I have a stable and tweaked installation of MATE and it took awhile to get here. I’ve given up on getting Google Earth to work and can’t make audio CDs (you didn’t think anyone still wanted to). Thanks for the suggestions on how to fix them. None of it worked. I’ve thrown in the towel. No more suggestions please.
Anyway, it occurs that I could set up a dual boot with Windows 7, my previous OS, and just use it for Google Earth and audio CDs (which worked wonderfully in Win7) and MATE for everything else.
I would prefer not have to start over...it took some headaches to get here! I have 900 GB of free space in MATE. Can I semi easily install Windows 7 in some of that unused space? I remember when I first installed MATE, it noted I had (at that time) Windows 7 and offered to dual boot, but I told MATE to remove Win7. Maybe I should have kept it for these troublesome applications that simply won’t work in MATE and I’m sick of trying to get them to.
Hi Gary,
Expert solution (ubuntu really solution) is to try to resolve the problems on Ubuntu. I tell it to you because this is an ubuntu community, not a Windows or software community, but... I understand you! Yes, you can do a dual boot. In fact I've got it in a laptop. Recommend first to install windows, and then install ubuntu, basically for some reasons of grub and other compatibility.
Other fast option is virtualization windows IN ubuntu, for example, Virtualbox. If there's no trouble with drivers (you should install "guestadditions"), sound and image works "almost" perfect.
I agree that Windows needs to be installed first. It has been a long time since I dual booted, and I know Windows attitude towards Linux is changing but this is what I remember.
Windows has a tendency to take over the whole hard drive. If Windows does not take over the whole hard drive, it refuses to recognize Linux formatting, ( i.e. ext 4). Windows wants the first part of the hard drive it does not like to be second on the hard drive and more than likely Ubuntu Mate is occupying that space.
You could try using gparted to shrink the Ubuntu partition and make a new NFTS partitions, install Windows to it, and then try to use Boot-Repair-Disk to reinstall Grub so you could access the Ubuntu Mate partition.
My personal feeling is something would fail, and you would end up reinstalling both Win7 and Ubuntu Mate.
Gary has mentioned he cannot burn audio CD's, and people have tried to help him, yet as far as I know he has never stated the specific issue(s) he is experiencing that causes his CD burning to fail. Software? Hardware? Drivers? That would help people to help him.
The suggestions of using Virtualisation are a solid alternate, and saves the hassle of dual booting.
Try VirtualBox from the Software Boutique to set up your own "PC in a PC". You can configure it to use more 2D video RAM (for Google Earth) and passthrough the CD/DVD capabilities to the virtual computer (for audio CD burning).
Going down the route of dual booting is possible without data loss - the only issues are:
Need to shrink Ubuntu MATE's partition to provide unallocated space.
Windows writes its own bootloader - and as that doesn't look for a non-Microsoft OS, we need to install Ubuntu's GRUB afterwards.
@mdooley's link provides good advise. Welcome (when loaded from the live CD/USB) under Installation Help → Dual Booting has a button to install/run Boot-Repair, which is a tool that might take care of all the steps for you after installing Windows 7 to a new partition.
Gary, about audio burning, why you can't from Ubuntu? What applications of CD burning had you already tested? There is one application for Linux which is a lot better than other: K3B, because best support, best features, best standard disc burning comply... Could you test it to burn audio CD? What are the brand and model do you use to try burn audio disc?
I've tried Brasero, K3B and another...forgot which one. They all don't work. I think the problem is some system files they need that aren't on my computer. I've installed what the programs said were missing, to no avail. I've given up. Making audio CDs
is a very low priority thing and my wife's Win10 laptop is all of 8 feet away and it makes audio CDs with no problem, so I'll just use it. I guess so few care about making audio CDs in Untuntu mate that the developers don't bother to fix the problem. Oh well.
Well, as I said, making audio CDs, while desirable, isn't that important in the big scheme of things. I don't need to do it very often so visiting my wife's win10 laptop gets that (one would think) simple job done without a bunch of Linux drama. It would
be a 'nice to do,' not a 'necessary to do' thing. If there was a simple fix, I do it, but there doesn't appear to be so I've given up. It's not a showstopper. I am otherwise generally happy with Ubuntu mate. And what's wrong with suggesting that the developer's
fix a flaw...an omission that probably 50 extra lines of code in their product would fix?
Can you burn anything with your CD/DVD burner-player? Have you tried to burn DVD's or data files? Does your player play CD's? Have you considered it is your player, not the programs? I have had two CD/DVD burners go out in my life on computers . I have to say I have never found anything easier than making CD's with Linux.
I can make data CDs and DVDs with any of the several Linux programs I've tried, so I settled on Brasero. I'll content myself with that and not worry about audio CDs anymore.
When still using Windows 3 months ago, I could easily make audio CDs with both of my drives, so that is why I'm reasonably sure the problem is OS related and not incompatible hardware. Actually, if the CD players in my cars were newer (the oldest is a
2003 model) and could play data CDs with MP3s on them, as all but the first generation of car CD players could, I'd do that and not concern myself with audio CDs. Ultimately, the problem will go away with the passage of time.
Gary, I think you're looking for a windows software solution for a linux system. I'm pretty sure you're saying the truth, because a title ago I had same problem with saving some DVD's files with brasero and K3b. Some files didn't save well, others read partially, and others didn't exist directly. Thought I don't use DVD record actually, a partial solution I found was, yes, NERO for linux. It's a bit older version, unmaintained, but works fine in Ubuntu (as far as I know, in Xenial). You can download 64.deb package and put any made up mail you like: http://www.nero.com/eng/downloads/previous-versions/download-linux4-update.php
It's not difficult to find serial for it: http://serialarchive.blogspot.com/2010/06/nero-linux-4-serial.html
Lucky
Software Boutique to set up your own "PC in a PC". You can configure it to use more 2D video RAM (for Google Earth) and passthrough the CD/DVD capabilities to the virtual computer (for audio CD burning).
Welcome (when loaded from the live CD/USB) under Installation Help → Dual Booting has a button to install/run Boot-Repair, which is a tool that might take care of all the steps for you after installing Windows 7 to a new partition.