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I'm trying to set up a dual boot with Ubuntu 20.04 on my Microsoft Surface Laptop running windows 10. When I run the ubuntu installer (I am booting from a USB stick with which I used the iso file and rufus to format) there is no option to install alongside windows, and furthermore, when I select "something else" I am unable to see the "free space" partition that I've created. I've shrunk my primary partition (in windows, my C drive) and created roughly 100GB free space. In ubuntu installer, I see a partition of size 512GB which I don't see at all in the windows partition manager.

Things I have already found researching this site and others:

  1. The partitions are basic, not dynamic so this is not the issue.

  2. I've turned off "fast startup" in windows to make sure that windows is fully shutdown before trying to boot ubuntu.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. I can provide any additional info if needed.

GParted in live session: GParted in live session

GParted in live session (drive options dropdown) GParted in live session (drive options dropdown)

Windows Partition Manager: Windows Partition Manager

Jaiden Martinson-Hatt
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    Welcome to Ask Ubuntu. Can you please edit your question to show the partitions in gparted from a live session? – Will Oct 28 '21 at 20:53
  • @Will Here are images of both GParted in live session as well as the partition manager in windows 10, where I created the free space. – Jaiden Martinson-Hatt Oct 28 '21 at 21:10
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    No system can nor should be able to see encrypted partitions. You are showing bitlocker, so Windows is encrypted. https://askubuntu.com/questions/1305270/bitlocker-is-blocking-ubuntu-20-04-installation-in-a-dual-boot-system-with-windo – oldfred Oct 29 '21 at 14:29

2 Answers2

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The windows drive "C" is encrypted with Bitlocker, to proceed with installing Ubuntu you need to:

  1. Disable Bitlocker from "Bitlocker manager" in Windows

  2. Boot from the live ubuntu usb and proceed to install ubuntu

  3. Go back to Windows and reenable Bitlocker(make sure to save your recovery key)

References

Jannes Botis
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  • Thanks for the suggestion. I have now disabled BitLocker. Unfortunately, I am still unable to see any of the free space in GParted or Ubuntu Installer. The partitions look the same as in the screenshots above. I've looked at the reference that you have provided as well. – Jaiden Martinson-Hatt Oct 30 '21 at 19:09
  • Really weird, 1) does nvme0n1 & nvme1n1 are 1 disk? 2) can you check why ubuntu sees broken partitions? (https://allthings.how/how-to-fix-a-broken-windows-ntfs-partition-in-ubuntu-and-windows-dual-boot/) Please add the partitions information dialog. – Jannes Botis Oct 30 '21 at 20:47
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For anyone that comes across this issue, it is highly specific to my surface model. I have a surface laptop from 2017 with "1 TB" SSD, which is actually two 512GB SSD's that are "merged" together in software so it looks like there is one. Ubuntu only finds one 512GB, and to make it worse, the windows installation is split over the 2 hard drives, making it difficult (impossible?) to partition correctly. The following post helped me understand : No option to install Ubuntu alongside Windows on Surface 2017

Jaiden Martinson-Hatt
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