Installing Ubuntu

Notes

This tutorial goes over the option of installing a traditional dual-boot. If there is any chance you might want to remove Ubuntu and return to Windows exclusively, do not set up a traditional dual-boot. Instead, I would recommend you start migrating to open source Windows applications in Windows, playing around with Ubuntu virtually inside Windows, and then use a dual-boot between Ubuntu and Windows.

If you are using Mac OS X, the community documentation may help you out here.

This tutorial features screenshots from Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) with some special notes regarding 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot). The screenshots may be different, but the installation process is similar in Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat). Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) has a slightly different installer. More details here.

Installing Ubuntu

Now that you have the Desktop CD, you'll need to reboot your computer to use Ubuntu.

Your computer's BIOS must be set to boot from CD first; otherwise, Windows will just load up again. To get into the BIOS settings, you usually have to press one of these keys during boot-up: Escape, F1, F2, F12, or Delete. Usually your computer will tell you which key to use.

Once your BIOS is configured to boot from CD first, if you have Ubuntu in the drive, you should see this screen. Ubuntu will take a couple of minutes to load up. Just be patient.

Select your preferred language.

If you have at least 512 MB of RAM, you may want to select Try Ubuntu, as it will allow you to do other things (check your email, browse the web) while you're installing Ubuntu.

If you have only 256 MB or 384 MB of RAM, you should select Install Ubuntu. This will give you the same installation screens you see below, but you won't have the rest of the Ubuntu live session running as well.

If you have less than 256 MB of RAM, you should use the Alternate CD to install Ubuntu, or do a barebones installation.

If you choose to install Ubuntu directly, the installer will launch immediately. If you choose the Try Ubuntu option, you'll be in the Ubuntu live session. From there, click the Install Ubuntu icon on the desktop.

You may notice that this tutorial's screenshots are different from what you see. For example, in this tutorial, there are large icons that line the left side of the screen. You may see instead a more traditional toolbar on top and bottom (instead of the side). That's okay. Basically, there's a new user interface in Ubuntu 11.04 and 11.10 called Unity but it has certain system requirements. If Ubuntu's installer detects your computer meets those requirements, you'll see the large icons on the left. If not, you'll see the more traditional user interface.

Select your language.

There is an option in the Ubuntu 11.10, 11.04, and 10.10 installers that asks if you want to install closed source third-party software for MP3 playback and Flash, for example. I would strongly suggest—unless you know who Richard Stallman is—that you check (or tick) this option. This option will require a working internet connection, which may mean you have to connect the computer via wired ethernet if Ubuntu does not detect your wireless connection immediately (though you may be able to later install drivers to get wireless working).

Oddly, in Ubuntu 11.10 it's only in the next screen that you're prompted to connect to a wireless network (if you aren't already). This step isn't necessary and will make the installation process only longer (since Ubuntu will try to update packages before installing them).

If you want to install Ubuntu next to Windows so you can choose which operating system you want at boot-up, select the first option. As mentioned before, do this only if you don't anticipate even a small possiblity of returning exclusively to Windows. A traditional dual-boot can be undone but it's not easy. In Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric), Ubuntu will just decide for you what the relative sizes will be, so if you have specific partitioning needs, make sure you pick the third option.

If you want to erase Windows completely and install Ubuntu over it, select to replace Windows.

Select the third option if you know a lot about partitions and want to manually configure stuff yourself. If you know enough to select the third option, you don't need a tutorial telling you what to do.

In Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty), if you selected a dual-boot, you can use your mouse to drag the slider in the middle and pick the relative sizes on your hard drive that Windows and Ubuntu will take up respectively.

This is the no-turning-back point. If you decide to do this, your hard drive will be repartitioned and part or all of it will be formatted. Before you click this button to continue, make sure you have everything backed up.

While Ubuntu is preparing files to copy over for installation, it'll ask you some questions. They're self-explanatory.

Eventually, the installation will finish (the whole thing can take anywhere between 15 minutes and an hour, depending on the speed of your computer). You can either Continue Testing if you want to shutdown your computer or Restart Now if you want to restart your computer.

Either way, Ubuntu will eject your CD (or prompt you for when to remove your USB stick, if you used UNetBootIn instead of a CD burning program). The next time you boot up, you should have a working Ubuntu installation!

Last updated 10/14/11 06:45