Installing Ubuntu LINUX from a flash drive - instructions. Making a USB flash drive with Live Ubuntu on Windows

Recently, the Linux operating system has become increasingly popular. Distributions based on it are completely free, and the capabilities of each of them are practically not inferior to the more popular and commercial Windows and Mac OS. Since in Russia and other Russian-speaking countries Linux is usually used more in a professional environment, some ordinary home computer users may be deterred by this fact, which is why they are simply afraid to try using Linux at least for some time.

You can install Linux using a flash drive.

In fact, today quite a lot of Linux builds have been created, which in terms of ease of use can even surpass the same Windows or Mac OS. In this article, we will describe in great detail what you need to use Linux on your home computer, and also provide a step-by-step guide on how to create a bootable Linux flash drive and install the system.

Flash drive

Most distributions have an installation image ranging from 1 to 2 gigabytes in size. In some cases it can reach 4 gigabytes or more. Therefore, to fully install Linux on your computer, you will need a flash drive with a size of 4 gigabytes or larger, since the recorded image must fit on the disk. Most media today fully meet these requirements.

Linux image

Some distributions are designed for professionals, while others can be used even by inexperienced users. These include Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Debian, Manjaro, openSUSE, Zorin, Fedora and elementaryOS. Go to the distribution website and download the installation image. This can be done either directly from the server or through the BitTorrent protocol, which ensures downloading at high speed. How to burn any Linux distribution onto a flash drive, read on.

Utility for creating a bootable USB flash drive

To create bootable media, you will need to use a special utility. For Windows, the best choice is Rufus, and for Linux, Unetbootin. We will tell you further how to make a bootable USB flash drive using them.

System requirements

For Linux to run properly on your computer, it must meet certain requirements. Depending on the distribution used and the selected graphical shell, they will be as follows:

RAM: 1–2 GB.
Processor: two cores, frequency of at least 1.3–1.6 gigahertz.
Video card: any modern one.
Free disk space: at least 4–5 GB.

Linux Installation Procedure

What to pay attention to

Internet connection

It is best when you use a router to connect to the Internet, which assigns network addresses automatically in DHCP mode. If you use a direct connection, without a router, it is best when the operator provides a dynamic IP address. Otherwise, problems may arise.

Selecting additional components to download

When installing some distributions, especially those based on Ubuntu, you can select additional components to download and install. This includes updates to the Linux distribution released at the time of installation, as well as proprietary codecs for playing certain file formats, such as MP3 or flash, as well as drivers for built-in devices on a computer or laptop. Of course, they can be downloaded after installation, but it is best if they are downloaded at this stage, since the system will be immediately ready for use.

Selecting an installation option

Depending on whether you have experience installing other operating systems or not, the utility offers two options for installing the OS and partitioning the file system: automatic and manual. In the first case, you need to place the cursor next to the item that offers to erase the entire contents of the disk and install Linux. When installing everything manually, check the “Other options” or “Manual installation” checkbox.

Hard drive partitioning

Automatic. If you select automatic hard drive partitioning, the installation utility will do everything for you. You will only need to agree with the proposed changes. If you are installing a system from scratch or plan to use Linux as the only operating system on your computer, but do not want to go deep into various settings, you can safely choose automatic partitioning.

Manual. When installing Linux as a second system, or if you simply want to partition your hard drive by specifying the size of each partition, you will have to create a partition table by clicking on the appropriate button in the menu. Unlike Windows, in Linux there is no concept of drive C or drive D, since the file system is designed on a different principle. Here there is the root of the file system (root), to which all other partitions and directories are connected or, in other words, mounted. There should be 4 of them in total, and each of them should have a specific file system format. Let's list them:

/ - root partition - ext4 file system, size from 10 to 50 GB, the operating system is installed into it.
/boot - is intended for Grub boot loader files, must have an ext2 file system, and its size is approximately 100 MB.
swap - used for memory swap, file system - swap, size must be equal to the amount of RAM.
/home - a user partition that will occupy all the free space remaining after occupying the remaining partitions; file system - ext4.

Add all these dimensions, manually specifying the size of each one. Please note that 1 gigabyte contains 1024 megabytes. Don't forget to check if you have marked everything correctly, otherwise you will have to install everything again.

Select the default keyboard layout. The next step, which will be offered to you by the installation utility, is to select the main language and keyboard layout. You shouldn't have any difficulties here.
Time zone change. Next, on the world map, select your location and time zone. Choose the city closest to yours.
User credentials. Enter your username, which will be displayed in the login window, followed by your login, computer name and login password. If you do not want to enter it every time you turn on the computer, check the appropriate box.
Complete installation. Once you have entered all the above details, wait a few minutes until the system is fully installed. This usually takes no more than half an hour, even on older computers. To brighten up your wait, you will be shown pictures describing the capabilities of the distribution you are installing.

IMPORTANT. After the installation is complete, reboot, remembering to remove the USB flash drive from the computer and return the BIOS settings to the original ones, then enter the user login and password. This completes the installation of Linux on your computer from a flash drive.

Conclusion

As you can see, installing Linux is not some unusual or very complicated procedure. If you don’t get involved without sufficient experience with specific assemblies designed for professionals, the whole process will take you no more than an hour. In addition, unlike Windows, Linux already has all the most necessary software installed, so you won’t need to waste time searching for and installing it.

Leave your questions in the comments.

The Ubuntu operating system can be launched from a CD/DVD disk or from a USB drive (flash drive) without installing it on a hard drive. This is called running from a boot disk - LiveCD. This will give you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the system before installing it, check the functionality in advance, just look at the system and “play” with it. Also, a Live CD can be used to restore a damaged system or to access files on a hard drive. I note that Ubuntu with a LiveCD runs many times slower than if it were installed on your computer.

Insert your CD/DVD disc into the drive or USB drive (flash drive) into the USB port.

Launching Ubuntu Live CD (Live USB)

If you press any key during this screensaver, the following menu will appear (if you do not press any keys, the menu will not appear, but loading from the disk will immediately begin). In the menu, I advise you to first select the item “ Check CD for errors" To start loading a Live CD, select " Launch Ubuntu without installation" and press Enter.

The process of launching the LiveCD system will begin. The process is quite long, so sometimes it may seem like something is stuck.

During the startup process, a window will appear in which you must select the language of the system you are using. In fact, the Live CD system will be almost entirely in English. Select your language from the list and click the " Try Ubuntu».

If everything goes well, the Ubuntu desktop will appear in front of you. Ubuntu 11.10 Live CD uses the Unity desktop environment (a distinctive feature is a panel with application launch buttons on the left of the screen). Ubuntu 11.04 and below uses the Gnome desktop environment (a distinctive feature is two panels at the top and bottom of the screen).

Using a Live CD system, you can run some programs, access the Internet, and view the contents of your computer's hard drive.

p.s. Ubuntu may not boot from LiveCD. There may be several reasons for this. One of the main ones is the lack of the necessary driver for a device (for example, a video card). But this does not mean that the system will not work if you install it on your computer.
p.s.s. The article discussed the process of launching Live CD Ubuntu version 11.10. Previous versions of Ubuntu boot in the same way.

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 - installation from flash driveLinux. 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 how to installLinuxfrom a flash drive, you will need a flash drive with the image recorded on it. If you don't know how to do this, get all the information you need at .

Step 1 – preparationBIOSfor installation

As an example, consider installing the Linux Mint distribution. In order to installationLinuxMintfrom a flash drive started, you need to configure startup settings.

We insert the flash drive into the computer, turn it on and at the very beginning, when the screen is black and there is a lot of text, press the F2 button. Depending on the BIOS version and the computer, this may be another button - F10, Delete or Esc.

We find ourselves in the settings menu and now we need to find the “Boot” item. Again, it may be called differently in different BIOS versions, but use this word as a guide. After we have found the autorun menu, a list of priorities appears before our eyes. It contains: hard drive, floppy drive, removable hard drive, USB inputs, etc. Our task is to find a flash drive in this list and put it in 1st place as a priority.

This is done like this - point the arrows at the name (for example: “USB 40GB DEVICE”) and move it by pressing the F5 and F6 buttons until the flash drive is in 1st place.

Now the system will launch the flash drive first. Press F10 and confirm the exit by entering the Y (Yes) key and pressing the Enter button.

Reboot the computer.

Step 2 – Start the installation process

After your computer restarts, you will see the startup menu. It is often decorated with various images, so you will know exactly what it is. Press Enter.

If nothing has changed or something went wrong, restart your computer and review the menu list in detail. Perhaps the recorded image contains not only, but also various programs.

Step 3 – installation from a flash driveLinux

All the suffering is over! Already at the beginning of installation you are greeted by a friendly Russian-language interface. Start by selecting your language - select your desired language.

Next, you need to make sure that your computer has enough free hard drive memory, is plugged into a power source, and is connected to the Internet. You can immediately agree to have the latest updates automatically downloaded during installation.

Click “Forward”. We get to the hard drive selection menu. In it you can format and split sections, if desired. Specify the partition (disk) in which you want to install the operating system and click the “Install Now” button.

We get to the section change menu. Here you can increase the amount of memory, change the file system type, format the partition and specify the mount point. We use the “Ext4” file system and set the mount point “/”. If there is no valuable information on the hard drive, it is advisable to format the partition. Click “Install Now”.

Now we select the country and city of residence so that the system automatically sets the time and other indicators to suit your personal needs. We also indicate the keyboard layout. All you have to do is enter the desired name for your computer, username and password (optional). Click “Forward” and start the installation process.

After installation is complete, restart your computer, remove the USB flash drive and wait for the Linux operating system to start.

Congratulations! Installation completed successfully!

If you decide to install Ubuntu, but your computer does not have a laser disk drive, do not run to your friends or to the store. Today, installing Ubuntu does not require a disk drive; you can easily create a bootable USB flash drive.

Creating a bootable USB flash drive using WinSetupFromUSB

Download the Ubuntu image, fortunately, this OS is free, so there should be no problems at this step.
Download the WinSetupFromUSB program. It can be found on the official Microsoft website.
Run WinSetupFromUSB.
On the main window, select the USB flash drive that you want to use as a boot drive. (Pre-save all important data stored on the drive, because it will be formatted while the program is running).
Check the box next to "Auto format".
Check the box next to "Linux ISO".
Click on the button with three dots and tell the program the location of the Ubuntu image.
A dialog box will appear on the screen asking you to name the Grub boot loader item. You can write any phrase, for example, “Installing ubuntu from a flash drive.” It will not affect the installation process in any way.
Click on the “Go” button, after which the application will notify that all data on the flash drive will be deleted. Confirm your choice and wait for the process to complete.

Creating a bootable drive using Unetbootin

As in the previous case, first download the Ubuntu OS image.
Download the Unetbootin program from the official website. It is licensed under the GPL, so it is free to use.
In order to install Ubuntu from a flash drive without any problems, you will have to format it before creating a bootable USB drive.
Double-click on the "Computer" shortcut. Right-click on the USB drive icon and select "Format".
After specifying the "FAT32" format, click on the "Start" button. (Formatting will delete all data on the flash drive, copy all the necessary files in advance).
Launch Unetbootin. In this case, the program will immediately appear in full combat readiness; there is no need to install it.
The application is one single window in which you will have to define all the settings. In general, you will have to complete three steps to set the settings.
First of all, specify the path where the Ubuntu image is stored.
Then select the flash drive you want to use.
Click "Ok" and wait for the process to complete. You may feel like the program has frozen. Even Windows, when trying to access an application, will note that the process is not responding. Be patient, Unetbootin often behaves this way when writing data.
If you don’t have an Ubuntu disk image, you can select a distribution kit at the very top of the window, which will be downloaded by the program automatically. This installation method is only suitable for those who exchange data with the Internet at high speed.

BIOS Settings

After creating a bootable flash drive, you need to go into the BIOS and change the settings a little, otherwise installing Ubuntu from a flash drive will not be possible. To do this, restart your computer and watch the messages on the screen. Sometimes you need to press the F2 key to enter the BIOS settings, but most often manufacturers set the "DEL" button to be used. Here, go to the "Advanced" tab, and set the First Boot Device to USB. Exit the BIOS and save the changes (usually this can be done by pressing the "F10" button or selecting the appropriate item on the "Quit" tab).

Preparation

After completing all the manipulations in the BIOS settings and booting the computer, a selection menu will appear on the screen, which will offer you to either install Ubuntu from a flash drive or run a LiveCD. Choose your installation.
After selecting, the preparation window will open. In it, the user will be asked to make sure that there is enough free space on the HDD, and in addition to connect the computer to the Internet.
Often it will not be possible to connect to the Internet, except when using a Wi-Fi router. If you leave the installation program without the ability to connect to the global network, no errors will occur during the process, the latest updates will simply not be downloaded. They can be installed later.
At the bottom of the window there will be an inscription “install third-party software”. Check the box next to it: third-party software here is considered to be that which is not distributed under the GPL license.

Editing HDD partitions

The window that opens will offer several options to choose from: installing Ubuntu from a flash drive next to another operating system, installing Linux as the main OS, or partitioning your hard drive yourself.
Whichever option you choose, the next step will load the section editor. In it, the user will have to choose how much space to allocate for Ubuntu. If the option with self-partitioning is selected, the user will be given the opportunity to completely redraw the partition table (delete existing ones, create new ones, change the size, specify the format, set the cluster size).
After clicking the "Install" button, the program will display a warning saying that the partition table will be manipulated. They may take considerable time.
Click "Continue".

Completing preparation and installation

Some time will pass (the duration depends on the size of the HDD, data exchange speed, fragmentation), and a new window will appear on the screen prompting you to select a language, region, keyboard layout, and time zone.
At the next stage, the program will ask you to enter the new user name and password. After filling out this information, click "Continue".
Preparations are complete, installation of Ubuntu from the USB flash drive has begun. After it finishes, a message will appear on the monitor screen asking you to restart the computer.
After rebooting, do not forget to remove the USB flash drive or return the BIOS settings to their original state.