How Do I Dual Boot Ubuntu 64-bit with Windows 7 64-bit

Leeky has a good article here on Ubuntu:
http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic151235.html

I have used BootMagic for years and it works perfect.

If your partitions are not showing up during the install then there may be a problem with the MBR, you'd need to correct that before continuing to load Linux.

Now I have tried to install Ubuntu first and the Windows 7 too, but when I go into Windows 7 Setup and try to use the free space it gives me the following error about not going able to install on a none GPT partition even thought it is free space.

Windows will not recognize a Linux partition... At best it will show it as free space.... At least this has been my experience...

This is partially why I love BootMagic, it will hide the partitions that are irrelevant to the OS you are loading.

But from my experience PartitionMagic 8.05 was not compatible with Windows Vista and 7. How is your hard drive setup? At this rate I might have to give up and just run one or the other in virtual machine.

If you run a live CD does GParted or othe rpartition manager have the same problem of not seeing the windows partition ?

sounds like the partition table is a GUID rather than MBR based system see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUID_Partition_Table for more info, Does GNU Parted support Intel EFI/GPT partition tables? Yes.

http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/ may also help. You could repartition ahead of using the installer, creating a root and swap partition, then manually install to those.

This would be the easiest scenario:

- Boot your system off the free PartedMagic boot CD (www.partedmagic.com), click the Partition Editor icon on the desktop, and use GParted to delete all partitions on your drive, then prepartition in the way you intend to use it later. One possible setup would be:
---- 300 GB Ntfs partition
---- 194 GB Ext3 or Ext4 partition
---- 4-6 GB Linux Swap

- Install Windows into the Ntfs partition

- Install Ubuntu into the Linux partition used as mountpoint '/' (for root)

Before installing Ubuntu, you should make a decision about the bootloader. You could use one installed under Windows, or you could let Ubuntu install its Grub bootloader into MBR in order to boot all other operating systems.

If you opt for Windows, install EasyBCD (http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1 ), then follow this install guide:
http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/Linux
Most important is to make sure the Linux bootloader is installed into the Linux root partition, *not* MBR.

If you opt for Linux to control your main bootloader, just install as normal and make sure the Grub bootloader is installed into MBR - which should be proposed to you by default.

ps:
I have a feeling that the difficulties you encounter have something to do with the way Windows 7 partitioned the drive.
Wiping the whole drive clean and pre-partitioning it before installation should help overcome these issues.

I have actually tried that with a gParted boot disk and windows didn't like the partition and would install untill I deleted it and formated it from the Windows 7 CD.

But if you follow the advice in my first post, and pre-partition Windows and Linux partitions, then you would let Windows re-partition only the Ntfs part. The Linux part would still be there, undetected by Windows, and ready to accept Linux.

Or did Windows not "like" the complete pre-partiioned disk?

Also, pre-partitioning is one thing, but did you also format them? That's what I actually meant.

Just FYI...

I have a dual boot system with Ubuntu 64 bit and Windows 7 64 Bit. Works like a charm.. You have to create a small FAT32 partition for the Boot Magic to operate properly. But it works perfect. I Installed Windows 7 first, then Bootmagic, Then Linux. I have had to reformat and reload several times and have done it in the reverse order without a hitch.

Can be a bit more specific of what you did. So you install Windows 7 first that use boot magic to create say a 100MB fat32 partition (what is this used for) the create your linux partitions with the ubuntu live cd?

@torimar:I created the partitions and formated them and when I was in the Windows 7 setup it said it could not set on a GPT partition

@ClintSwiney: Tried your Boot Magic method and when I boot from the Linux live cd it show my hard as just free space and not  the NTFS and FAT32 partition that I already have on the drive. II wonder if It's a hardware issue, but I have also tired this on my desk. It's a T400 with a 500GB seagate hard drive.

Did you read the link given to you above--read this--it shows you how to install Ubuntu from within Windows, like an application, software
http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/windows-installer