Flavor of the Month: how to install Ubuntu 7.04 - Feisty Fawn
Written by Robert Clipsham
If you have decided to switch to Linux, and have decided you want to try Ubuntu, but don't know how, this is the guide for you.
For Kubuntu, see next month.
Before you start...
Checklist
If you are using another operating system e.g. Windows XP, make sure you have defragmented your hard drive (In windows, go to start, then run, and type defrag)
Make sure your PC is set to boot from the CD drive - See below
Make sure you have burned your Live/Desktop CD properly
Make sure your PC meets the minimum system requirements: If you are running Windows XP, then your PC is more than fast enough.
Once you have downloaded and burned the Live/Desktop CD, restart your PC, with the disk in your CD/DVD drive. If you don't see this screen:
But instead see your usual windows loading screen, you need to change some options in your BIOS. If at this point, you are hesitant to make the switch, don't be, there's nothing to worry about.
BIOS stands for Basic Input Output System. It is a small chip in your PC, that makes basic decisions, like which order to boot your PC. On most PCs It is set to Floppy Drive, Hard Drive, CD-ROM Drive. Most PCs now, don't have floppy drives, so the boot order is the same without 'Floppy Drive'. If you have an additional CD/DVD drive this may also be on the list. The Reason you don't see the screen above, is that it is checking your Hard Drive for an operating system first. When it sees windows, it boots that, and aborts searching for any other bootable devices.
To change your boot order, you need to know how to get into your BIOS Settings. This is usually achieved by hitting (not literally) F1, F2, Esc, Del or F10. When you turn your PC on you will see a message saying press to enter setup. If it goes to fast, press the Pause/Break key when it is displayed. Restart your PC when you know what it is and hit that key. Note: If you still don't know how to get into the BIOS contact your manufacturer, or search for 'Enter BIOS' on google for some excellent guides.
Note: You can't use your mouse in the BIOS!!! In the BIOS you need to look for an option called 'Boot configuration' or similar. To navigate around the BIOS, use your arrow keys and enter to select. To go back, hit Esc. The options you need to change will be something like:
Boot Device 1: Floppy
Boot Device 2: HDD
Boot Device 3: CD ROM
Use the arrows to select HDD (Abbreviation for Hard drive) hit enter and select CD. Make sure Boot device 3 has been changed to HDD. When you are done, hit Esc, to get back to the main menu, then read the top/bottom of the screen and look for what to press to 'Save Configuration and Exit'. WARNING: If you think you have changed any options that are not relevant to this, use Esc to exit without changing, and start again.
WARNING: Do Not change any options, that you think would be worth changing. You can make your PC unusable.
You should now be able to see the above screen when you turn on your PC. First of all, (using the arrows again) 'Check CD for defects'. This will check for any problems on the CD, to make sure you have no problems. If it gives an error, you will need to re-burn your disk, possibly at a slower speed. It should then restart your PC, and bring up the same screen again.
This time select 'Start or install Ubuntu'.
After a quick loading bar and some text, you should see a nice Ubuntu logo, and this loading bar:
This loading bar will be your friend for the next few minutes.
You now have two options, sit and stare, enchanted by the gentle rocking, or get a cup of tea and a biscuit: It's not going anywhere for a while.
Once it finally decides to load (hopefully it won't take long) you will be presented with the default Ubuntu desktop, a lovely shade of brown. I didn't want to waste a screenshot, so here it is:
You may now think 'Well that was easy! I don't know what all the fuss is about'. I should probably point out now, that your install CD doubles as a live CD. A live CD lets you run the operating system from the CD, rather than installing it. If you click the menu options, you can choose from a selection of programs including:
- Firefox – Award winning internet browser
- OpenOffice – Full Office suite – backwards compatible with Microsoft Office
- The GIMP – Image editor, with many of the capabilities of Adobe Photoshop
- GAIM – An instant messaging client
At this point, there are a few things that you might want to check.
- Is the internet working?
- Is your network (if you have one) working?
- Is sound working?
- Are your peripherals working? (Printer, Scanner, Web cam etc.)
If there are quite a lot of things not working, try a different Linux distribution, as setting up all of it could be a pain. If a couple of things don't work, don't worry, as they will be easy to setup. If you get stuck, you can always ask in the wonderful forums at ubuntuforums.org, or on the #ubuntu IRC channel on irc.freenode.net.
If you are ready, you can now start to install Ubuntu to your PC. Simply double click on the install button on the desktop.
After a brief introduction, the installer will ask for your preferred language, which you can select from the list. Once you have selected your language, click forward.
You can now select where you live, so Ubuntu can set the time accordingly, and so Ubuntu can select the closest server to you, to allow you to download updates quicker. You can zoom in on the map, then click your country to select your time zone, or you can select it from a list. Don't worry if the time it states is wrong, as it should automatically change itself later. If it doesn't, you can change it once it is installed.
The installer will now ask for your keyboard layout, so that the keys you press will be the ones that appear on the screen. Your keyboard will usually be linked with the country you live in. You can type in the box, to make sure that you have selected the right layout. The main keys you may have problems with are @ and “. If they are switched, you have selected the wrong keyboard type.
This is the hard part. You must partition your hard drive so that you can multi-boot with another operating system. This means that you will be able to choose to boot into Ubuntu or your other OS. I did not have a windows partition, so I just chose 'erase entire disk'. You should not do this. You should choose the 'resize partition' option, and adjust the slider to the size you want your new partition to be. If you are not sure, leave it as is.
Once you have chosen the size for your new partition, the installer will ask you if you want to import your account files and settings from windows.
Choose an account if you would like, then type some details below for your new account. As you can see, I didn't have any users to import, so I can just click next and continue.
The installer will now ask some personal questions, to save you typing in your name for every program, to save you the effort later. It also asks for a username and password, which you will use to logon later Do Not Lose These! You will be able to set it up so it automatically logs you on, not recommended for safety, later. You can also choose a new computer name, or leave the default. When you are done, click forward.
The installer will now display a summary of what it wants to do, so you can go back and change any options if necessary. If you are ready, click install. The installer will show a loading bar, but my install didn't.
That's it! The installer will now install Ubuntu for you. You can minimise the installer if you want, and browse the internet or try some other software or games, I recommend you at least wait until the partitioning is done to do this, as you don't want there to be any messing up with that.
When the install has finished, you will see the message above.
You can choose to restart or continue using the live CD. If you choose to continue using the live CD, you can press the red power button in the top right. Once you have clicked restart, you will see an unloading bar, then a message to remove your CD, do this, and press enter. Your computer will restart, and you will notice it loads a lot faster this time. Press enter if it gives yo a list of operating systems to boot from, then once it has loaded, you will see the logon screen. Enter your username, press enter, then enter your password and press enter.
You will probably (after a few seconds, if you are connected to the internet) see this message:
Click the star, then 'Install updates' Most of these will be security updates, or extra features for software. It will ask you for your password, so that it knows that you want to install them, then will download and install them. It will also probably ask for a restart. You now have Ubuntu installed and updated! You should now check that windows still works by pressing the down arrow, and selecting windows on the loading screen. It will probably come up with a message saying it needs to check for errors – this is because it thinks its hard drive has mysteriously shrunk, so its checking nothings wrong. Enjoy Ubuntu!
