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Is it possible to use Wubi for Ubuntu 13.04? I read that it will not be supported in the official release due to some problems. Is this going to change in the future, and can we expect to see a future release with support for 13.04?

Braiam
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Carpetfizz
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    Yes you read well. Wubi has been removed from 13.04 and thank Canonical that has dropped this project. Only problems could occur with wubi, Windows 8 and UEFI. Also it was not a real installation either, it was a virtual instead that "slandered" the performance and real features of Ubuntu. I suggest you do a real installation (dual boot) – NickTux Aug 08 '13 at 10:31
  • Thanks. My only concern with dual booting the real way is the fact that it will be difficult to uninstall when the time comes. I was very happy with the idea of Ubuntu being considered a "program" in Windows, and I could uninstall it normally. I also don't have access to my Win8 disk anymore, so it would make the job of uninstalling all the more difficult. – Carpetfizz Aug 08 '13 at 10:49
  • Difficult to uninstall ? No, not difficult at all. The only thing you have to be aware of, is to boot from a Windows media and reinstall the Windows bootloader (only) to first disk's MBR. You can download and create a Windows repair disk for free. Search MS sites-forums. – NickTux Aug 08 '13 at 13:24
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    @Carpetfizz you can burn a Windows repair CD from Windows 8 http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2855-system-repair-disc-create-windows-8-a.html (This will allow you to run bootrec /fixmbr which installs the Windows bootloader back to the drive MBR - note only applies when not booting in UEFI mode). – bcbc Aug 08 '13 at 13:54
  • Thank you very much for the advice. I'm definitely thinking of doing a dual boot. Crossing my fingers I won't lose Windows in the process :) I marked the below answer as correct because it answered the question if someone searched for it. – Carpetfizz Aug 08 '13 at 16:05

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It was fixed and released for 13.04 as you can see at http://releases.ubuntu.com/13.04/wubi.exe

This version works the same as previous versions. It seems likely that Canonical intend to completely drop it based on the message at www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/install-ubuntu-with-windows however the message is not a true statement of facts. Wubi works fine on Windows 8 and it is available and working for 13.04. It's true it won't work with systems booting with UEFI and this includes all computers that ship with Windows 8 preinstalled.

Note... there's nothing to stop Canonical removing wubi.exe from http://releases.ubuntu.com/13.04/ if they really want it gone. Until then, it works fine and you can use it with the same unreliability as previous versions of Ubuntu.

bcbc
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    Nice of you you found this download link. The true and fact here is that Ubuntu 13.04 image does not include the wubi.exe anymore, so a user must download this file separately from the link you provided. – NickTux Aug 08 '13 at 13:27
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    @NikTh actually it's on the ISO as well: http://releases.ubuntu.com/13.04/ubuntu-13.04-desktop-amd64.list (however the Install inside Windows option has been disabled since 12.04 was released when it's run from a CD): http://askubuntu.com/questions/125015/can-i-install-12-04-inside-windows – bcbc Aug 08 '13 at 13:50
  • Thanks. The installer downloaded and installed fine, but I couldn't boot into Ubuntu due to a missing file. I marked as the correct answer in case someone was looking for this. – Carpetfizz Aug 08 '13 at 16:03
  • @bcbc then my comment above should been "The true and fact here is that Ubuntu 13.04 image does not include an active wubi.exe anymore". Either way the fact is that a user cannot install wubi.exe from .iso image (the inside option missing as you said) and the only option is to reboot the system and install Ubuntu the normal way (not the abnormal way :-P ) – NickTux Aug 08 '13 at 16:08
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    @Carpetfizz It sounds like you have UEFI system if it complained about wubildr.mbr missing or corrupt. See here for info: http://askubuntu.com/questions/221835/installing-ubuntu-on-a-pre-installed-windows-8-64-bit-system-uefi-supported – bcbc Aug 08 '13 at 17:14