Ubuntu Advice

O

OneSerious

New member
So there's nothing to be done in work and I got bored. I looked up Ubuntu and decided I'd like to give it a go. Their site gives decent instructions on how to create a disc or USB to run straight off or install if you wish.

Can somebody in the know please give me advice in regards to disc partitioning and how much space I would need? I have about 200GB free on my HDD but plan to fill it soon, so don't want Ubuntu taking to much space.

Is there any sort of risks involved with the installing this? Can it harm my current 7 install?

So to summarise,
1) Is it as easy to install as Ubuntu make out?
2) Advice on partitioning. How do I go around setting them up and can they be easily removed if need be?
3) Risks.
4) Must have apps.

Any help will be much appreciated as usual.

Thanks.
 

My Computer

OS
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
I will not have all your answers and my only experience comes from the many posts that I have been involved with.

Here are the requirements
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/SystemRequirements

Based upon what I have learned it is very easy to install, many have requested help after a sucesssful installation. The problems encountered had nothing to do with the installation, but rather the dual boot that was required. Some uninstalling and not being able to boot windows. I think that is your biggest risk.
I have had situations where some were not able to boot Windows after installation, but that was not too common.
You would want to make a system image with the native software or to use Macrium Reflect and put the image in a safe place. In the event of any kind of problem you can fall back on the image and be ready to go
There have not been any reported problems with the partition process other than you may not be able to use the native partition software and would have to use some other software. This software has been mentioned and complimented in the past http://www.partitionwizard.com/free-partition-manager.html
Finally, wish you luck. There will be many more posters, who will give much more detailed advice. This is just the beginning, to give you something to think about.
 

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Thanks for the info. If Windows doesn't boot it's not the end of the world really. I have all my files and software backed up so a clean install would be painless enough.

I'll maybe just have to read around a bit more and make sure to follow the most sound advice. Like you said, hopefully some more people can come along and help out.
 

My Computer

OS
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Last edited:

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell XPS 420
OS
Windows 10, Home Clean Install
CPU
Intel Core2 processsor Q8200(2.33Ghz 1333FSB) Quad Core Tech
Motherboard
Dell
Memory
6 gb
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Radeon 256MB HD3650
Sound Card
Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell SP2009W 20"
Hard Drives
640 GB Serial ATA Hard drive
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Dell USB Keyboard
Mouse
Dell Premium Optical USB
Internet Speed
DSL 2.85
With Ubuntu, it's very easy. What you want to perform is a wubi install. It's a special installer on the CD that you can run which will more or less install Ubuntu not into it's own partition, but rather into a folder on your existing C drive. It will then add an option to the windows boot loader so that when you turn on and boot up your machine, you will be given a choice to boot into Windows or Linux. And if you later decide that Ubuntu is not for you, simply boot into Windows, go to Add/Remove programs and uninstall Ubuntu. It really couldn't be easier and it leaves you with no real risk to your actual system.

Ubuntu most likely would only need about 8GB of space. The actual install will only use about 2-3GB of that...leaving you with 5+GB free for fooling around. When you install from wubi, it asks you how big of a hard drive you want. So, if you want to have some extra breathing room, just enter in 20GB and you should be all set.

I wouldn't worry right now about any "must have" apps. If you are new to Linux..the learning curve is going to be considerable and just getting around is going to take up a fair amount of time.
 

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Self-Built in July 2009
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pparks1 said:
With Ubuntu, it's very easy. What you want to perform is a wubi install. It's a special installer on the CD that you can run which will more or less install Ubuntu not into it's own partition, but rather into a folder on your existing C drive. It will then add an option to the windows boot loader so that when you turn on and boot up your machine, you will be given a choice to boot into Windows or Linux. And if you later decide that Ubuntu is not for you, simply boot into Windows, go to Add/Remove programs and uninstall Ubuntu. It really couldn't be easier and it leaves you with no real risk to your actual system.

Ubuntu most likely would only need about 8GB of space. The actual install will only use about 2-3GB of that...leaving you with 5+GB free for fooling around. When you install from wubi, it asks you how big of a hard drive you want. So, if you want to have some extra breathing room, just enter in 20GB and you should be all set.

I wouldn't worry right now about any "must have" apps. If you are new to Linux..the learning curve is going to be considerable and just getting around is going to take up a fair amount of time.
Click to expand...
Thanks mate. So is this wubi install just an option provided by Ubuntu? It's not some sort of 3rd party thing? If so, do I just follow the infromation on their site on making the ISO disk and running from that? Cheers from your input.
 

My Computer

OS
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Just a note of caution... Linux doesn't seem to play well with ATI graphics cards so I just stopped using it when I switched from Nvidia. I haven't tried the latest drivers though so please let us know how it goes.
 

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windows 7 Ultimate x64
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Asus Xonar Essence STX
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Corsair HX-1000
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Corsair Air 540
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Corsair H100i
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Microsoft Sidewinder x4
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Intellimouse Explorer 3.0
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Cable
kylehimself said:
So is this wubi install just an option provided by Ubuntu? It's not some sort of 3rd party thing?
Click to expand...

Yep, it's an ubuntu feature - not a 3rd party app.

It essentially creates a bootable VHD.
 

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Systems by SmartEyeball
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Now I've got Ubuntu installed which was a breeze with Wubi. I can't get figure out how to get my wireless USB to connect to the internet. I've searched on-line to no avail.
 

My Computer

OS
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell and Custom
OS
Systems 1 and 2: Windows 7 Enterprise x64, Win 8 Developer
CPU
System 1: i7 [email protected], System 2: AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6G
Motherboard
System 1:Dell 06NWYK System 2: ASUS M5A97 AM3+
Memory
System 1: 8GB System 2: 8GB
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System 1: ATI FirePro V4800 System 2: Radeon HD 6850
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System 1: onboard System 2: onboard
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System1: Viewsonic HDMI 24"
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System 1: 1920x1080 System 2: 1920x1080
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System 1: Mirrored .5B drives System 2: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s
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System 1: Dell System 2: Cooler Master
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The easiest ways, by far to use Ubuntu is to either use the LiveCD (which doesn't save your settings) or run Ubuntu in a virtual machine. I prefer the virtual machine, because you download the .iso already, so you only need to install something like VirtualBox and you are ready to go. This way, I'm not interfering with my main system's OS.
 

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Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
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Intel Core i7-2600
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Nvidia GTX 470
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Dell UltraSharp 2209WA
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OCZ Agility3 240 GB, WD5001AALS, WD7501AALS
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OCZ ModStream 700W
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CoolerMaster HAF 912 Advanced
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CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus
Got to love the Wubi installer. If you don't like uninstall, all things go back to once before!
 

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kylehimself said:
Lemur said:
See if your USB wireless has a linux driver.
You might also be able to use an ndiswrapper:
SourceForge.net: ndiswrapper
Click to expand...

Damn, my device isn't supported. Not to worry. I'll just poke about for the meantime and see what it has to offer.
Click to expand...

Sorry about that. That's why I wanted you to check. You still might be able to user the wrapper.

I have Ubuntu installed on a workstation and on vmwareplayer. I like to use it for network diagnostics. It can run a ton of software, like GIMP, Pidgin, OpenOffice, etc. Plus I like to compile FF and other programs. It's (can I say this?) fun.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell and Custom
OS
Systems 1 and 2: Windows 7 Enterprise x64, Win 8 Developer
CPU
System 1: i7 [email protected], System 2: AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6G
Motherboard
System 1:Dell 06NWYK System 2: ASUS M5A97 AM3+
Memory
System 1: 8GB System 2: 8GB
Graphics Card(s)
System 1: ATI FirePro V4800 System 2: Radeon HD 6850
Sound Card
System 1: onboard System 2: onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
System1: Viewsonic HDMI 24"
Screen Resolution
System 1: 1920x1080 System 2: 1920x1080
Hard Drives
System 1: Mirrored .5B drives System 2: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s
Case
System 1: Dell System 2: Cooler Master
Internet Speed
10 MBPS
Lemur, from what I seen it looks like a really nice OS. The fact it's free... Oh my!
 

My Computer

OS
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Lemur said:
I have Ubuntu installed on a workstation and on vmwareplayer. I like to use it for network diagnostics. It can run a ton of software, like GIMP, Pidgin, OpenOffice, etc. Plus I like to compile FF and other programs. It's (can I say this?) fun.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I use Linux a fair amount at home. It's nice to know what you can do without being limited by Microsoft licensing and cost.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self-Built in July 2009
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
Memory
8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
Sound Card
Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
Monitor(s) Displays
23" Acer x233H
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
PSU
Corsair 620HX modular
Case
Antec P182
Cooling
stock
Keyboard
ABS M1 Mechanical
Mouse
Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
Internet Speed
15/2 cable modem
Other Info
Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
So I have another wireless usb that is supported. Can somebody advice how to install please? I've located the inf and sys files from the Vista machine it is installed on.

Thanks.
 

My Computer

OS
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Got the new USB adapter working. I'm posting via Ubuntu now! Really nice operating system. Can anybody suggest some helpful or fun apps? Cheers guys.
 

My Computer

OS
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Linux is not like Windows, where right after you install, you need to get applications. Most user apps are built right in. What type of application your looking for?

Play around with Compiz, and desktops, get the all to famous CUBE.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    PowerSpec G164
    OS
    WIN10
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 3600 6-Core Processor 3.59 GHz
    Memory
    16.0 GB
    Internet Speed
    VERY FAST>>>!!!
  • Antivirus
    ESET Security Premium
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