HP PARTITIONING FOR DUAL BOOT HOWTO
===================================

This workaround should fix the problems with installing
a dualboot linux distribution on HP Laptops with pre-installed
Windows 7.

The pre-installed HP-Windows7 already uses all four possible
primary partitions, so we can't make a extended partition
to install our linux.

If we just delete / remove / resize one of the partitions,
Win7 might not boot anymore.

The four partitions should be similar to this:
* /dev/sda1: ntfs, Win7 partition
* /dev/sda2: ntfs, Win7 main partition (C:\)
* /dev/sda3: ntfs, WinVista partition (recovery)
* /dev/sda4: fat32, HPTOOLS partition (2G in size)

We want to shrink /dev/sda2 (should be the biggest one).

What we need:
-------------

* A memory stick with at least 2G
unused space (not in a partition).

* Linux install/live system with GParted

Step by step
------------

1. Backup all data from windows.

2. Boot from the installation medium.

3. Start the live system and open GParted

4. Copy the HPTOOLS partition (/dev/sda4)
   to the unused space on the memstick
   using GParted's partition copy.
   (apply the changes)

5. Delete the /dev/sda4 partition
   (apply the changes)

NOTE: The 2G of disk space from the /dev/sda4 partition are
      lost, you can't use them (because if you move the
      /dev/sda3 partition, windows would refuse to boot).

6. Resize the main partition (/dev/sda2), about 100-150G
   of disk space should be freed for linux (depends on
   actual disk size and available free space) at the END
   of the partition.
   (apply the changes)

Now your disk partitioning should look like this:
==/dev/sda1==|../dev/sda2..|**empty**|--/dev/sda3--|::empty::

NOTE: The resizing of /dev/sda2 might take some time.

7. Create an extended partition inside the empty space
   between /dev/sda2 and /dev/sda3.
   (apply the changes)

8. Copy the copied /dev/sda4 from the memstick into this
   extended partition, to the right side (fat32).
   (apply the changes)

9. Next to this fat32 partition, create a swap partition
   with the same size as the laptop's RAM size.

A. Next to the swap partition, create an ext3 partition
   (about 25-30G) - this will be the / mount point.

B. Finally, on the left side, create another ext3 partition
   that uses the whole remaining space - this will be the
   /home mount point.
   (apply the changes)

Now your extended partition should be used like this:
=ext3 (~100G)=|.ext3 (~25G).|:swap (~4G):|-fat32 (HPTOOLS)-

C. Shutdown and try to start windows - it should still work.
   Then shutdown windows and boot from your installation disc.

D. Install linux using
   * the bigger ext3 as /home mount point
   * the smaller ext3 as / mount point
   * the swap partition as swap area

NOTE: make sure you don't use a swap partition on your
      installation device as swap area (change to "do not
      use this partition").

E. Enjoy.

F. Simon Miescher, 2012. CC-0 (public domain).