All right, the headline is a little bit of a lie. Some Linux installs are hairier, take longer, and just aren't as soothing as the one we're about to show you. They do all work approximately the same way, however, and that's just fine for us as a point of illustration.So there we are, looking at the "Download" page of an Ubuntu derived distribution. We decide that we'll download the x86 version of the distro (we'll assume we don't have a 64 bit or PPC system or don't want a 64 bit OS). So we click on the file that ends in .iso, and it starts downloading.
Now what?We're going to make a broad assumption that most people burn their first Linux CD on a Windows machine. If your machine has a program that burns disk images (or .iso files), such as Nero, you're ahead of the game. You will absolutely need a program that can burn disk images, not just data or bootable CDs. There are quite a few free, very nice ones out there. We've had a lot of luck with ISO Recorder.
And yes, some distributions (such as Ubuntu) can be installed from within Windows. We just feel that for many reasons, it's good to have a liveCD kicking around. And call us old-fashioned, but we just feel a little bit like less could go wrong with an existing install from a liveCD. Is that really based in truth? Our therapist is helping us work through that. Until we know for sure, though, we are using liveCDs.
When the liveCD is finally in our hot little hands, the fun (really!) begins.
We place the disk lovingly in the drive on our computer, and restart. Is the computer set to boot from the CD or DVD drive? The place we find out (and set this information) is the BIOS. It is accessible for a short period of time as the computer boots. The machine we are installing on lets us enter the BIOS if we hit "Del" at start up. Some machines are different: ESC or F2 are not uncommon BIOS keys.
The BIOS is a tricky thing. Not that what we're doing is particularly risky, but if we were to fiddle with something we didn't really know what it did, we could, in theory, really muck things up. So here's a big, fat caveat: Be careful, and if anything is slightly unclear, look it up in your computer's manual or online at the manufacturer's site.
The short, non-scary BIOS story is that we're looking for an option that says "Boot" or "Boot Order." If the first device in the boot order option is the optical drive that has the disk in it, we can exit the BIOS (usually the ESC or a function key) with or without saving.
If the first device is not an optical drive, we just need to cycle through the order till the optical boots first, and the hard drive second. Then we save and exit.
Our computer restarts, and the drive whirrs. Since we want to install or run a liveCD, we'll take the appropriate option when it shows up on our screen. Hold on to your hats, Linux is booting!
We are presented in a few moments with our desktop. If it takes a bit longer than you think it rightly should, don't get alarmed. It's a liveCD, and it will run slower than the operating system would off your hard drive.
But hey, welcome to Ubuntu (or in this example, Kubuntu). Lo and behold, there is a little icon on the desktop that is creatively named "Install."
Click it. You know you want to.
Ubuntu launches a little application called Ubiquity. It's an installer. It's like other distribution's installers, in terms of function. It partitions, formats, sets up accounts and installs your system. Ubiquity is, in our humble opinion, the pinnacle of easy operating system installs. Any operating system. And it's a great way of seeing how an OS installs. Any OS.
We are presented with a language screen. It defaults to English, but of course there are many languages to choose from. Say thanks to all the hardworking translators out there.
Next, we get to tell Ubiquity approximately where we live and what time zone we're in. In our case, Ubiquity had it pretty figured out. Sure, our liveCD system desktop time was wrong, but we don't worry about that. What matters is that the time is right here. It can be adjusted later, if for some reason your time zone is selected and Ubiquity is showing the wrong time.
Other distros may handle this step by asking if the hardware is set to UTC (system) or local time. This means the time that is set in the BIOS (remember the BIOS?) and not on the desktop itself. Granted, we have a very North America-centric view, but it seems that most machines that originally ran Windows of some variety are set to local time.
Other distros may handle this step by asking if the hardware is set to UTC (system) or local time. This means the time that is set in the BIOS (remember the BIOS?) and not on the desktop itself. Granted, we have a very North America-centric view, but it seems that most machines that originally ran Windows of some variety are set to local time.
Time to test our keyboard out. We are using an English (US) standard keyboard, and we're okay with the default layout. If you are really into Dvorak keyboard arrangements, neither we nor Ubuntu are about to stop you from going down that road. Type some stuff in the box and see that everything works as intended, if that floats your boat.
We're going to give a little more explanation at this next step than may really be necessary. We'll start by saying this: If you know you want to install Ubuntu on your entire disk, and you are fairly sure you won't change distros (or otherwise don't care about preserving settings on a home partition), choose a Guided set up. Skip this bit, and continue to the next screen, "Who are you."
Maybe it's in our nature to really like to futz with things here at Download Squad (no way!). In our collective years of using Linux, though, we've found it is pretty useful to set up our /home (user's personal directories) on a separate partition. We're just too damned good at changing our minds about which distro we want to use, and even at totally borking things in the main partition that controls the system. Having all our really important files on a separate partition allows us to save our stuff across system installs and horrific flaming mistakes.
So we're going to choose a manual partitioning set up. Fear not. We'll show you a bit how it works. Your partition set up will look different (this computer was installing Kubuntu over an existing Linux install).
So we're going to choose a manual partitioning set up. Fear not. We'll show you a bit how it works. Your partition set up will look different (this computer was installing Kubuntu over an existing Linux install).
So we've selected manual, and now we're looking at the hard disk on the computer. The bit at the top is a graphical representation of the existing disk. Previously, we had three partitions: /dev/sda1, /dev/sda2, and /dev/sda3. You'll notice that /dev/sda1 is a different color. It's a swap partition. They were arguably a little handier in days of yore when RAM was limited and more expensive, but it is still good to have a swap partition of either twice the amount of physical RAM in your machine, or 1024 MB (which ever is smaller).
We'll also note that it is a bit weird to have /dev/sda1 be swap. Weird, but not detrimental. We won't go into how that happened. It had nothing to do with Ubuntu, so don't panic. And no, swap does not need to be /dev/sda1 on your system.
We'll also note that it is a bit weird to have /dev/sda1 be swap. Weird, but not detrimental. We won't go into how that happened. It had nothing to do with Ubuntu, so don't panic. And no, swap does not need to be /dev/sda1 on your system.
On this system, we know that /dev/sda2 is (or was) our root (/) partition. This is where our old Linux system files were before. We'd like them there again, but we'd like the Kubuntu system files, not the previous distro's files. Your system may have a Windows partitions you want to keep (or not) or resize. Your system may not have any partitions (as in the case of a new disk).
We can edit or delete existing partitions. Once we delete them, the space will be free and we can create new partitions from that. In our case, though, we want to edit the existing partition. We know for sure it will need to be formatted, so we'll go ahead and check that.
We can edit or delete existing partitions. Once we delete them, the space will be free and we can create new partitions from that. In our case, though, we want to edit the existing partition. We know for sure it will need to be formatted, so we'll go ahead and check that.
Selecting our partition and clicking edit partition brings up the wondrous "Edit Partition" window. We're going to leave the partition the same size (but if you're starting from scratch, you'll need to pick the size in megabytes in relation to your disk). We have a huge / partition. We mean it. Gigantic. It doesn't necessarily need to be any larger than a few gigs.
Here we can also choose our file system type. Ubuntu usually defaults to ext3. This is fine. There are certain cases you'd want to use other file system types. Some types are better for quick writing. Some write less than others, and can extend the lives of some solid state disks (in theory, anyway).
Our mountpoint is the actual partition name. Windows would call it the drive name and assign a letter. This is where we rename the existing /media/sda2 to /. Essentially, it goes from what is considered "storage" to become a working part of the system.
Here we can also choose our file system type. Ubuntu usually defaults to ext3. This is fine. There are certain cases you'd want to use other file system types. Some types are better for quick writing. Some write less than others, and can extend the lives of some solid state disks (in theory, anyway).
Our mountpoint is the actual partition name. Windows would call it the drive name and assign a letter. This is where we rename the existing /media/sda2 to /. Essentially, it goes from what is considered "storage" to become a working part of the system.
And here we have that first partition set up, and ready for its format. The other partition you see (/dev/sda3) is our old /home partition. If we were setting up a new disk, we'd take the remaining space on the disk after swap and / were set up, and we'd make it /home by creating and formatting a new partition.
In this case (or if you were reinstalling an existing system yourself) we do a very similar set of steps as above, except we are really careful to the point of outright paranoia that the "Format?" button doesn't get selected. If we were to format an existing /home directory, everything would disappear. Kind of defeats the purpose, eh?
In this case (or if you were reinstalling an existing system yourself) we do a very similar set of steps as above, except we are really careful to the point of outright paranoia that the "Format?" button doesn't get selected. If we were to format an existing /home directory, everything would disappear. Kind of defeats the purpose, eh?
Well, of course the other big difference is we need to be sure to name this partition's mountpoint as /home. If we didn't do this here, the /home directory would be created under our / partition. This partition wouldn't lose any information, and would be accessible (on Ubuntu as /media/sda3. Other systems might call it something vaguely different). It wouldn't be accessible as your home directory though. It would be more like an external disk.
If you should make a little mistake here, it is very fixable by editing your /etc/fstab (as root) after the fact. But hey, why make more work for yourself? Double check 'er.
If you should make a little mistake here, it is very fixable by editing your /etc/fstab (as root) after the fact. But hey, why make more work for yourself? Double check 'er.
Let's take one more wistful look at this screen. Don't worry about setting swap to format on either a new or existing install. Most installers (Ubiquity included) take this little bit for granted.
We're done here, so let's move on.
We're done here, so let's move on.
That, we promise you, was the most taxing part of the process. And you've probably discovered that it doesn't really have to be. If you don't want a separate /home partition, just roll with the Guided set up. (It's also interesting to note that some distros, like openSUSE, make a separate /home by default.) We included partitioning in a little more depth, though, because it is a nifty little thing to know how to do.
Now Ubuntu gets personal. It's not selling our information to spammers. It's setting up a user account. We go through and answer a few questions. Pick a password and remember it (seriously). You do not need a password for a liveCD, but if you want to get anywhere with your hard disk install, for the love of jessup, remember what you typed here.
You can pick the name of your computer on the network. Ubiquity just happily defaults to your username-desktop or username-laptop. Other distros might ask a few more questions to essentially do the same thing. This can be changed, regardless of distribution, after install.
Moment of truth time. Ubiquity reviews a few little settings on this extremely anticlimactic window, and we click the install button.
Over the next twenty minutes or so, Ubiquity will do its thing. This is the same with any installer. Ubiquity seems to be one of the fastest (although Slackware based installers are quite speedy too). Installs, depending on the heft of the system, the size of the distribution, and any additional configurations and add ons, can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to completely install.
Ubuntu notifies when the process is finished, and allows you to either keep working in liveCD mode, or immediately restart in to the new install. Whichever you choose is fine, and on shutdown (or restart) Ubuntu will remind you to remove the liveCD.
No need to touch the BIOS on reboot. If there is no disk in the optical drive, it will search for the next available drive media (usually your hard drive). You should have your shiny new Linux system appearing shortly.
That's it. Well, sort of. Next week we'll take a look at some of those tweaks to a new install that most new users have to make. Flash plugins, codecs, and DVD playback don't have to be horrible headaches. Honest.
Ubuntu notifies when the process is finished, and allows you to either keep working in liveCD mode, or immediately restart in to the new install. Whichever you choose is fine, and on shutdown (or restart) Ubuntu will remind you to remove the liveCD.
No need to touch the BIOS on reboot. If there is no disk in the optical drive, it will search for the next available drive media (usually your hard drive). You should have your shiny new Linux system appearing shortly.
That's it. Well, sort of. Next week we'll take a look at some of those tweaks to a new install that most new users have to make. Flash plugins, codecs, and DVD playback don't have to be horrible headaches. Honest.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-16-2008 @ 9:44PM
iuqiddis said...
nice and thorough guide.
Reply
3-17-2008 @ 8:14AM
Kristin Shoemaker said...
Thanks!
3-16-2008 @ 11:13PM
tevetorbes said...
I would love to switch over to Linux for my needs.
However, as a chemist, there are programs that I use that aren't available (SciFinder Scholar, CrystalMaker) or that don't play nice with an emulator (ChemDraw).
It's unfortunate as Linux is the OS du jour for our Bruker NMR spectrometers, so I know that there are chemists who use Linux.
I often wonder how many people there are that are like me: locked into an OS because of programs they HAVE to use. Yeah, its easy to come up with a laundry list of MP3 players and photo management packages, but are people who have such specialized needs forever to be locked out? And sure, some people believe that they HAVE to use MS Word, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about hyper-specific programs for which there is not a substitute, not "Oh gee I can't run WinAmp on Linux" (do people still use winamp? did I just date myself?)
Sure, the beauty of Linux is that anybody can slap together code and write there own free (as in beer- I love this phrase!) program. The reality is that most people have neither the time nor the wherewithal for this undertaking.
I'm tired of reading the "It Just Works" phrase, but I'm afraid that that is sometimes the case. I feel I'm probably above average in terms of computer literacy, but I have bigger fish to fry, so to speak, than to get a program that will let me draw 2D chemical structures to work.
BELIEVE ME, like I said, I would buy a dedicated Linux box TOMORROW, first thing, were it able to meet my needs.
It just doesn't, and I don't think that I'm alone. :(
btw, sorry for the rant- I really enjoyed the article, although it made me want to download and install Kubuntu more than ever! :D
Reply
3-17-2008 @ 8:06AM
Kristin Shoemaker said...
Totally understand where you are coming from. And I know you're not alone. A similar example, very different field:
I have a degree in library science, and (of course) this passionate interest in computers. Got a job out of my master's program as a system librarian at a public library, and had a whole fleet of ailing computers, both staff and public, to care for.
After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, we had a really nice Linux set up for the public computers. Worked really well-- for both public and staff. So well, in fact, that when I moved on the gentleman who replaced me asked what I thought about moving the staff to Linux.
The one sticking point was our catalog software. The backend where we did the cataloging, acquisitions, and other administrative stuff didn't have a web interface (the frontend does, of course). It was a solely .exe sort of deal. Everything else would have been quite easy to adapt to. But not the one thing needed to run the joint.
We do have to hope that in time more software applications become more open to other platforms. I think it will happen, but it'll be slow.
And I hope you get a Kubuntu install you get to tinker with soon. ;)
3-17-2008 @ 9:35AM
Mastergib said...
Exactly! Every time I try to switch to linux, I end up with such a long list of things I *need* to run in Virtualbox, that it just isn't worth it. It is a shame too, with the broken state of Vista, this was Linux's big chance... unfortunately, I expect Vista to be fixed before half the software I need has some way of running properly in Ubuntu.
I've also had more then my share of issues on install. When things go right, there are no problems, but if they go wrong, boy are you screwed.
3-20-2008 @ 5:57PM
piticu said...
chem-draw? im not a chemist at all but i know that there is an state of the art chemichal diagram drawing package, an extension to TeX formatting language, that runs smoothly under linux. do a google for "tex chemistry". if you need more info, just let me know
3-30-2008 @ 11:46AM
Lucas Krist said...
I have the same situation. And I know what you mean. You see, I share a computer, so I can't mess around and change it from XP. Also, there are programs I need that are windows only.
3-16-2008 @ 11:55PM
hello said...
its so easy that the easy instructions are 10 pages long...
Reply
3-17-2008 @ 12:44AM
westudi said...
Haha, I was thinking the same thing.
3-17-2008 @ 7:55AM
Kristin Shoemaker said...
Perhaps, but it is kinda cool to know it takes longer to read about what your computer is actually doing during the install than it takes to install it.
3-17-2008 @ 2:28AM
Eric said...
And yet, There are 5 different UBUNTU OS's. What truly is the difference between XU, UB, and KU? Is it simply themes? Does KDE vs GNOME really make a difference in operability, functionality or is it just fancy jargon? Are there less programs available at startup?
I am interested in a dual-boot laptop but am worried about not being able to use my Bluetooth and having to search for compatible drivers for my printer, scanner and ESPECIALLY my Wi-Fi card which is Draft N.
Any ideas would be welcome.
Reply
3-17-2008 @ 8:13AM
Kristin Shoemaker said...
Hey Eric,
I was going to respond, and just noticed that Shiva has posted a response below that says everything I would have said. Please do check it out, and thanks, Shiva!
I would also add that it's a good idea to check out various Linux on laptop sites... There are actually tutorials out there for specific models. Linux can be a trick on certain laptops, and it's extremely reassuring to find out before jumping in where the sticky spots will be (if any).
3-17-2008 @ 8:04AM
Shiva said...
Eric: "And yet, There are 5 different UBUNTU OS's. What truly is the difference between XU, UB, and KU?"
Windows manager/ GUI. Some default pkgs. That's it.
"Is it simply themes? Does KDE vs GNOME really make a difference in operability, functionality or is it just fancy jargon? Are there less programs available at startup?"
No. No, somewhat, no. Splunge.
"I am interested in a dual-boot laptop but am worried about not being able to use my Bluetooth and having to search for compatible drivers for my printer, scanner and ESPECIALLY my Wi-Fi card which is Draft N."
Well, search the manufacturer sites for Linux drivers of existing h/w first, and copy them down to your HDD before installing. In your case I'd assemble a probable list of drivers before jumping in.
And, I'd partition my HDDs before installing Ubuntu. I'm a vet of these installs, but I just encountered a "grub error 18" on a home machine that had me backtracking all afternoon Sunday. That sucked, and the workarounds sucked.
-S
Reply
3-18-2008 @ 8:50AM
Robert Pogson said...
A great article. I did one once. I know how much work you put in.
While your article surely shows how to set up the partitioning, most non-geek newbies may not even know what a partition is, so I would have steered them to the automatic partitioning, but for the geeky, it is just fine.
The liveCD with the "Install" icon is cool. I didn't know that Ubuntu had that. I have done that with KNOPPIX and even they do not recommend it but with today's big RAM, it should work well.
I still use the Debian text install. It is very simple these days, too.
Reply
3-30-2008 @ 11:46AM
Lucas Krist said...
Your right. Installing most versions of Linux may sound complicated at first, but it usually just as easy as installing a new version of Microsoft office. I am quite pleased, because at first, when I tried Xubuntu, I was terribly afraid of messing something up. For those who are in doubt, don't worry one bit. Installing Linux it 10X easier then installing Windows, and anyone can do it. I am really glad that I have found Linux, because now I take puppy wherever I go on my flash drive. It is all free, there is nothing to loose. Don't think Linux won't outperform windows. In fact, it is faster, more error free, safer, less freezing, less annoying, and there are no 'free trial expirations' that pop up all over windows.
I would recommend Linux to anyone, from a 5 year old kid, to an 80 year old man. It has so many distros, you can truly pick and choose. And who said money gets you what you pay for? Linux is worth more than mac or windows. I guarantee it.
Reply
5-14-2008 @ 10:12PM
Larry said...
I have installed Mandrake (back in the day) then Mandriva, then Knoppix, then Kubuntu 8.04.
None of these distros was capable of recognizing my built-in wireless card on a fairly ubiquitous Dell laptop, the E1705.
Every distro (Live CD or not) that I have tried is incapable of configuring all my hardware correctly.
Oddly enough, every distro recognized my Bluetooth. No problem there.
The workarounds required to activate my wireless involve cryptic console commands, installing the ndiswrapper package, (which is not installed as a default package most of the time, so it is difficult to install without an internet connection) then crossing the fingers because ndiswrapper does a good job of emulation most of the time, but not some of the time.
Kubuntu 8.04 is the only distro that recognized all my hardware without a hiccup except for the wireless card. Kubuntu thinks my wireless is an ethernet port, and it does not recognize my ethernet port at all.
Wonderful.
Aside from all that, Kubuntu 8.04 is a solid release.
The Adept Manager is flawless in tracking dependencies and installing packages. Finally, a package manager that works.
How many Windows users can install 30 programs at one time, in less than 5 minutes, and then not need to reboot the system?
Let's not point out that Linux drives do not require defragmenting.
To sum it up, Kubuntu 8.04 is the first Linux distro to make a home on my machine, despite the wireless card problem.
When vendors start writing Linux drivers for all of the hardware, Windows is finished on my machine.
I am running Windows XP Pro, and I refuse the play the Vista game. For me, Windows is like the mother-in-law I can't stand but I have to invite her to dinner anyway.
5-17-2008 @ 12:11PM
Lucidia said...
I am glad to hear that you had such an easy time with a Linux install. This is a great guide to installing Kubuntu, and I was especially impressed by the inclusion of a detailed manual partitioning.
The first time I tried to install Linux, I was new to installing operating systems, and the idea of partitioning a hard disk drive was daunting. I prepared exhaustively--reading various guides available at the time, but the process still got botched. The problem: Most of the partitioning advice was somewhat outdated, didn't pertain to my particular distro's installer, or glibly assumed that newbies would only choose the automatic partition scheme. I would've appreciated a more in-depth look at a manual install that was still newbie-friendly.
Reply