single computer…
Apr 3rd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Worlds Best Binoculars Blog
I’ve used Ubuntu on a friend’s computer and it’s great, but I’ve never tried dual booting before. Are there any tutorials out there that you’d recommend for this?
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Apr 4th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
SNES
I run mac, and just dual boot into Windows =)
Really simple, gets the job done =)
Apr 4th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Download
The daulboots works great with windows xp to bad i still need windows to to some of my work
Apr 5th, 2008 at 7:11 am
Ankit
HP Sux
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Apr 5th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Unsecured
Its new thing I learn today, I don’t have much knowledge about this
Apr 7th, 2008 at 6:49 am
Dave from Diet Pill That Works
Man, I’ve tried to get into Linux so many times, and every time I give up in disgust. I’ve done this every year or two since like 1999, and every year I hear the same story: “Oh, it’s gotten so much better now; it’s ready for the desktop!”
But every time, there’s something small and stupid that I just can’t get to work. So I keep tweaking at it, and researching, and finally, usually about 3 or 4 hours later, I give up and wipe the drive.
Dave from Diet Pill That Works’s last blog post..Chitosan
Apr 7th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Weight Loss Hypnosis
Hey ! Glad to know that someone else is also using Ubuntu
I’m using Ubuntu full time, in fact, posting this comment from Gutsy. In about 20 plus days, the new Ubuntu code name Hardy Heron is coming out soon !
Not too sure about playing games in Virtualbox though .. (I don’t think hardware acceleration is supported) .. I’m using Vmware server to boot my Windows stuff if I need them.
Weight Loss Hypnosis’s last blog post..Does Listening to Hypnosis Weight Loss cds Work ?
Apr 7th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
andk
God, I can’t even imagine trying to get unbuntu to run on a pc I didn’t pick the components for.
andk’s last blog post..Eight Tips for Negotiating an Office Lease Renewal
Apr 7th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
UFC
I have wanted to try Linux for a while now. I just got a second harddrive and I think I might give it a shot.
UFC’s last blog post..Ailing Pavarotti Lip-Synched Final Aria!
Apr 7th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Daniel
Dual boot is awesome.. but you need a lot of ram to run it smoothly.
FTHFightgear
Apr 11th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
yana
dual boot is recommended these days
Apr 12th, 2008 at 7:24 am
Trends Depot
i hate hp, i always have problems with their products
Apr 13th, 2008 at 1:03 am
Faraz Ahmed
its great that Ubuntu 7.10 is working for you cuse it does not work on my Laptop.
it’s so strange, my laptop runs Ubuntu 7.04 without any problems bt when I upgraded to 7.10 its been problems after problems.
Im running XP now, waiting for Ubuntu 8.04
Apr 13th, 2008 at 3:25 am
Discount Bare Escentuals
I love your title “Smooth Operator”. Great fun! Anyway, I’ve been hearing so many great things about Ubuntu that I just have to try it myself. Red Hat, Mandrake, and SUSE have also been very good to me although I like to always try new open source OS’s. Thanks for the heads up!
Apr 13th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Leslie Jones
You should add a video tutorial on how to dual boot Vista and Ubuntu. Some of us are still newbies.
Leslie Jones’s last blog post..The Pain Curing Miracle of Aframomum
Apr 15th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Michael
I have always wanted to try Linux, but I know I’ll still need XP.. probably i should try dual boot as well.. hope it works for me too
Michael’s last blog post..Soft-Touch Stylus for iPod Touch
Apr 20th, 2008 at 5:58 am
Irene Rose
i have been using ubuntu since quite sometime. needless to say i m just enjoying the benefits of a having a non-windows PC. no problem of viruses or and malware getting installed. morever, the add-ons of firefox are simply amazing.
Apr 23rd, 2008 at 3:15 am
Lån
I can confirm that it works fine to dual boot Vista and Ubuntu. Thanks!
Apr 23rd, 2008 at 8:30 am
bissell
Combination with Vista just eats too much RAM. That surprised me a bit, so I cant say my experience is good. Maybe I should finally get a Mac…
bissell’s last blog post..Bissell Green Machine
Apr 23rd, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Acupuncture
Just found your site. . .
Nice
You picked the right linux to istall! Ubuntu is great to dual boot with. It goes in easy and reads the hardware better than any other linux distro I’ve tried. I know people bang on it because it isn’t the fastest but for those of us who don’t want to re-program our operating system it works!
I like Xubuntu. It’s lighter and faster and you can always add on the desktop you enjoy.
I’ve heard that they expect to hav Ubuntu up to speed in a year. Meaning, it should be like Mac. . . all hardware just works. I doubt they will ever get everything to be compatible with it. Just too much windows stuff floating around.
Congrats on your intall and hope you enjoy linux.
C
Acupuncture’s last blog post..How does Acupuncture Work?
Apr 23rd, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Kaile's Credit Card Deals
I’ve been thinking about getting an Ubuntu laptop from Dell. I’m def. through with PC’s for good. I hate Windows. Vista ruined my life - i can not get work done…everything crashes. :o(
I’m def. getting a mac, but I was thinking about checking out Ubuntu too. I’ve heard great things about it.
Kaile’s Credit Card Deals’s last blog post..Tips On Getting Your First Credit Card
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:39 am
Coach
Ubuntu is all the rage these days. I think I’ll have to give it a try. From all the hype I hear about it, this Linux OS is supposed to be the next best thing after sliced bread.
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:34 am
Jay Sean
Ubuntu is buggy sometimes, but its nice to change OSs from time to time
May 6th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Antique Radios For Sale
I recently did something similar — dual boot on my Mac between Moac OS and XP. It’s great having both worlds.
May 10th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Tech Reviews
I’ve always had trouble with dual boot. I prefer to keep it single
May 13th, 2008 at 7:48 am
american express travel
Do you like Ubuntu? I wanted to install it as the second OS on my computer, but I haven’t experience with Linux systems.
american express travel’s last blog post..An All Inclusive Honeymoon In Barbados
May 14th, 2008 at 6:39 am
Denver Colorado Realty
I like the single boot as well. I have always have dual booting problems.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Alice Wonder
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May 16th, 2008 at 7:12 am
Finance
Hey men ! Window vista is the new operating system. It provides more security
in comparison with previous OS.
May 17th, 2008 at 1:41 am
Wedding flower bouquets
dual boot is great. so is ubuntu
May 20th, 2008 at 4:08 am
Cell phone Reviews
My laptop runs Ubuntu 7.04 without any problems and it’s very useful
Cell phone Reviews’s last blog post..Nokia N95 8GB Review
May 20th, 2008 at 4:10 am
space code
I’m a bit worried to dual boot even though I would love to try out Linux. Perhaps one day I will bite the bullet as you did and go for it.
May 20th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Warhawk Forums
awesome dual booting!
May 20th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Vera Bradley
which vista version u using?
feel curioous
May 23rd, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Luca Govoni
Very humiliating news as LANCOR company has filed a lawsuit. Just for infringement related to there keyboard technology against nicholos &OLPC.
May 28th, 2008 at 4:20 am
Marc Klein
That’s a smart decision it will fulfill you need of a full fledged os as well as the one which is lighter. I will try this too. It is a nice idea to copy.
May 31st, 2008 at 8:22 am
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I am going to give Ubuntu a try because I have heard so many good things about this Linux OS. Ubuntu seems to be the easiest one to use as of yet. Thank you for the great post.
the newest news’s last blog post..Thoughts on Jeep Renegade Concept Car Pictures
Jun 3rd, 2008 at 8:05 pm
knitting supplies
I think that open source projects and operating systems are the best. I am a big supporter of open source. I will try Ubuntu because it is the most popular one out right now. I have tried other Linux OS and have liked all of them so far. I really like Red Hat. We will see how Ubuntu works out for me.
Jun 3rd, 2008 at 8:13 pm
plush toys stuffed animals
Yep, you gotta luv Ubuntu! It is very easy to use and easy to install. If you want to try out Linux, Ubuntu is a great start. Thanks for the informative post.
Jun 4th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Christian Homeschool
I’ve always wanted to try Ubuntu.
Jun 6th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Bodybuilder blog
I just don’t see the point in bothering with dual boot. If your computer crashes your gonna have to reinstall one of the operating systems anyways and windows has most of the software unlike ubuntu or linux.
Bodybuilder blog’s last blog post..NO (nitric oxide) Supplement Review
Jun 6th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Forums
wow, nic system
Jun 9th, 2008 at 8:06 am
Free Vector Clip Art
I have only just installed Ubuntu for the first time on the weekend, and I am really loving it. I have used other linux distros (slackware for 1) and I always end up giving up and going back to winxp because of ease of use, but Ubuntu seriously kick ass. I still have vista on my laptop, and xp on my work laptop, so it’s not like I have ditched windows, but I have to say I am a fan of Ubuntu. I might have considered a dual boot if I didn’t have 2 other computers.
Cheers.
Free Vector Clip Art’s last blog post..Free Spock Star Trek Cartoon Vector Image
Jun 15th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
IBS
setting up a dual boot isn`t that hard, ive got linux, xp, vista and xp home theatre running on one system.
works like a charm.
greets roger
IBS’s last blog post..Digestinol is known to be very effective in case of Crohn’s disease
Jun 17th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Jordan
I have used other linux distros (slackware for 1) and I always end up giving up and going back to winxp because of ease of use, but Ubuntu seriously kick ass. I still have vista on my laptop, and xp on my work laptop,I will try Ubuntu because it is the most popular one out right now. I have tried other Linux OS and have liked all of them so far. I really like Red Hat. We will see how Ubuntu works out for me.
Jun 24th, 2008 at 2:17 am
Zafar Ahmed
I am using a duel boot of windows vista and Mac leopard man i have to tell you this is really great.
Zafar Ahmed’s last blog post..How Search Engine Positioning Differs from Search Engine Optimization
Jun 24th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Live Steam
I have always wanted to try Linux, but I know I’ll still need XP.. probably i should try dual boot as well.. hope it works for me too
Jun 27th, 2008 at 10:04 am
müzik dinle
setting up a dual boot isn`t that hard, ive got linux, xp, vista and xp home theatre running on one system.
works like a charm.
greets roger
müzik dinle’s last blog post..Hasret GÜLTEKİN - 2 Temmuz Sivas Katliamı Anısına
Jul 1st, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Astrakhan
Thanks for the post and subscribed here, looking forward to upcoming great content.
Jul 4th, 2008 at 8:25 am
UB Funkeys
I played with Ubuntu but instead of using dual boot I found it better and easier to use VMWare player!
UB Funkeys’s last blog post..U.B. Funkeys - Glub
Jul 10th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Jeremy
Awesome to hear… I still dream of the day that will be possible with my system. I think it may be time for a upgrade. Congrats!
Jeremy’s last blog post..Pirate Radio: Free Radio Santa Cruz
Jul 16th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
hank
I originally started booting both myself and realized that I like the Ubuntu much more than Vista being a lifetime Windows guy - it’s funny how things grow on you when you use them enough!
hank’s last blog post..The Last Taboo: A Journey from Silence to Truth
Jul 19th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Sudba
Thank you for sharing an informative post.
National Online the Cinema
Jul 20th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Top Players
This is really an idea, which will be a revolution for the future. Thanks for sharing this post for readers. So keep it up
Jul 26th, 2008 at 4:26 am
Hunder
On my IBM laptop I dualboot Redhat and Vista, but on my Dell Laptop I had to much trouble with the dell components in the Linux environment so I had to reinstall to Win XP and to use a Live CD when I was going to play with Linux apps.
Today I mostly use my IBM because of the great compability!
Hunder’s last blog post..Luftetur i skogen med Bruno
Jul 26th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Organization & Productivity
HAHA… that’s much less of an issue than the one I had.
Organization & Productivity’s last blog post..Develop Positive Habits In Your Children
Aug 1st, 2008 at 10:58 am
Go Green
I run Leopard and Vista with no problems.
Go Green’s last blog post..10 Easy Things Everyone Can Do To Save The Environment
Aug 1st, 2008 at 10:59 am
Online Newsletter
Mat be it is porblem of HP, so you have to contact any technical person
Aug 4th, 2008 at 5:15 am
primelens
Dual booting is certainly very possible as long as you install Windows first. I would choose Linux Mint as I think as a OS, Ubuntu is not as user-friendly.
Aug 7th, 2008 at 2:24 am
RnB-Radio-Addict
maybe YOU CAN DO IT… but i cant. i cant even downgrade vista to xp, cause of this stupid bootmanager of vista..
Aug 8th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Manduca
Never had any trouble with XP and Ubuntu on the same laptop. Works like a charm for about 2 years.
Aug 14th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
dishwasher
My lappy works great, for 18 months now. I guess some people dont have luck and always struggle with some minor problems. It cant be helped.
Aug 18th, 2008 at 11:19 am
WebHostingPad Review
If you are going to dual boot, make sure to toss damien in there. Absolutely amazing operating system.
Aug 18th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Managed Hosting
Im trying to install Vista (I know, I know about the bad reviews it has had) and keep my Windows XP.
Aug 27th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
vanle
i have no ideas
Sep 2nd, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Home Decorations
That is cool! I didn’t know that you can dual boot.
Sep 9th, 2008 at 4:01 am
LA Lawyer
Nice… I tried to dual boot mine with Feisty Fawn and XP but it didn’t work out… I had a new Dell laptop with a wireless draft n card and I could not for the life of me get Ubuntu to work. I had to do a ndiswrapper or whatever the heck it was called. Too much work for a linux newbie. I might try it again with the new distro and Vista though…
LA Lawyer’s last blog post..Getting a Divorce in Los Angeles California
Sep 13th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
awundrin
I use dual boot with windows xp…hard to beat.
Sep 16th, 2008 at 2:04 am
MADE IN CHINA
Great info - keep up the great work.
Sep 25th, 2008 at 2:51 am
JonathanDavis
Yeah, I dual-booted Ubuntu and Vista for awhile but found myself having to return to Vista to do basic things, so I gave up on it…
JonathanDavis’s last blog post..Replica Watch Review - Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean
Sep 25th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
ipod ishare
Ive been thinking about dual booting xp and vista as i just cant get the functionality out of vista. Never tried Ubuntu but am looking around as I’m going crazy with windows.
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Sep 28th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
perdere peso
i’ve never used Ubuntu.
I hear nice things been said about it though.
perdere peso’s last blog post..Scienziati Di Fama Mondiale Per Herbalife
Oct 6th, 2008 at 9:03 pm