Installing Linux on a computer. Installing Ubuntu Linux: instructions for Windows users (in pictures, basics)

Linux can be useful to you for many reasons. For example, your old computer can't be upgraded to new versions of Windows or macOS, or you need Linux-specific applications, or you're just curious to try something new. Or maybe you just bought a new computer without an operating system and want to save money by choosing free Linux.

Installing Linux is easy. Of course, there are distributions like Arch, which are quite difficult to install for a beginner. But most modern distributions are very easy to install. Perhaps even simpler and faster than Windows.

Before installing Linux on your main computer, make a copy of your important data. When working with partitions on your hard drive, you may accidentally erase something important. Of course, if you follow the instructions and carefully read what you are doing, then nothing unexpected will happen. But it’s not superfluous in any case.

You can install Linux on computers running Windows and macOS or on an empty hard drive. You can choose Linux as your main system or use it in parallel with your old system.

1. Download Linux distribution

First of all, you need to choose a Linux distribution. The DistroWatch.com rating will help you decide.

Then you need to download the selected distribution. This is easy to do: open the website of the desired distribution, find the downloads section and select the one that suits the bit capacity of your processor.

As a rule, Linux distributions on official websites are offered for download in two ways. The first method is a normal download. The second is via P2P using a torrent client. The second method is naturally faster. So choose it if you want to save time.

When the distribution kit in ISO format is downloaded, you need to burn it to a CD or a regular USB flash drive.

Burning to a CD can be done using standard system tools: “Burn a disk image” in Windows or “Disk Utility” in macOS. Just right-click on the downloaded image and select the appropriate item in the menu.

To burn ISO to a flash drive, you will need special utilities. For Windows it is better to choose Rufus, and for macOS - UNetbootin. These programs have a very simple interface, it is quite difficult to get confused in them.

3. Prepare the disk partition

This step should be followed if you want to keep the system installed on you and use Linux at the same time as it. If you decide to switch your computer completely to Linux or are installing the OS on an empty hard drive, skip this paragraph.

Windows

Open Windows Disk Management. Select the drive or partition from which you plan to carve out some space to install Linux. For most distributions, 10 GB is more than enough. But if you plan to install a lot of apps, get more. Right-click on the partition and select Shrink Volume. Enter the size and click OK.

The process can take quite a long time, so be patient.

When Disk Management finishes resizing your partitions, there will be empty unallocated space on the disk, marked in black. We will install Linux there.

Later, if you don’t need Linux, you can delete partitions with it and give the free space back to Windows using the same “Disk Management Tools”.

macOS

You can allocate space for installing Linux through macOS Disk Utility. Select your drive and click on the “+” icon to create a partition for Linux. Creating a new partition may take some time.

4. Prepare the bootloader

Windows

This point only applies to new computers running Windows 10, 8.1 or 8 pre-installed. These computers use a UEFI boot loader, which will not allow you to boot into anything other than Windows.

To fix this, go into your computer's BIOS settings and disable the Secure Boot option. Then reboot. Done, you can now download and install other systems next to your Windows.

macOS

Unlike most computers, a Mac requires a couple of additional steps to install Linux on dual boot with macOS.

First of all, disable SIP. Restart your Mac and press Cmd + R. The Recovery menu will appear. Select “Terminal” in it and enter csrutil disable .

Reboot your Mac again. SIP is disabled.

Manual

Suitable if you want to set the sizes for your partitions yourself or, for example, create a separate partition for your files. To do this, select “Other option” and click “Continue”.

Linux will display what partitions you have on your computer. You can delete them, format them, or, conversely, leave the sections with the information you want to save intact.

To install Linux instead of your system, select the partition with the installed system and delete it with the “–” button. Then create new partitions in the free space.

• Root partition for Linux system files. Select Ext4 file system and mount point /.
• A swap partition, or swap partition, is useful if you do not have enough RAM, but have a fast SSD drive. In the list of file systems, select "Swap Partition".
• Home partition where your files will be stored. Select the Ext4 file system and the /home mount point.

Click Continue and confirm the changes. The installer will erase the partitions you selected and create new ones in the free space.

How to install Linux next to your current system

There are two ways to install Linux next to your system.

Auto

Most Linux installers will immediately detect the systems you have installed. If you haven't created a separate disk space for Linux, you can try selecting the "Install next to Windows" option. The installer will automatically create the necessary partitions, and you will not have to do anything manually.

Manual

If you want to determine for yourself how much space to allocate to the system, and followed the instructions in step 3, click “Other option” and click “Continue”. You will see your disk partitions and empty space that we have prepared for Linux. Create a root partition there (mount point /) as described above. A home partition is not necessary in this case: you will be able to copy and modify files on your main system.

Click Continue. The installer will leave your files in place. It will simply create new partitions on the free space. You will be able to choose which system you want to boot at startup.

8. Complete the Linux installation

You will then be asked to introduce yourself. Enter your name and create a password. Don't forget your password, as you will constantly need it to perform tasks on behalf of everyone. If you wish, you can encrypt your home folder.

Then just wait. When the installation is complete, you will be prompted to remove the installation disc and reboot. Don't forget to disable booting from external drives in the BIOS if you enabled it.

What to do after installation

When you reboot and your Linux desktop appears in front of you, you can do everything you can do in Windows and macOS: surf the Internet, edit documents and listen to music. Don’t forget to update and look at the “App Store” (or its equivalent, depending on the distribution) to additionally install the applications you need.

Try Linux and you will see that in everyday life it is no more difficult than Windows or macOS.

Many people believe that installing Linux is a daunting task to get started with this OS. But in fact, installing Ubuntu is not particularly more complicated than Windows, you just need to have a little knowledge about the procedure. Let’s say right away that the article will discuss installing Ubuntu as a second system next to Windows, although the information is also useful for a regular installation.

Linux systems today come in a variety of platforms to choose from, depending on individual tasks and user requirements. The most common and popular option is Ubuntu, one of the most progressive distributions. Over the past years, the platform has been supplemented with numerous innovations, significantly expanding the capabilities of users.

Other common distributions include Linux OpenSUSE and Linux-mint, which are distinguished by their ease of operation, although they have significantly fewer features.

How to install Ubuntu - proceed to the main installation process

How to install Ubuntu - preparatory steps

First of all, we have to create a boot disk or flash drive from which the platform will be installed. Their preparation is the topic of a separate article, which you can find on our website or on the Internet.

We will consider work when we already have it. In this case, reboot the computer from the disk or flash drive.

Let's move on to the installation process

In the window that appears when booting from a disk or flash drive, select the Russian language and click “Install Ubuntu.”

From this moment the entire installation process begins. Here the user will be informed whether there is enough space for installation, and the availability of an Internet connection is determined.

This internet connection is required to update the system. If you have unlimited internet, we recommend selecting this connection and clicking “Download updates during installation.”

Click “Continue”, after which we will be asked to decide on the appropriate type of installation:

The structure of hard drives and partitions on them appears before us. As a rule, in the table that appears, we see one hard drive (/dev/sda), and in it one partition (/dev/sda1) of the NTFS type. This partition is actually similar to the “C Drive” in Windows. It is possible that you will have one or more sections. The main thing is to choose from among the available partitions that are suitable for reducing the size by 10 GB in order to create partitions for Ubuntu in the free space.

Therefore, select such a section and then click Change. Here we indicate the new disk size that we allocate for Ubuntu, as well as the disk type. We do not enable the “format partition” option, since we will lose all previously existing data, including Windows files.

Many beginners are surprised by the “mount point” item - what does it mean? In fact, in Linux systems, the file structure assumes the presence of a root folder where the OS is located. All other drives, folders and other devices will be connected inside it. If you don’t understand anything after these words, don’t be alarmed - just select “/windows” as the mount point in the drop-down list to have access to all the folders and files in this section for further work.

After selecting all the parameters, run “OK”. In this case, an automatic notification will be displayed that it will be impossible to cancel this action in the future.

We agree and click continue. This cannot be said universally - the wait may require several minutes or a couple of hours. This is affected by the amount of free space on the selected disk. In any case, you should wait without turning off the computer - otherwise you may lose important data.

After highlighting the “free space”, press the button with the plus sign for “Add”. After this, a new window appears in which we indicate “swap partition”. For starters, 1 GB is fine.

Now we see that we have created our own swap partition, but there is still free space. Click the plus sign (“Add”) button again. Now we create the main partition for installing Ubuntu.

If you are prompted to select the type of new partition, select “logical”. Set the location to “The beginning of this space.” We indicate the maximum possible size; it is usually already set by default. Next, we just need to set the mount point - to install Ubuntu in the root folder.

All you have to do is click “OK”, and in the “Install Now” window that appears, the process of changing the partition structure will begin, Ubuntu files will be copied to the computer.

How to install Ubuntu on a computer - completing installation and configuration

During installation, the system will prompt you to answer a number of related questions. Including “Where you are” - to select the appropriate time zone.

During installation, Ubuntu will ask about the appropriate login method for the user:

• Automatic login. When the OS starts, you will not be asked for a login and password; you will immediately see the desktop.
• Request a password. A more secure option, which is especially valuable for computers with confidential data, when working with payment systems, etc.

In fact, the entire process is practically completed here - after installation, you will be prompted to reboot the computer to start the new system.

Do I need to install Ubuntu on my computer?

Actually a rhetorical question if you have already decided to install it. It is worth recognizing that modern Linux systems offer important advantages for work, although we should not forget about the disadvantages either. The main advantage is that the platform is completely free, allowing you to save about $100 on a purchase, and with less susceptibility to viruses.

But a significant drawback is the smaller amount of available software. Of course, there are many similar programs available for Ubuntu. In many functions they are slightly inferior. Some programs that run on Windows are also available for Ubuntu - at the expense of their Linux versions.

And, if Windows is installed next to Ubuntu, or if you take care of emulators on the Windows virtual shell, the problem of lack of software is almost completely solved.

To summarize, we note that installing Ubuntu, despite its apparent complexity, can be accessible to everyone. Of course, it may take time and a little diligence. In our article, we examined the universal principle of installing the platform, however, depending on its modifications and versions, there may be some individual differences in the procedure. If additional items or questions arise during the installation process, do not be afraid to search for information on the Internet in order to complete the installation correctly and safely for the data on your computer.

Today, installing an OS from a flash drive is becoming increasingly popular. Surely you have already heard stories from your friends or acquaintances about how easy it is to carry out such an installation. Obviously, creating a bootable USB flash drive for Linux is a great way to reinstall the operating system on a computer with a damaged or missing disk drive, laptop, or netbook.

It often happens that when wanting to install an OS, a person is faced with the fact that his disk drive is broken or missing. This problem occurs especially often among laptop owners. But don’t be upset, because there is an alternative – installing from a Linux flash drive. To do this, you don’t need much programming knowledge, because there are special programs that will “burn” a Linux image onto your flash drive just like a disk. All you have to do is start the installation process.

So, before installing Linux from a flash drive, you will need a flash drive with an image recorded on it.

To begin installing Linux, insert the system CD into the drive and restart your computer, choosing to boot from CD. If you plan to install Linux over Windows, then the installation program can be launched directly from it.

Moreover, if you are working in Windows 95/98/Me, then the installation will begin immediately, but if the installation program was launched from a more powerful system, for example Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Seven, you will still have to restart the computer from the compact disk.

Your computer may already be configured to boot from a CD. If booting from the CD does not occur, when you restart the computer, enter the BIOS settings. On most systems, to do this, immediately after turning on the computer or rebooting, press the Delete or F11 key.

As for preparing disk space, this is the most critical moment in the entire Linux installation process. The fact is that if you are installing the system on a computer that already has some data on its hard drive, then this is where you should be careful and careful so as not to accidentally lose it. If you install a Linux system on a “clean” computer, or at least on a new hard drive with no data, then everything is much simpler.

At the beginning of the installation, the program will ask you to specify on which hard drive and in which partition Linux should be installed. You can also instruct the program to deal with this on its own. If you have a blank Linux hard drive, you can entrust all this to the program. If you already have something on your hard drive, such as data or a running Windows system, that you don't want to delete just yet, there are three options.

1. If you don’t really understand what a hard drive partition is and don’t want to figure it out, interrupt the installation and boot into your previous operating system, saving all important data just in case. Then run the Linux installation again and let the program prepare the space for the new operating system.

More advanced users can select the partition to install Linux manually. Here are some recommendations.

In most modern Linux distributions, the installation program at the stage of preparing disk space for installing the system offers a convenient visual editor of hard disk partitions. Each partition of the hard drive, as well as the space free from partitions, is represented as a rectangle of a certain color. To create a partition, for example, just click on the rectangle representing free space and select the Create command. You will be prompted to determine the partition size and file system type. For a Linux partition, this type is called ext2 or ext2fs (or ext3/ext3fs - if there is such an option, choose it).

Today we will look at:

This article was created specifically for those computer users who want to try something truly new and interesting on their computer. Linux is a completely free operating system that differs significantly from Windows and in many ways for the better.

If you decide to install Linux on your computer (laptop) running Windows, then this article will help you accomplish this task.

What do you need to install Linux?

1. Operating system image;
2. Flash drive or disk for recording the image;
3. Computer (laptop).

Stage 1: Download the system image

First of all, you will need to download the Linux image that will be installed on your computer. First of all, I would like to note that many operating systems have been developed based on Linux, such as , Arch, Mint, Fedora, etc. But perhaps the most popular OS among users is Ubuntu, so we provide a link to it at the end of the article, but this The instructions are also suitable for other versions.

Stage 2: creating a bootable USB flash drive (disk)

To create bootable media, you will need to use specialized software. We recommend that you use the UNetbootin program, which can be downloaded from this link.

After downloading the file, run it. The program window will immediately appear on the screen. Check the "Disk Image" checkbox and then click the ellipses button to specify the path to your downloaded Ubuntu.

Just below, select the media type (flash drive or disk), and to the right, enter the drive letter. Click "OK" to begin creating a bootable USB flash drive.

Windows users sometimes think about alternatives that satisfy them to the extent that they lack when using a commercial OS, but without deleting it. This article will look at how to install Linux as a second operating system.

Why two systems?

The current environment for using Windows is too proprietary. Not everyone likes this company policy. As a result, people have questions about using alternatives that do not require sacrificing freedom for convenience.

Windows does not always satisfy the user's software requirements and he has to look for alternatives. Many people know about the existence of macOS, but the price of the system (including integration with proprietary Apple hardware) is a key obstacle to purchasing it. Most Linux operating systems are free.

The main reason for using two systems is the wide coverage of activities. Although each OS has the ability to perform any job, they provide different (including in terms of efficiency) tools. There are many programs that work on both systems (Skype, Steam, etc.). This is possible due to their open source nature and is done to popularize Linux among Microsoft product users.

Benefits of Linux

There are quite a lot of reasons that put Linux an order of magnitude higher than Windows. They relate to functionality, security, resource consumption, appearance, etc. Unlike Windows and macOS, Linux allows the user to manage it as they please, without all kinds of coercion and restrictions.

These systems are installed on 95% of servers of all structures, from ordinary websites to banks, because the most important advantage of Linux is security. This is influenced by several factors. The most important one is the use of GNU tools.

Strictly speaking, Linux is the core of the system, and the software shell is 90%+ of GNU applications and utilities, free software (or based on it). Therefore, a more “fair” (but not mandatory) name for distributions is GNU/Linux, in order to separate the software part from the Linux kernel. This is the basis of the advantages of Linux.

Malware that is created to damage the Windows OS or individual applications does not work on GNU/Linux. This is due to different file systems, user security policies, software management and OS architecture as a whole.

So, in Linux you must enter a password every time to change system files, install or uninstall applications. This functionality cannot be disabled, but the password is requested once during one program session, which does not cause irritation.

Free software is the key to OS security, because its code is accessible to anyone and meets modern development requirements. Older versions of the Linux kernel are less reliable. Virus developers take advantage of this, but for owners of new versions it is not a threat.

If a Linux virus gets into the system (which rarely happens in practice), only unprotected user files can be damaged, but not system files, since this requires privileged rights. But the virus does not know the password, which is stored in a highly encrypted file.

Thus, the number of viruses for Linux is negligible. As a result, there is no need for an antivirus. But you should pay attention to programs that ask for a password so as not to harm the OS.

Free

The main GNU/Linux distributions are free and available for download from their official websites. This is due to the developers’ approach to people’s lives.

The American company Red Hat produces a paid system of the same name. It is intended for enterprises. Payment provides 24/7 company support for setting up and using the OS. They also have free products: Fedora, CentOS.

Stability

The Ext4 journaling file system is the most popular for disks. The peculiarity of its work is in maintaining logs that store the state of applications and the OS. In the event of an unexpected and abrupt shutdown/reboot of the computer, Linux will restore functionality using these log entries.

GNU/Linux distributions do not need to be reinstalled unless necessary. Computers running them may not be turned off for months, and this will not affect the speed and stability of operation, unlike Windows.

Device support

Linux supports 95%+ of all devices connected through various interfaces (printers, scanners, modems, sound cards, etc.). A feature of the support is the automatic installation of drivers; You just need to connect the device to your computer.

Manual driver installation applies to Nvidia video cards, Wi-Fi modules and some types of processors on laptops. But you don’t need to look for them on the Internet - in the settings of almost any distribution, an interface is available for selecting the driver you already need; just click “Install”.

Appearance

GNU/Linux has a wide range of desktop environments (Windows has one environment), which differ from each other not only in small details, but also ideologically. Window designs, icons, and animations are available to suit every taste and the requirements of any hardware. By the way, many ideas for the appearance of Windows 10 were copied from Linux.

In addition to the built-in themes, third-party skins are also available, which can be installed using the appropriate system tool or through an Internet search.

Terminal

In 2017, Microsoft decided to build support for the Linux terminal into Windows, recognizing its power compared to their own command line and even PowerShell.

The terminal is an effective tool for automating processes and accelerating productivity. An important mechanism is available in it: managing daemons (analogous to services in Windows), on the basis of which the OS runs.

Note! Knowledge of working with this element is not necessary for the average user.

Using the terminal, you can do the same work as using a mouse: installing and uninstalling software, setting up and managing a network, and even browsing the web. Some of these processes can be automated using task schedulers (anacron or crontab daemons), which are especially useful when managing multiple computers.

Selecting a distribution

There are a lot of GNU/Linux systems. A reputable website about the popularity of distributions, Distrowatch, only covers the top hundred. But there are about 20 of those that are installed for everyday work. Here we will consider the 3 most well-known distributions suitable for home use.

Note! Choosing a Linux distribution is not easy and it’s not difficult to get confused by the number of them. The article “” talks about this in more detail.

Linux Mint

The second most popular distribution from Ireland, the most widespread among the Debian family of systems.

Downloaded installation programs have the extension .deb (analogous to .exe in Windows). These are assemblies of packages from source codes designed for convenient use.

* - the indicator varies depending on the desktop environment used.

Important! With weaker computer characteristics, unstable operation may occur due to uneven load.

Elementary

The American distribution is one of the five most popular GNU/Linux operating systems. Based on Debian.

A special feature of Elementary is its appearance, which is ideologically similar to macOS. Has a unique Pantheon desktop environment. Supports installation of applications via deb packages.

Manjaro

The most popular distribution of European origin over the past six months. Based and supported by enthusiasts on the Arch OS, therefore it includes all its working methods and principles of operation.

Manjaro's specialty is a user-friendly interface with the power of Arch. Software installation occurs automatically from source codes.

This OS will be considered as an installation example.

Preparing the Disk

Before installation, you should decide on the location of the OS - on the same disk with Windows or a separate one. Usually the second option is selected if there is not enough free space on the C drive.

Via Windows

To allocate a disk partition, you should use a standard utility.

Note! The instructions apply to Windows 10. In other versions of the system, the location or appearance of the elements is different.

Note! You will not be able to specify a number greater than the maximum available capacity.

After this, a new distributed partition will appear, indicated in black.

To write an image to a flash drive:

Via Linux distribution

The GParted program does disk partitioning in GNU/Linux. If it is missing, you can install it through the Application Center.

1. Launch GParted.
   
   
2. Right-click on the required section → “Resize/Move”.
   
   
3. Specify the required amount of partition resizing or drag the disk size slider using LMB → “Resize/Move”.
   
   
4. Click "Apply All Operations" to complete the actions.
   
   
5. Wait for the operation to complete.
   
   

To write GNU/Linux to a flash drive:

Installing a second system

To start the OS installation, you need to tell the computer to boot the flash drive, not the hard drive.

Important! This instruction describes installing GNU/Linux in Legacy mode, not UEFI.

1. Restart your computer.
2. During the POST test (when the motherboard logo or text about testing hardware nodes appears), press the button to select the primary device to boot. Usually this is F11 or F12 (depending on the BIOS model).
   

   Advice! The required button is indicated on the screen during the POST test.

3. Select your Linux USB drive → Enter.
   You can also enter the BIOS and in the Boot section select “USB-HDD” as the first boot device.
   
   
4. After this, the flash drive will launch with a welcome window → select “Boot Manjaro...” → “Enter”.
   
   
5. Once the Live system has finished loading, run “Install...” on the desktop.
   
   
6. In the installer's welcome window, select “Russia (Russia)” from the list to change the language for further instructions → “Next”.
   
   
7. Specify your time zone by clicking on the map in the desired location or selecting "Region" and "Zone" from the list. Make sure that the required system language and regional format for numbers and dates are set. Otherwise, use the “Change…” → “Next” buttons.
   
   
8. Select the English keyboard layout as the default by specifying “English (US)” on the left and “Default” on the right. After installation, you can add other layouts → “Next”.
   
   
9. Make sure that the correct hard drive is selected in the Select Storage Device field. In the list of installation types, select “Manual partitioning” → “Next”.
   
   
10. Select the section intended for Linux → “Create”.
    
    
11. Enter “Size” - 15000, specify “File system” - ext4, “Mount point - / → “OK”. A root directory will be created.
    
    

    Advice! If your computer has 6GB or more of RAM, proceed to step 14 after creating the root.

12. Select the remaining section → “Create”.
13. Specify “Size” equal to the amount of RAM in megabytes, “File system” - linuxswap, “Flags” - swap → “OK”. A swap partition will be created, which is used when the RAM is full (analogous to the swap file in Windows).
    
    
14. Create the remaining partition with the following parameters: “File system” - ext4, “Mount point” - /home. The user's home directory will be created.
    
    

    Advice! Creating a separate mount point for your home directory allows you not to worry about OS failures or reinstallations in the future, because you won’t have to format it, just connect it.

15. In the “Install bootloader in” field, specify the installation location of the Windows bootloader (usually its size is 200-400 MB) → “Next”.
    
    
16. Create a new user by filling in all fields. The checkbox for “Use the same password” will make the created user the system administrator → “Next”.
17. Check the box “Reboot” → “Done”.
    
    

How to choose an OS

After installation, Linux will overwrite the GRUB bootloader over the one that started Windows. This means that now after the POST test you will be able to select the boot OS.

To start Linux, select Manjaro Linux → Enter. Windows starts in the same way. Selecting items is done using the arrows on the keyboard.

conclusions

GNU/Linux distributions are gaining popularity among home PC users. The advantages of these operating systems are security, stability and freeness compared to Windows.

To install Linux as a second operating system, you need to allocate a partition on the disk for it, write an image from the OS to a flash drive, specify it in the boot device selection menu, run the installer and follow the instructions.