Want to dual boot: Windows 8.1 / Ubuntu 13.10, but can't boot from flash drive and hard drive is reported as "full"

Question

1. PC won't boot "bootable" flash drives.

2. Hard drive is "full" and "140TB".

⠀Goal: Dual boot Windows 8.1 / Ubuntu 13.10, have functional hard drive

Question may {contain, miss} (ir)relevant information because I am inexperienced with Linux, partitioning and boot processes. If you need information or clarification, I will fetch it and explain.

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Computer: Acer Aspire 5734Z
OS: Mint 15 with Cinnamon desktop environment I own copies of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1

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• Ran Windows 7, no problems
• Removed Windows 7
• Installed Mint 15
• Removed Mint 15
• Tried installing Manjaro
  • Foolish repartitioning upon prompt: Removed all partitions, allocate all resources to a single new partition. Can't remember the settings.
  • Stuck in boot loop with GRUB, couldn't boot from flash drive
• Service desk at University got PC out of boot loop
• Installed Mint 15 from flash drive
  • Repartitioned according to Mint 15 default settings (may misremember)
• Run functional Mint 15, but can't boot from flash drives (A)
• Deleted personal files by human error
• Recovered files with photoRec until hard drive was full. (B)
• Deleted majority of recovered files

I can't remember if 140TB claim appeared after (A) or (B).

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When I try booting from flash drive, this happens:

• Select boot from flash drive
• Void screen
• If I do nothing, then Mint 15 boots

• Else if I push any key, this menu appears:

  GNU GRUB version 2.00-13ubuntu3

  Linux Mint 15 Cinnamon 64-bit, 3.8.0-19-generic (/dev/sda1)
  Linux Mint 15 Cinnamon 64-bit, 3.8.0-19-generic (/dev/sda1) -- recovery mode
  Memory test (memtest86+)
  Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)
  

Example is Ubuntu attempt. I've also tried Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Manjaro0.8, Mint 15 and Ubuntu 13.10 through SSD and USBs of different formats.

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See screenshots below. gParted and the file browser conflict on hard drive size numbers. If it is true that I have used 92% of hard drive space as implied by gParted, then something has gone wrong while I tried to delete recovered files. Note that hidden files are not shown in the file system/root view, despite having enabled "View Hidden Files". However hidden files are visible when I do not access as root.

Answer 1

I reformated USB to ntfs, then Ubuntu would install. My lack of experience stopped me from achieveing this earlier. Tried same with Win7, but no luck. I am quite certain this has to do with fundamental GRUB / Windows booting conflicts which I will seek solutions to when I have the time.

Problem 1) is halfways solved, 2) is fully solved. Because such a large part of this Question's foundation now is irrelevant, I am declaring this Question to be Answered.

Thank you all for your input.

Answer 2

How do I achieve this?

I should be able to shed light on the reason why you might not be able to achieve this, which will hopefully give you direction.

The problem I had was that Windows 8 needed UEFI to boot, but 99% of Linux distributions don't work with UEFI. If I set my laptop back to 'legacy' BIOS mode, Linux would boot but Windows 8 wouldn't.

The only combination that worked for me was Windows 8 / Ubuntu 13 because, controversially, Canonical have paid to have Ubuntu's bootloader 'signed'...

I might not have the story completely correct but I remember being outraged that I could no longer just boot whatever I wanted on my new 'Windows 8' machine