Dual-Boot Ubuntu 14.04 and Windows 7 on FakeRAID Installation error - question marks "????..."

Question

I am trying to install Ubuntu 14.04 on FakeRAID along Win7.

Win 7 has been already installed, and dmraid is running.

During the installation I choose to manually partition, this is the structure:

\dev\mapper\isw_gchdghhd_Volume0
\dev\mapper\isw_gchdghhd_Volume0Op1 - NTFS Win7 loader
\dev\mapper\isw_gchdghhd_Volume0Op2 - NTFS Win7 partition
\dev\mapper\isw_gchdghhd_Volume0Op3 - swap
\dev\mapper\isw_gchdghhd_Volume0Op5 - ext4 mounted as \
\dev\mapper\isw_gchdghhd_Volume0Op6 - ext4 mounted as \home

There is another sequence similar to above marked as "linear".

I choose \dev\mapper\isw_gchdghhd_Volume0 as boot device.

When immediately after the installation begins, an error with question marks pops up, and the installation stops.

Solution

Here's the issue:

dmraid was replaced by mdadm for handling FakeRAID in Ubuntu 14.04.

Here's the solution:

1. Boot the installation disk and choose Try Ubuntu.
2. Connect to the internet. (crucial step, you need to install from the repository.)

3. Open terminal and type the following:

   sudo dmraid -a n
   sudo apt-get install mdadm
   

   This will disable dmraid and install mdadm.

4. You will be prompted with postfix configuration, chose No Configuration.

5. To automatically recognize your FakeRAID, run:

   sudo mdadm --assemble --scan
   

6. Run the installer.

7. Choose Install Ubuntu.
8. Choose to partition manually and create an EXT4 partition mounted as \ and a SWAP partition.
9. When choosing where to write the Boot-Loader, Choose the volume mounted as "/".
10. Proceed with the installation. Note: The installer will fail to write GRUB.
11. Reboot the installation disk and choose Try Ubuntu again.
12. Connect to the internet.
13. Install Boot Repair and run it. It will guide you on fixing the boot loader and rewriting GRUB.

This might be long, but it worked for me. I now have Windows 7 and Ubuntu 14.04 in dual boot configuration.

Comments

[Timothy Smith]

This answer solved my problem after hours of effort. I was trying to install Ubuntu 18.04 alongside Windows 7 on an Intel Rapid Storage Technology Fake RAID. When the installer failed to write GRUB, it stopped responding and I had to kill it, but at that point it had done enough that I could continue the remaining steps. It works fine now.