Installing Ubuntu LINUX from a flash drive - instructions. Starting the Ubuntu system from a flash drive

At your request, we are publishing an article about installing Linux OS from a bootable USB flash drive. This article will be useful for those who want to have a bootable USB flash drive with Linux OS and for those who want to install Linux on a computer but do not have a drive. (for example, a netbook) First, we need the flash drive itself. The size is taken into account based on the chosen...

It cannot be said that the popularity of Unix-like operating systems is quite high, but at the same time, more and more people are switching to Linux for one reason or another. Of course, the average user cannot perceive such an operating system from the point of view of the only possible one. It is usually installed along with Windows. At the same time, most people prefer Ubuntu, since this OS is less difficult to understand.

Why do you need Linux (Ubuntu)?

• It's interesting to try an operating system that is completely different from Windows.
• Ubuntu is a free OS, as are most programs for Linux.
• You can install this type of OS even on an old machine, since it is less demanding than Windows.
• The Linux world has a limited number of viruses, which means a high security threshold.
• Your Linux-based OS will not require disk defragmentation, and its speed will not decrease over time.
• OS updates and program installations can occur without rebooting.
• Shutting down the system and booting it up is much faster than Windows.
• An ideal environment for programmers.

In addition to the positive aspects, of course, there are also negative ones. In particular, if you like to game, then Linux is not your operating system, since not all games can function in this environment. It is also problematic to install programs such as Microsoft Office, 1C, etc. Although this cannot be called a problem, since Linux complements the capabilities of Windows, and does not replace them.

Installing Ubuntu 13.10 from a USB flash drive

1., that is, format it:

• Open My Computer and find your flash drive.
• Right-click on it to bring up the options menu, and select an item such as “Format”.
• Change the FAT file system to NTFS (FAT does not allow you to write files larger than 4 GB).
• Activate the “Start” button and wait for the process to complete.

2. Download the Ubuntu boot disk image (895 MB).

3. To do this, you need to download the program (4.15 MB).

4. We write the image to a USB drive:

• Select the “File” tab.
• Then “Open” and specify the path to the image file.
• Go to the “Bootboot” program menu item, where you need to stop at the line “Burn Hard Disk Image”.
• Activate the “Record” button.

5. Reboot the computer and go to the BIOS to mark the boot from the flash drive and not from the hard drive. The ability to enter the BIOS is different for everyone, for example, the F11 button.

6. When you start the installation, you will see a window where you will be asked to select the interface language and two options for working with Ubuntu. First, you can select “Launch Ubuntu,” which allows you to test the OS without installation. Secondly, you can immediately proceed to the direct installation, that is, click “Install Ubuntu”.

7. If everything is fine with your Internet, then in the next window, check the boxes “Download the update during installation” and “Install this third-party software”, and then click “Continue”.

8. Go to the section where you should select the installation type. If your system is “bare”, that is, there is only one hard drive and no other OS, then installing Ubuntu will require a minimum of actions and knowledge:

• Activate the “New partition table” button, and then “Continue”.
• A table will be created with the corresponding free space, which must be highlighted and clicked “+”.
• In the pop-up window, the parameters of the main disk are determined: its size, Ext4 file system, mount point “/”.
• If you already have any operating systems installed or have more than one hard drive, then do not forget to correctly select the “Device for installing the system bootloader” item. Otherwise, you will not be able to get into Ubuntu, since the system selection will not be available. You need to select the device that comes first when you boot. For example, you have 7 and 8. In this case, 7 takes the first position when loading, so the bootloader should be placed on the disk where it is installed.

10. Decide on the keyboard layout.

11. Fill out the field with your name, password and login method, and then click “Continue”.

12. The installation process starts.

13. After installation is complete, the system reboots and you can enjoy all the features of Ubuntu.

Correct installation of Ubuntu from a flash drive will provide the ability to work on a computer or laptop in an operating system that provides for the legal free use of most programs and the platform itself, unlike Windows, which is distributed for free or using “pirated” distributions.

Linux also has other advantages that the user will receive after installing Ubuntu. And this will not take much time and following a few simple recommendations.

Benefits of installing from a USB drive

By installing Ubuntu OS from a flash drive, the user receives a number of advantages compared to installing the distribution kit on a CD or DVD:

• The ability to install the system on a device without a disk drive (which may, for example, be broken or absent altogether, as in some modern PCs, almost all netubes or nettops);
• High installation speed, since USB 2.0 and 3.0 flash drives are much faster compared to disks;
• No problems accessing information due to scratched disk surfaces.

Creating a USB flash drive for installing Ubuntu

Before installing the operating system on your computer, you should first download its distribution kit from a reliable site and install it on a flash drive, converting it to a suitable ISO format.

If you already have a system image, you should burn it to media.

The distribution kit already available on a flash drive will further simplify the procedure, but, as a rule, occupying it with only the installation program is ineffective - it’s easier to store Ubuntu on the computer’s hard drive.

Or on the same media, but configured not for loading, but for storing information - the distribution kit does not exceed 2 GB in size and can be freely located on media formatted in FAT32.

1. Download the distribution

Downloading the distribution kit will not take much time - you can find more or less modern versions on the websites Ubuntu.com or Ubuntu.ru.

Today, one of the most current systems is Ubuntu 14.04.

You can also find older versions here, but the computer resource requirements for Linux are not as different for the different options as for Windows.

And the latest platforms have more functionality.

2. Create a boot disk in Windows

Then insert the device into the USB port, restart the computer and begin the installation.

Another option is to call the boot menu when the computer boots (by pressing Esc, F2, F8 or one of the other top row function keys) and select boot from media.

Download Ubuntu Live

The Ubuntu Desktop distribution is an operating system that boots in Live mode, that is, without the need for installation on a PC.

In this case, the functionality of the platform will be approximately the same.

However, it is more convenient to work in the system when the system files are still on the hard drive.

Immediately after the bootable flash drive automatically starts, a window will appear on the screen asking you to first select the language that the user prefers to work with, and then the appropriate launch or installation mode:

After selecting the second option and Russian (or English, if that is more convenient for some purposes, or any other) language, a new window opens called “Preparing to install Ubuntu.”

Here you will see how much space there is on the hard drive partitions where the system will be installed, and whether there is an Internet connection - usually it is turned off during installation, but all updates for Ubuntu can be downloaded later.

The menu also suggests installing third-party software if it is built into the distribution (codecs for sound playback, etc.).

The next step is to select an installation option. Among them there is the possibility:

• Install the system, leaving the platform already available on the computer (for example, Windows) operational;
• Replace the old system with a new one;
• Carry out an installation with the ability to encrypt records to increase the level of security of working on the computer;
• Label the disks yourself, completely changing their existing sizes.

Advice! In most cases, for users just starting to work with Linux Ubuntu, it is worth choosing the first option. Experienced users are advised to select the second or last menu item.

Selecting the hard drive partition size

When choosing to install two operating systems simultaneously, the next window shows the sizes of the HDD partitions. Here you can choose which part of them will be occupied by the new OS, and which will remain assigned to the old one.

And, although you can partition a disk using special partition editors, it is better to do this by moving the separator between volumes.

In the example shown, one of the disks has a size of 16 GB. At the same time, most of it (9.5 GB formatted in NTFS) will be given to the Windows OS, and 6.5 GB with the ext4 file system will be able to be used by Ubuntu.

Today, installing a full-fledged and modern version (14.04) will take relatively little, about 10 GB.

However, there is a condition - when installing on top of Windows, another 4-5 GB is required for the swap partition, where the contents of RAM will be temporarily written when Ubuntu is running.

In addition, Linux, if a second system is left, should occupy 2 partitions.

But on a physical disk, already divided into 3-4 parts, this is not possible (the number of logical disks should not exceed 4).

In this case, you will have to create a separate partition to install the operating system.

Completing the operating system installation

After selecting “Install now”, a warning will appear about creating additional partitions and resizing old ones.

All this takes quite a lot of time - the more changes, the longer it will take to install the OS.

Once the installation is complete, the user is offered a choice of regional settings for the new system, including language and layout, as well as time zone.

This completes the transfer of Ubuntu from a flash drive to a computer.

Selecting regional standards for the new system

Ubuntu is an operating system. Before installing Ubuntu OS, you need to understand where the boot will come from. If you have a disk drive, it is better to use a disk with boot files. If you do not have a floppy drive or disk on which you can burn Ubuntu, you will have to create a bootable USB flash drive.
A bootable flash drive is more practical and convenient than a disk

Bootable USB flash drive for Ubuntu

Before we figure out how to install the operating system, let's create a bootable USB drive. For this we need an ISO image with the latest version of Ubuntu. If you don't have it, download it from the official website. Next, find the Unetbootin program. Now let's format the flash drive as indicated below.

The Unetbootin program does not require installation, so after downloading we launch it. Now we follow the steps:

• Specify the location of the image with the software
• The program finds the flash drive on its own, or we indicate the letter by which it is designated.
• Click “Ok” and wait for the work to complete.

When working with Unetbootin, there is a hang during the installation phase. Don't rush to cancel the action. You may have to wait 10 minutes until the program hangs and continues working.

Now all that remains is to install the operating system on the computer. Let's figure out how to do this further.

BIOS to help

The installation will not cause you any difficulties, except for the initial boot of the USB drive. If you have not encountered a similar question, then you will have difficulties. If you insert a bootable USB flash drive into your computer and reboot, the operating system will not automatically install in all cases. To do this, you will have to go into BIOS mode and configure the PC to boot from the desired media.

To enter this mode immediately after turning on the PC, press Del or F2. These are common keys for entering BIOS. If you don’t succeed, when you boot your PC, carefully look at the startup screen, there is a button that will start the mode. Depending on your PC model, a menu will open in which you can change the startup order.

In addition to the BIOS, the Boot Menu can help you. By calling it at the beginning of boot, you can specify the desired method for starting the PC. This method is used for a one-time change:

1. Change Password
2. OS installation
3. Virus scan

Therefore, it is better to use this method in our case. To call the Boot Menu, immediately after turning it on, click on:

Installing Ubuntu from a USB flash drive: step-by-step instructions

Installing OSes from a flash drive can also be done on an empty hard drive. The process is simple, you just have to click “Next” and select the values ​​you need. In the Installation Type section, you can select Other Option. A sign indicating your hard drive will appear in front of you. Now let's create a few more sections. Click "New partition table". Let's create three sections:

• Root with OS location

• home partition where files will be stored

• swap partition - the same one in case of lack of memory

For each of them you need to select a certain amount of memory, depending on the capabilities of the PC. For the OS location we define 30 GB, for the auxiliary memory 2 GB is enough, but we distribute the rest of the memory to the home memory to accommodate personal files. Then we determine the location of the bootloader (this is the hard drive) and click “Install now”.

How to install Ubuntu next to another OS

If you have Windows on your PC, but you want to install a second operating system, you need to find out how to do this without losing data. The installer will determine and indicate that there is another OS on the PC. You will be offered automatic installation, complete removal of the previous version and manual configuration. Select the last option “Other option”.

We are faced with the most difficult boot step - disk partitioning. Due to the fact that we need a different OS, we will have to allocate another partition on the hard drive for the new OS. We have a table with an existing disk or disks. All partitions are allocated for the current OS, so we need to allocate space for the one being installed. Next we select:

• “Free space” – “Add”.
• As in the first case, create a root partition “/”. Select the volume, from 20 to 30 GB.
• Add a home partition and allocate the required possible volume (you can allocate all the remaining memory, just don’t forget to leave 2GB)
• We need these 2 GB for the swap partition.
• Select the hard drive as the storage location for the bootloader and click “Install Now”

WATCH THE VIDEO

Installing ubuntu next to windows 7 is a dangerous task for beginners, and if you do not understand this, it is better to turn to professionals. After all, in the event of some error, all your data from your PC may be lost. By the way, installing windows on ubuntu thanks to VirtualBox will also not take much time.

Installation by other methods

There is a method in this topic: installing ubuntu over the network. This option takes a lot of time and requires certain knowledge. Therefore, if you do not have a wealth of knowledge in this area, then it is better not to take it on. It is much easier to install the OS via a disk or flash drive.

Once the download is complete, the setup after installing ubuntu is simple. You complete all the required steps during installation. This is the choice of interface language, choice of location, time, naming the PC and setting a password. Otherwise, the required initial programs will be provided to you.

And finally

You may need a dedicated server. Installing ubuntu server will solve this problem. But the process itself is very difficult. In addition to the ubuntu server program, you will need to have patience and knowledge that will allow you to understand this topic. After installation, you will have to configure the ubuntu server network. As a result, you will get your own dedicated server on Ubuntu OS for work and your own projects.

Now you know everything about installing Ubuntu from a flash drive.