Ubuntu – Ubuntu 12.04 installer does not recognize drive partitions

system-installation

I recently purchased a new HP Pavilion HPE desktop running Windows 7. I am trying to install a dual-boot system with 12.04. However, when I run the LiveCD I only get as far as the "Install" window where you can select the partitions for your drives. On the bottom where it says "device for boot loader installation" I have "/dev/sda" and cannot select any other devices.

All the options to change the drives are greyed out, most likely because there are no drives in the window. I partitioned my largest drive using the tools within Windows, then booted into the CD, but nothing shows up. I then used Gparted to change the new space from unallocated to an /ext2, and still nothing shows up.

The installer does not recognize anything, but when I go into an Ubuntu session and use the disk utility manager I can see the partitions I made. Anything I do has to be done outside of the installer.

I have no files on this new computer, so this is the perfect time to install a parallel OS. I would like avoid completely reinstalling Windows, however. I've been over the forums many times, but all the answers I've found have not worked for me. I also tried flagging the new, empty partition as boot, but that screwed Windows up.

Also, the WUBI installer hits the same point and quits. I know that the disk itself is fine because I just made another dual boot system on a Gateway PC. This makes me think something within this computer is preventing the installer from "seeing" the drives. Any help would be much appreciated!

Edit in response: The main part of the partitioning window shows no partitions, everything is blank. There is no way to add partitions, and all the buttons are useless. I've tried defragging my drive multiple times, and I also used the same disk to dual-boot another PC with no problems, so it's not the disk, it's definitely the computer.

Best Answer

When the installer gives you the selection to install grub to /dev/sda only, that's normal. You see, in Linux, partitions and disks are represented this way:

  • Disks are represented as an entry in /dev with no number at the end. sdas are SATA disks, hdas are PATA disks (CD drives are usually cdrom, cd, cdrw. Same for DVDs).
  • Partitions, however, are represented as the device they are on (the above point) followed by a number. So, while /dev/sda is your disk, /dev/sda1 is a partition on that disk.

The boot loader doesn't install to a partition -- it installs to a disk. That's why the install is asking whether you want to install on /dev/sda, which is a disk.

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