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So I am trying to dual boot with Ubuntu 8.1 (following this: http://www.everydaylinuxuser.com/2014/05/install-ubuntu-1404-alongside-windows.html) and now my computer boots right into Ubuntu. When I try to look this up I see that most people have the opposite problem, where they boot right into Windows, so I'm not sure how to fix this. I shrank the windows partition and used the Free Space for Ubuntu, as directed.

Has anyone ever experienced this? Thank you.

Also I don't know if it matters but I am using a Lenovo T430s.

GusGus404
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  • Chances are you have a mixed-mode (BIOS/EFI) installation, but I can't be sure of that. For proper diagnosis, boot the Ubuntu installer in its live CD ("try before installing") mode and run the Boot Info Script, which is also available in the boot-info-script package. This should create a file called RESULTS.txt. Post that file to a pastebin site and post the URL to your document back here. This information is required to do more than a wild guess of an answer. – Rod Smith Jun 06 '15 at 15:27
  • Here is the link: http://paste.ubuntu.com/11614830/

    Thanks!

     – GusGus404 Jun 07 '15 at 01:37

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I'm sorry to say you've accidentally overwritten your Windows installation. If you had no important data on the disk or if you have adequate backups from which you can restore your personal data, your best bet is to re-install Windows. If you had important personal data on the disk with no backups:

  1. STOP USING THE UBUNTU INSTALLATION IMMEDIATELY!! Every moment the computer is booted into Ubuntu, there's a risk that it will overwrite the sectors that still contain your personal data.
  2. Using an emergency system, make a low-level backup of your disk using dd.
  3. Use PhotoRec or equivalent Windows-specific software to recover your personal files on a file-by-file basis. I've heard claims that some Windows tools do a better job than PhotoRec at recovering filenames, but I don't have specific recommendations on this score. You may want to ask about it on a Windows forum. Note that this process is going to be extremely tedious and is likely to recover only some of your personal files; it's very likely that some are irretrievably lost.
  4. Once you've recovered your personal files, re-install Windows and copy the files back to the new installation (or to your Ubuntu installation, if you prefer).

Note that this procedure requires you to have at least one disk of equal or greater size to the original to hold the backup and recovered files. If you don't have such a disk already, buy one. You can use it for more conventional backups in the future.

Good luck with your recovery efforts!

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Rod Smith
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