Ubuntu on WSL

smoketoxdoc · Sunday at 8:20 PM

Since hp has chosen to prevent me from installing Ubuntu Unity 25.04 on my 17-cp3005dx laptop in dual-boot configuration, the only other choice was WSL. I am not an IT professional, but have been "beating" PCs into submission for 40+ years. With a little searching, I got enough of Ubuntu to install under WSL to get a Linux prompt. I then loaded Firefox, LibreOffice, and Gnome Evolution loaded and running, but the system was unstable. The version of Gnome Evolution was not the same as I have on my other PCs, but it is usable and better than using Outlook. It takes some creativity to get files in a folder that is accessible to Evolution for adding them to emails.

John

Megahertz · Monday at 9:07 AM

How HP prevented you to install Ubuntu? I have it on my computer on a partition with Win on others.
What is WSL?

In what can we help you smoketoxdoc ?

smoketoxdoc · Monday at 10:03 AM

I need help on getting rid of the controls hp has put on this laptop to prevent users from making changes to SSD partitioning. I have tried Ubuntu installation USBs one as I would normally prepare and one I prepared using Rufus. Ubuntu install program appears to work, but when you reboot at end of installation, you find nothing has happened. Another example is partitioning the SSD so that I can put my data in partitions other than the partition used by OS. I could make the partitions, but hp would not let me format these as exFAT or anything else but NTFS.

XxXxX · Monday at 11:45 AM

have you considered VirtualBox with is free open source software to run ubuntu in VM.

Oracle VM VirtualBox

www.virtualbox.org

also download the virtualbox extension pack
i run Ubuntu within virtualbox with no issues

best of luck, Steve ..

Megahertz · Monday at 2:18 PM

Is it a personal or a company computer?
Can you enter BIOS?

smoketoxdoc · Monday at 8:07 PM

Thank you.

Yes, this is my own computer. No corporate computers here -- everything my one scientist LLC.

Yes, I can get into the BIOS (f10).

BTW -- major need for Ubuntu is to use Gnome Evolution. I have that working pretty much the way I want it to.

John

Megahertz · Tuesday at 11:31 AM

Is your Windows a S mode? Run winver on a CMD window to find out.
The S mode impose a lot of restrictions.
How are you trying to install Ubuntu, under Windows?

The steps to install Ubuntu should be:
- Under windows, shrink the C: partition (~50G) to make space for Ubuntu. Leave it unallocated.
- Boot from a Ubuntu USB installation drive and point to install on the unallocated space created above.

retiredat44 · Tuesday at 11:41 AM

not using the window store wsl2 install?

smoketoxdoc · Tuesday at 11:50 AM

Thank you very much. OS Build 27868,1000 . Same as all my other Win 11 Pro PCs. I have done Ubuntu installations numerous times on Win 11 and Win 10 pcs. AOMEI Partition Asst shows the ext4 partitions that the Ubuntu installer made as well as the exFAT partitions I made. SSD is 1.2T Right now, WSL2 is working well enough to do serious work on the laptop. More than 90% of my work can be done on Evolution and LibreOffice and I have Microsoft 36y5 as a backup. However, it would be nice to have the full dual-boot functionality.

smoketoxdoc · Tuesday at 12:10 PM

Thank you

Yes, I am using wsl2 as something on the hp laptop is keeping normal Ubuntu installer from working. The problem with wsl2 appears to be related to memory management once you are in the GUI. Also, synaptic locks up most of the time you try to run it from the CLI. So far, I have not been able to get the Ubuntu Unity (or Gnome) desktop to install. Loading Evolution and LO Writer from the icons/list the comes up on Win 11 start.

Megahertz · Tuesday at 1:48 PM

You didn't answer if your Win 11 is S mode.

To switch out of S mode in Windows 11, you'll need to access the Microsoft Store. From there, navigate to the "Switch out of S mode" page and select "Get". This process is free and will allow you to install apps from outside the Microsoft Store.

smoketoxdoc · Tuesday at 2:21 PM

Hello Megahertz, Thank you for the reminder, Information you requested is shown below. John

Edition Windows 11 Pro Insider Preview
Version Dev
Installed on ‎5/‎29/‎2025
Evaluation expires on ‎9/‎15/‎2025 5:16 PM
OS build 27868.1000
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.83.0

smoketoxdoc · 2025-06-04T10:09:05-0400

The Win 11 Disk Management program on the 17-cp3005dx laptop IS NOT reporting the Ext4 partitions that the Ubuntu installers have placed there. Moreover, it shows only one of the exFAT partitions I have made on the SSD. NOW, if I use AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional Edition to view the partitions on the SSD, it sees TWO Ext4 partitions (178 GB, 185GB) and TWO exFAT partitions (447 GB, 608 GB). Perhaps the reason that the laptop won't boot into Ubuntu is that hp has done something to the Win 11 OS to keep it from seeing other OS. How do I make the laptop OS see the Ext4 partitions?

Megahertz · 2025-06-04T11:42:47-0400

The Windows Disk Manager is very basic
- It doesn't show the MSR partition
- It gives you wrong information of the EFI partition ocupation
- It doesn't show partitions formatted as ext4

As you have AOMEI Partition Assistant, use it instead.

smoketoxdoc · 2025-06-04T12:09:49-0400

Thank you very much, but it still does not explain why this laptop will not boot into GRUB which lets the user choose between Ubuntu and Win 11.

Also, why would MS put out software that deliberately misleads the user?

John

Megahertz · 2025-06-04T15:20:23-0400

I'm not familiar with WSL but don't you have to run it under Windows?

"WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) is a feature of Windows that allows users to run a Linux environment directly on their Windows machine, without the need for a separate virtual machine or dual booting. This means you can use Linux command-line tools, applications, and file systems alongside your Windows desktop and applications."

XxXxX · 2025-06-04T21:49:14-0400

smoketoxdoc said:
The Win 11 Disk Management program on the 17-cp3005dx laptop IS NOT reporting the Ext4 partitions that the Ubuntu installers have placed there. Moreover, it shows only one of the exFAT partitions I have made on the SSD. NOW, if I use AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional Edition to view the partitions on the SSD, it sees TWO Ext4 partitions (178 GB, 185GB) and TWO exFAT partitions (447 GB, 608 GB). Perhaps the reason that the laptop won't boot into Ubuntu is that hp has done something to the Win 11 OS to keep it from seeing other OS. How do I make the laptop OS see the Ext4 partitions?

Windows can not read or see ext4 partitions unless you install software that is able to read ext4 partitions on a Windows system.

Q.
did you create a unformatted partition on the drive for the install of Ubuntu?

if you create a partition that is not formatted then when you boot to Ubuntu via the live USB installer
you can then do a custom install giving Ubuntu the free space that you created for the install.

i would then let Ubuntu install using the default settings on that partition
just as a note i used Ubuntu LTS for 20 years.

please note this is for an install of Ubuntu to duel boot not WSL on Windows.
best of luck, Steve ..

jimbo45 · 2025-06-05T04:31:04-0400

XxXxX said:
Windows can not read or see ext4 partitions unless you install software that is able to read ext4 partitions on a Windows system.

Q.
did you create a unformatted partition on the drive for the install of Ubuntu?

if you create a partition that is not formatted then when you boot to Ubuntu via the live USB installer
you can then do a custom install giving Ubuntu the free space that you created for the install.

i would then let Ubuntu install using the default settings on that partition
just as a note i used Ubuntu LTS for 20 years.

please note this is for an install of Ubuntu to duel boot not WSL on Windows.
best of luck, Steve ..

@smoketoxdoc

You could try and install nfs on wsl ubuntu. I'm using Fedora pre release 43 (rawhide) and that works fine. Follow the Youtube instruction in my post on networking and WSL -- normally I don't like Youtube instructions but this guy is very clear, speaks understandable English and just pause bits / rewind for things you need to review and it's fine. Not only that the Linux disk can be accessed via other computers too.

I'm not sure why installing Linux as dual boot should cause problems though especially if you use the usually quite good graphical installers - if you do it that way then Windows obviously won't be able to see / access your Linux Disks since you can't run the 2 systems concurrently.

I'd try the WSL thing first -- it doesn't "Eat up" much in the way of resources when its not running and saves the complexity of setting up and maintaining VM's.

Cheers
jimbo

idgat · 2025-06-05T04:48:41-0400

smoketoxdoc said:
I need help on getting rid of the controls hp has put on this laptop

First thing I do with any new laptop
- create an image of the OOBE installation
- wipe the drive and install a clean version of Windows. No proprietary bells and whistles

Having said that, are you sure it's HP's doing, and not just active Windows encryption/Bitlocker (which can prevent drive (re)configuration)

Why WSL? Plain ole virtual system (Oracle Virtualbox, freeware)

jimbo45 · 2025-06-05T05:11:20-0400

idgat said:
First thing I do with any new laptop
- create an image of the OOBE installation
- wipe the drive and install a clean version of Windows. No proprietary bells and whistles

Having said that, are you sure it's HP's doing, and not just active Windows encryption/Bitlocker (which can prevent drive (re)configuration)

Why WSL? Plain ole virtual system (Oracle Virtualbox, freeware)

There's maybe many instances where using a full blown VM is a problem -- for instance if using HYPER-V then dynamic device re-direction doesn't work - so any disk devices need to be "Offlined" to the host and attached to the VM, other devices can't be attached and sound on Linux VM systems is usually unavailable. Oracle Virtual box is better in that regard but it's usually "hoggy" and again native devices won't necessarily work in the Linux VM which doesn't always recognize them.

If you don't need a full Linux work space and just need it for a few things like sharing a load of Linux formatted disks etc then WSL is by far the best answer -- -- Although depending on needs, skills etc there's no single "correct answer".

If I need a full Linux GUI workspace then I'll install Linux on a host machine and run windows as a VM under the Linux KVM/QEMU system which is very fast, efficient and completely flexible with dynamic re-direction of hardware etc. Windows VM's usually perform without major issues these days under KVM/QEMU on Linux Hosts.

I think the Brits have a saying "Horses for Courses" - which applies to this one.

Cheers
jimbo

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