How do I fix Windows 11 and Ubuntu dual-boot install failing to detect drives?

[KevinAW]

I’m trying to set up a dual-boot with Windows 11 and Ubuntu on my new laptop, but the installer keeps failing when it tries to detect the existing partitions. I’m worried it might be something with the way Windows set up the disk with its modern standby mode enabled. Has anyone else run into this recently?

[Layla.T]

Yep, I ran into this last month. The Windows side left a hibernation file and fast startup on, which makes the disk look busy and the installer can miss partitions. I did a full shutdown (not sleep), turned off fast startup in Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do > Change settings that are currently unavailable, then ran powercfg /h off to disable hibernation. After that the Ubuntu installer could see the disks and I could install beside Windows.

[Zoey_R]

I've also wondered if it's BitLocker or a dynamic disk situation. In one case Windows had BitLocker on the system drive and the Linux installer couldn't map partitions until I suspended BitLocker and decrypted. Not sure it's your case, but it's worth checking Windows BitLocker status.

[Ronald_S]

Another thing: boot the Ubuntu live USB in UEFI mode, same as Windows. If you boot in legacy, the installer sometimes fails to map the partitions. Check BIOS/UEFI settings and disable legacy and enable UEFI or set the USB to UEFI only.

[GregoryKG]

Maybe the problem isn't the state of Windows at all. Some laptops ship with NVMe partitions that the installer struggles with if the BIOS is in a strange mode. I tried shrinking Windows and reformatting a bit, and the installer still balked until I booted in a different USB port and used a newer image. Could the real issue be something else entirely?