Installing Ubuntu as a dual boot on a specific partition

Hi, I am trying to install Ubuntu on my laptop as a dual boot with Windows 10 (already installed). I can't get the install wizard to recognise that my second drive is split in two, one partion has most of my files, the other is empty for Ubuntu.
I have read that I need to actually leave the second partition as empty space, else Ubuntu won't see it, however this means that it just doesn't see either partition and so wants to overwrite the whole drive.

Can anyone please help me overcome this? Thank you in advance

Are you trying to install Ubuntu on the same drive as W10 or a different drive. If there is no OS on the drive you are installing to I doubt Ubuntu will recognise just files. I will have a look later on if i have time. Have you chosen manual partitioning on the installation or the automatic one?

Thanks for the reply. I am trying to install ubuntu on a different drive to windows. I have found out that my drive is set to dynamic, which seems to mean I can't use the partitions on ubuntu (correct me if I am wrong).

I think Dynamic way be a Windows thing, if so I cannot help much. How many files do you have on your drive, could you back them up to an external then reformat the drive and install Ubuntu - a bit long-winded I am afraid but the best I can think of at the moment, unless you can just turn Dynamic off without doing any harm.

Dynamic is a windows thing, it appears to mean that the partitions use a fancy identifier (which Linux can't read). However I can't return the drive to basic without wiping it (about 550 Gb of data).
I am in the process of backing it up with macrium reflect.

Hopefully you will be able to sort it after that. Let me know if you get it sorted.