How to install Linux Ubuntu? (Guide)

How to install Linux Ubuntu?
A guide by Azaleaf

First I'd like to say that copying this guide (and acting like you would have made it) is strongly forbidden and illegal.



Getting bored with Windows? Your life has no meaning? It's time to change into Ubuntu, a Linux operating system, which is really easy to understand.

Ubuntu is a community developed operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and email applications, to web server software and programming tools.



Changes:

- No more unnecessary errors
- No more dull waiting while booting
- Programs are freeware
- No more games that are meant for Windows (unless you install Wine)
- Less heavy firewalls, because there is only a couple of viruses for Linux operating systems



System requirements for Ubuntu 9.04:

Minimum requirements:
- A 300 MHz processor
- At least 256 MB of RAM
- At least 4 GB space on a hard drive
- A graphics card (VGA), which is able to run the resolution 640x480
- A CD-drive

Azaleaf recommends:
- A 1,2 GHz processor
- 512 MB of RAM
- 8 GB space on a hard drive
- A supported graphics card, which is able to run the resolution 1024x768
- A CD-drive



Downloading the operating system:

Ubuntu is a freeware program, so you can download it legally from the web with no harms.
To download Ubuntu, go to this URL.



Things to do before the install:

If you are aware of losing your files or something during the installation process, just save them to another hard drive or a USB-stick, so you can be sure you won't lose them.

Last thing to do before the installation is to burn the .iso onto a CD or a USB-stick. There are a several programs that can do this (like Nero and MagicISO), so just choose any of them and burn the .iso.



Installing Ubuntu:

To start the installation, you have to set your primary boot device as the CD/USB-stick containing the operating system. To do that you have to access your BIOS, which can be accessed when you start booting, by pressing Delete, F12 or F8, before your operating system starts.

When you're in BIOS, go to the menu called Boot, and set your primary boot device as the CD/USB-stick your Ubuntu is on, save the settings, and restart your computer.

Restarting this time you should come into a new menu, which you haven't seen before.



Select any language you want, but for this guide I'm using English as the language.

After that, select the "Install Ubuntu" as shown in the screenshot below.





Now you will be sent to the installation, and first a new window (shown in the screenshot below) will pop out.



Selecting the language:



So, just select your language, which will be used as the language for the operating system. I'm using English as the language in this guide, but you can choose your native language.
The language can be changed later, while actually running the operating system.

After selecting your language, just go forward, and a new window will be shown again.



Keyboard layout:

This time you'll be selecting your keyboard layout, so just select the right keyboard layout and test it in the column below.

I am using the keyboard layout of Finland, because I am living in there.



Just click forward, when you're done.



Partitions:

This part will be the hardest part of the installation - choosing the partition for your Ubuntu.
If you want Ubuntu to be installed on your hard drive, just select the automatic installation, and remember to set the file system as ext3, because NTFS is meant for Windows, and Linux can't complete all of its commands on NTFS.

If you are installing Ubuntu on a partition, just create a one by clicking "New partition".



Click forward again to proceed.



Personal information:

You will be asked for your username, password, and so on, so just fulfill the columns and click forward to proceed.
You can bring users from your old operating system, so if you want to bring them on Ubuntu, just select to bring them.



Installation:

Now Ubuntu will install itself, so just wait (go outside or something, because this will take several minutes).



Finishing:

When Ubuntu has finished its installation, just reboot your computer and go to BIOS again, set the primary boot device as the device you installed your Ubuntu on (normally your hard drive), and save the settings.
Reboot once again, and you should be sent to a dualboot, if you didn't install your Ubuntu over the old operating system, so just select Ubuntu to run it.
If you installed Ubuntu and formatted the whole hard drive, it should straight start loading Ubuntu, or just show up "Ubuntu" in the dualboot menu, so wait, or select "Ubuntu" and wait as it loads the operating system.

If everything went fine, you should be sent to the log-in screen of Ubuntu. Just fill in your username and password, and you should be logged in.

Go to "Applications > Add/Remove applications" and add the applications that you are looking for (like messenger clients, and stuff). As a firewall, I suggest installing Firestarter.

To connect your Ubuntu to the internet, just click the network connection icon located at the right side of the upper taskbar.



Programs to replace some much used programs on Windows:

Messenger - Pidgin, Emesene, aMSN...
IRC - Irssi, X-Chat, Pidgin...
Firewall - Firestarter...
Media player - Xmms2...
Office - OpenOffice



How to install packages through the terminal?

To install packets through the terminal, just type in:

Code:

sudo apt-get install package's name

© Azaleaf, 2009