Is it possible to install Ubuntu without formatting any partitions?

Can I install Ubuntu without formatting any partitions on my hard drive?

I am already running Windows 7 and I want to install Ubuntu as well without formatting any of the partitions I have already created.

Solution 1:

I'm assuming you want to install Ubuntu on a physical disk (as opposed to the Wubi installation, which installs Ubuntu like a Windows software)

It depends on whether you have suitable Linux partitions (ext4, ext3, btrfs ..) on your computer already. If you have such partitions, you don't need to format that partition again. But also note, If the partition doesn't have enough free space, you have to delete some files from that partition to create room for Ubuntu installation.

But, if you want to install Ubuntu as like a Windows program, called Wubi method you don't need to format anything. But still you need to have enough room on the partition, you are going to install Ubuntu in.

• Take a look at the Wubi installation guide

• A detailed article about Ubuntu's Wubi method, can be found in this Wikipedia article

But there are some limitations of this method, such as hibernation is not supported and slow disk performance etc.

Solution 2:

Of course you can. You just have to select the manual partitioning method and tell the installer not to format any partition you want to use.

However you'll have to create at least an empty ext3/ext4 partition where to install Ubuntu (you can choose also to create another empty partition of about 2Gb to be used as swapspace). You can repartition your hard drive, for example, using GParted livecd.

Ubuntu will also install grub2 for you, detecting your other Windows installation.

Good luck!

Solution 3:

Yes, you can install the Wubi version of Ubuntu, or you can install Ubuntu to a USB drive and boot off that instead.

Solution 4:

yes sure, use wubi from ubuntu official site at the following link and that's a good tutorial step by step guide