This section provides the procedure required to set up a dual-boot system with Ubuntu and Windows.
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From within Windows, run the Windows defragmentation tool. This can be accessed in XP by going to → , typing defrag in the box provided and then pressing , or by going to → → → → in Vista.
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Defragmentation may take several hours. Once it has finished, insert your Ubuntu Desktop CD into your disc drive and reboot your PC.
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Follow the instructions given in the Chapter 4, Installing Ubuntu section until the installer shows the screen titled Prepare disk space.
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Choose Manually edit partition table. The disk partitioning tool will start, showing a list of the partitions currently set up on the computer.
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Select the partition which contains Windows. You may be able to identify it from its size or label. Once you are sure that you have identified the correct partition, press Enter.
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On the screen which appears, select Size: and press Enter.
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On the message which is shown, press and then press Enter.
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Type in a new size in Gigabytes (GB) for your partition. It is recommended that you reduce the size of the partition by at least 10 GB in order to provide enough space for Ubuntu on the hard disk.
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Press Enter to apply the changes. This may take some time to complete.
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In the free space which has now been made, create a swap partition of around 500 MB. See the section called “Partitioning your disks” for more information on this.
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Also, create a partition for your Ubuntu installation, of at least 10 GB.
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Select Finish partitioning and write changes to disk to permanently apply your changes. This operation may take a while, and cannot be reversed.
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Finish installing Ubuntu according to the instructions on-screen or the Chapter 4, Installing Ubuntu section.
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Upon rebooting your computer after installation, you will be presented with a list of operating systems to boot. Ubuntu should have automatically detected your Windows installation and added an option to boot it on this screen. You can select it using the arrow keys on the keyboard, and can start it by pressing Enter.
