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How-To: Install Linux Risk Free, With No Formatting or Repartitioning Required

Justin Kerr — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:00:00 -0500

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Linux, for those who don’t already know, is a free and open source operating system, which you can find in dozens of different versions (known as distributions). The distribution you pick depends very much on your how you plan on using the OS, but for the purpose of this article we are going to assume you are looking for a desktop alternative to Windows. And as a full-featured Windows replacement, no other Linux distribution comes close to Ubuntu, which features a full suite of pre-loaded desktop applications and an easy to use installer. Fresh installs of Ubuntu will contain recent versions of the most popular open source applications including Open Office, Firefox 3, Gimp Image Editor, and several other multimedia tools and games.

The most recent release version of Ubuntu is 8.04.1 LTS (Long Term Support). This distribution is often referred to as “Hardy Heron” and went live in April 2008. It will remain current until the next iteration, billed “Intrepid Ibex”, launches in October. For reference, our previous Ubuntu install guide featured version 7.10, also known as Gusty Gibbon.

Ubuntu contains many unique and innovative qualities designed to make it less intimidating the average Windows user who may be looking for a change. One of these features is called Live CD. Once you have downloaded and burned a copy of the Live CD ISO, you will have the ability to launch a fully functional copy of the Ubuntu to test out driver compatibility and to sample the user interface, all without installing a single file to your PC. This guide will walk you through testing your hardware and installing a dual boot setup all without formatting or repartitioning your hard drive.

What you'll Need:

A PC Running Windows XP or Vista
A Backup of Your Data (Just a Precaution!)
45 Minutes

AND

Ubuntu Live CD ISO
Free, Direct or Bit Torrent
ISO Burning Software
Free, InfraRecorder

1. Use Your ISO Burning Software To Create A Live CD

To begin we must mount our newly acquired ISO file to a bootable CD. You can use either your existing CD burning software, or since we are in an open source frame of mind, a free alternative such as InfraRecorder. Once this is completed the CD should be moved to the bootable optical drive on your PC. We are now ready to restart our machine and begin the trial.

2. Try Ubuntu Without Any Change to Your Computer

As mentioned before, one of Ubuntu’s finest features is the ability to run the OS off the CD before you commit any additional time to an installation. Running the software “live” is made possible without permanent installation by placing all the necessary files into RAM instead of your hard disk. Incompatibilities are rare, but not even Microsoft has the ability to predict every system configuration. The odds are pretty good that if you have problems booting with the “Try Ubuntu” option, you will have problems with a full blown installation as well.

3. Test Your System For Compatibility

If all went well with the Live CD initialization, after a short boot sequence you should find yourself greeted by a fully functional desktop with which to experiment and test your hardware. To get a quick overview of native driver support you can click system, preferences, hardware information. This will give you a list of hardware detected on your PC similar to the Device Manager in Windows.

For a quick and easy way to verify basic compatibility, try using the built in utility located under system, administration, hardware testing. This will walk you step by step through compatibility checks on your video, audio, and input devices. If you manage to pass each stage of the test with without issue, you should have no trouble getting your hardware up and running after a permanent installation. So if you’re now ready to give Ubuntu a home in your system, and have 4GB of disk space to spare on your hard drive, go ahead and restart the computer and boot back into Windows to begin the installation.

4. Install Ubuntu Without Formatting or Repartitioning Your Drives

Your Live CD contains a new feature that can be accessed from the autorun menu in Windows called Wubi (Windows Ubuntu Installer). This interface will allow you to install Linux to any drive on your PC and the option of booting from any OS each time you start your machine. A key advantage here is that since we are installing Ubuntu from within Windows, it can be uninstalled at any time using the Add/Remove Programs utility.

Despite what many people believe, however, this install is not a virtual machine. It works more like a disk image creating a block of data on the drive. This carries a little bit of a performance penalty, but nowhere near what you encounter when you run an OS within an OS. At this point you can simply follow the installer.

Setup Options:

1.) Installation Drive – Which hard disk you wish to install to. If you choose the “C” drive, for example, the image will be located under c:\ubuntu
2.) Installation Size – It is important you pick the size that you think will suit you needs. If you only intend to dabble in the OS, 4 to 8GB should be enough.
3.) Username / Password – Make sure you write this down. Once the OS is installed you will need this to log in.
4.) Click “install”. The amount of time required to complete this step depends very much on the speed of your internet connection, since many of the install files are downloaded on the fly. Upon completion, you will be asked to reboot, after which you’ll be greeted with a new boot loader on startup that’ll give you the option to pick Windows or Ubuntu.

5. Update the OS

Just like a clean install of Windows, one of the first things you will want to do with your fresh copy of Linux is check for updates. This can be accomplished by clicking on System, Administration, Update Manager. Available updates should quickly populate your list. After you have reviewed your options, click Install Updates. If you fail to receive any updates, try launching Firefox by click on the icon along the top to verify a working internet connection. You will want to make sure you are connected to the internet through a wired Ethernet connection since wireless networking may require you to hunt down and download additional wifi hardware drivers first.

6. Driver Configuration

If you only plan to use your copy of Linux for basic applications such as email, web browsing, or Open Office, you may not need to worry about additional drivers. Ubuntu comes bundled with many open source-equivalent drivers. But if you plan on running anything that requires 3D acceleration, rock out to an aftermarket sound card, or even enable most wifi devices, a bit of extra configuration might be required.

If Ubuntu didn’t automatically activate your hardware, it doesn’t necessarily imply that the appropriate drivers don’t exist, rather it might just mean it might not open source. The primary vision of the Linux project is an operating system without restrictions. Some companies such as ATI and Nvidia, however, don’t want to open its drivers because doing so could reveal proprietary information to their competitors. To enable accelerated graphics using proprietary drivers you need to access the menu system and click System, Administration, Hardware Drivers to view a list of your options and activate them manually. You can download the latest versions of these drivers using the links listed below, but until you become more familiar with how to work under the Unix terminal it might be best to stick with the built-in generic drivers.

ATI Linux Display Drivers and FAQ

Nvidia Linux Display Drivers and FAQ

Creative Labs Linux Display Drivers and FAQ

All Other Drivers

7. Alternative Software Options

Because we are dealing with an entirely new operating system, most of your Windows applications will be incompatible (ie. you can’t just pop in an install CD and expect it work). While some of your apps can be made to work under Linux using emulation packages such as Wine and Cross Over, the process could end up being more trouble then it is worth. I’ve listed a few of the recommended open source options below.

Web Browsing

Hardy Heron comes with Firefox 3 built in, but if you prefer an alternative you can also use the newest version of Opera.

Word Processing

If you aren’t satisfied with the preinstalled Open Office you can try installing Microsoft Office using Wine, try something like KOffice , or even just use Google Docs.

Image Editing

The built in GIMP image editor is powerful enough for most users, but if you find yourself needing more manipulation options you could always try Photogenics.

Media Viewers

The built in Movie Player works well for standard media formats, but for extra codec support I suggest trying VLC Player. Additionally, MP3 play back isn’t supported in Linux because it’s actually a proprietary format. If you aren’t prepared to convert your entire music collection to the open source OGG format, some alternatives exist such as Zinf or MJS to play MP3’s natively in Linux.

8. Enjoy Linux!

If you decide Linux isn’t for you, you can always boot back into Windows and navigate over to the Add/Remove Programs Utility to turn back the clock. If you do decide to stick with Ubuntu, you can always try running a dedicated install on another machine or set up a permanent dual-boot the next time you format and repartition your system. To do this, just skip step 4 and double click “install” on the Ubuntu desktop when you boot from your live CD.

Share your Ubuntu experiences in the comments section below!

How To: Install Linux the Easy Way

Will Smith — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 13:26:13 -0600

Years ago, when Linux was new, installing and using the alternative OS was best left to propeller-head nerds with oodles of free time. Indeed, just getting Linux up and running on a machine required several hours, just the right mix of supported hardware, and then several more hours. If you were dealing with cutting-edge hardware, it would take a couple days of tinkering to achieve a working install with a graphical interface and a reliable Internet connection.

These days, installing Linux is a piece of cake.

In addition to the traditional distros that install Linux to your hard drive, there are also several specialized distros that run directly from your optical drive, without making any permanent changes to the Windows install already on your PC. Such LiveCD distros make it really easy to give Linux a test spin and experiment without any real danger to you or your computer.

Here's what you'll need:

A blank CD or DVD

A CD or DVD burner

A Broadband connection

An empty hard drive (or one with at least 10GB of free space)

STEP 1: DOWNLOAD THE RIGHT DISTRO
For a great balance of power and ease-of-use, we recommend Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu is a LiveCD version of Debian, which uses the more streamlined Gnome window manager. Though there are some fundamental differences between it and Windows—some things will naturally be in a different place—Ubuntu should seem familiar enough that it will be easily navigable by anyone who’s used a Windows machine.

To get the latest version of Ubuntu, go to www.ubuntulinux.org/download and select a mirror near you. You’ll have to make a couple of choices before you can download an Ubuntu image. You’ll want either the 64-bit version—if you have an Athlon 64 or Pentium 4 that supports AMD64 extensions—or the Intel x86 version, for all other PC CPUs.

If you have a DVD burner, we recommend you use the combination install/live DVD images, which allow you to test boot the OS, and then actually install a working copy of Ubuntu to your hard drive. If you don’t have a DVD burner, you can alternately download the install CD from your mirror of choice.

Our preferred download method for large files—such as a 2GB Ubuntu DVD image—is BitTorrent. Once you’ve installed BitTorrent, you can download the appropriate DVD image (in .iso format) by clicking its .torrent link. Make sure you save the ISO file someplace where you’ll be able to find it.
Once you’ve downloaded the ISO, you’ll need to burn it to disc using your favorite CD mastering program. With Nero, it’s as easy as double-clicking the ISO image, and clicking “Write to disc” once the app loads.

STEP 2: PREPARE YOUR PC
Now, you should prep your rig for the actual install. We recommend installing Ubuntu on a spare hard drive—it needn’t be a huge-capacity drive; an old 20GB drive will provide more than enough space. Take note of the capacity of your current drive so you won’t accidentally overwrite your current Windows partition and all the data on it. (Ubuntu’s installer won’t overwrite your Windows partition unless you tell it to, but it’s better to be safe than formatted.)

If you boot into Windows after you install your new Linux drive, you can delete the current partitions (go to Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Computer Management, and then select the Disk Management option. Right click the partitions you want to delete, and then select Delete Partition, and go through the dialogs). The Ubuntu installer will install to unpartitioned areas by default.

Now, you’re ready to get started. It’s as simple as ensuring that your mobo is set to boot from the optical drive and dropping the Ubuntu disc into the drive, then restarting your computer. When the PC boots, you’ll be presented with the screen shown on the right. To start the install, just type “install” and press Enter.

STEP 3: START THE INSTALL
Now the Ubuntu installer is going to collect some information about your system—the language you want to use, the type of keyboard you have, and the kind of hardware in your system. You’ll have to answer a few questions, but for the most part, this portion of the install doesn’t require your input. Once the installer collects info about your hardware, and configures the network adapter, you’ll need to assign a hostname. Your hostname can range from your actual name to something clever, like a character from your favorite book or TV show. Once you’ve selected a hostname, you’ll proceed to disk partitioning.

STEP 4: PARTITION YOUR DISK
This is the only truly dangerous part of installing Linux. Should you make a mistake here, you could conceivably erase the contents of your Windows drive, so pay attention and make sure you understand the process before you do anything.

Every partition on every hard drive in a Linux machine is given a unique name. The formula for names works like this: Parallel ATA hard drive names start with “hd”, SCSI, SATA, USB, and FireWire drive names start with “sd”. The next character in each drive’s name is a letter, which tells you which physical drive a partition is on. For example, the first SATA drive in a system will be “sda”, the second will be “sdb”. After the letter will be a number. This number indicates the partition on a particular drive, so “sdb1” is the first partition on the second SATA drive in the system. To get an Ubuntu system working, you shouldn’t need to know any of this, but a little knowledge never hurts.

If you’re going to wipe an old drive and use it for your Linux drive, you can do that by using the “Erase entire disk” option and selecting the appropriate size disk. If you don’t see the proper disk, you can choose to manually select the free space you want to use, then the installer will create a main partition for the OS and your apps, as well as a small swap space that Ubuntu will use as virtual memory. Make the changes to the drive, and you’re ready to proceed to the second stage of the install.

STEP 5: INSTALL AND CONFIGURE
Once the disks are partitioned, you’ve done most of the hard work. The Ubuntu installer will install the grub boot manager, automatically configure it to work with any other OSes you have installed, and restart your computer. When you restart, you’ll need to choose your time zone, and then you’ll create a user account. Enter your full name, your desired username, and a secure password.
This is a good time to talk about Ubuntu’s lack of a traditional Unix-style “root” administrator account.

Instead of having the all-powerful root, Ubuntu gives the account you create during the install permission to use “sudo,” which provides your account with temporary root-like privileges. If you’re following online instructions that require root privs, you can run the commands on your Ubuntu install by prefacing the command with sudo. For example, if you need to edit your fstab file, you’d type sudo nano /etc/fstab instead of nano /etc/fstab.

Once you’ve created your account, the installer will configure apt-get, the package management application that Ubuntu shares with Debian. Ubuntu developers maintain several huge repositories of software that is preconfigured to run perfectly on Ubuntu. If you need to install, say, OpenOffice, apt-get will automatically download it from the Internet, then install it on your system, all you need to know is the name of the appropriate package.

STEP 6: FINAL STAGES
The installer will reboot again and install the actual applications you’ll use on your system—think Firefox and OpenOffice. Your last task is to select the resolutions your desktop will run at. When choosing your resolution, make absolutely certain you don’t select any options your monitor can’t display. If you goof, you won’t be able to boot into the GUI, and you’ll have to either manually tweak the text file that configures your display or reinstall from scratch. You probably don’t want to do either.

You can select as many resolutions as you wish, but Ubuntu will default to the highest resolution when you boot the first time. Once you select your setting, the machine will reboot again, and the install will be done!

STEP 7: WHAT'S NEXT?
You’ve installed Linux! Ubuntu comes with a ton of useful applications, including Firefox, OpenOffice, and Evolution—an Outlook clone. Everything you need to use your computer on the web, for email, or for basic office tasks is available to you out of the box.
There’s still a ton of software out in the world that’s available for you to try out. If you need more software, we recommend using the handy Ubuntu Add Applications program. It’s right there at the bottom of the Applications menu.

If you have problems—and you will—the first place you should turn is Google. There’s a ton of great Linux help info on the net, and Linux weenies are notoriously unhelpful if they don’t think you’ve at least made an effort to find answers for yourself. If you can’t find the answers you need on the net, try posting in the Alt-OS Abode of the Maximum PC forums. Now get out there and enjoy your Ubuntu!