HELP why linux doesnt detect anything from harddisk

[jonatutu]

I am trying to dualboot windows 7 and linux mint 14 mate(installing via usb)
I read all kinds of guide on how to partition but I just cant find the solution to my problem
I shrink 50G out from my hardisk tried unformatted, NTFS, FAT/FAT32 linux installation just doesnt detect a second partition.
Please help!!
I have attach a photo

[viking777]

When the installer asks you the installation type you need to choose 'Something Else' (because you have pre partitioned the drive).

[jonatutu]

Yes I did select something else. The picture attach is under the option something else

[DrHu]

Does the USB boot or are you booting from windows and trying to install via the USB
--if so, I can see why windows may not allow a USB device to see undefined (to windows) partitions..

I might try boot from windows, unallocated (empty, no label) that partition, either leave it unformatted or pick a default type that is good cross platform (when detected by a boot), such as FAT32

• The other issue is logical partitions (they exist withing a real partition on the hard drive)
  --the easiest format for an OS is physical partitions (primary); of which there can be 4 on a any hard drive: a consequence of DOS partitioning scheme during PC development ..(historical and exists even today, for a BIOS based boot)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_partitioning

I also don't see how the two images you show match, first one, various windows OS partitions totaling approx 200+ GB of storage, of which you say you have removed approx. 50GB for Linux
--second image shows 320GB for /dev/sda

• So /dev/sda is a total drive, not /dev/sda1 or /dev/sdb1, so no partition showing

--I can't get your image1 + image2 to total (ADD TO..) to GET APPROX. 320GB ?? [/list]

[jonatutu]

Yup my actual hard disk size is 320G but usable or seen is about 298G +/- (240G(windows) + 50G(partition for linux) + 10G(lenovo recovery partition)


Sorry but I do not understand what you meant -
[Does the USB boot or are you booting from windows and trying to install via the USB
--if so, I can see why windows may not allow a USB device to see undefined (to windows) partitions.]

I tried both win32diskimager & unetbootin to write linux mint 14 iso to my thumbdrive and boot by pressing F12.
I just tried leaving my 50G partition unallocated ,unformatted and FAT32 but its still shows /dev/sda.
I have no idea why my hard disk is always showing /dev/sda and not sda1 like what I have seen in all the tutorial.
Mine doesnt show the type / the size / used....

*/dev/sdb is my thumbdrive.