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Chapter 5: Installing Linux (Ubuntu 5.10)5.1 Installing your Linux distribution: Ubuntu 5.10 5.1.1. Network setup problems 5.1.2. Installing to a hard drive that already has an Operating System on it 5.2 Watch a video of a similar installation 
5.1 Installing a Linux Distribution: Ubuntu 5.10 Although this example shows the installation of the Ubuntu Linux distribution, installing most other Linux distributions is a similar process. I have chosen Ubuntu as it is a friendly, free, highly compatible distribution of Linux and at the point of writing, it has been the most popular distribution for quite some time. Please also note that this tutorial details the installation of Ubuntu Linux on a PC, if you have a Mac, the instructions are similar, but not the same. In particular, the tools you will use for partitioning your hard drive may be different. Step 1: Planning the Task ahead and readying your hard drives. 
If you remember back in Chapter 4 we discussed hard drives and partitioning. If you didn't read that part, skip back and read it now. WORDS OF CAUTION! At this early point in the process of installation, you must be aware that you will be working with your hard drive in order to install Linux. If the hard drive contains any important information at all, you MUST make a backup of that data before starting. I cannot be held responsible if you delete your own data! Okay. The first step is to use some software to 'slice' up your hard drive into partitions in order to put Linux onto it. You will not have to perform this step, if you have chosen to use a new/recycled hard drive to install linux onto. Also, if you are brave and wish to simply scrub the operating system (Windows/Mac OS) clean off your computer, then this step is also not necessary, otherwise, proceed forward!. As mentioned in Chapter 4, Using a tool like QTParted, PartitionMagic or the Ranish Parition Manager is the easiest way to 'slice' up the partitions. Try and devote as much space to Linux as possible, if for example you have 4GB unused/free space on an 8GB drive, resize your windows partition down from 8GB to 4GB, leaving 4GB for linux. Your hard drive, if drawn as a sideways graph, would look like this: 
Believe it or not, this first step is actually the point at which most newbies have the most difficulties. The rest of the task is actually pretty easy! Installing Ubuntu 5.10: Initiating Countdown, Houston! Okay. We have partitioned our drive, leaving free space at the end of the drive for Linux, it's time to put that CD in the drive and reboot the PC. If you don't already have an Ubuntu CD, visit Ubuntu's Download site and download the ISO image of Ubuntu 5.10 (Breezy Badger). It's a full CD big (700MB), so you will need a 700MB CD-R and a CD Burner then burn the image to the CD-R. If you don't have a CD-R Burner or if you have a narrowband (dialup) connection then Ubuntu Shipit. Ubuntu will ship you a CD free of charge, however postage takes some time. Alternatively, you can pay £4.99 at Cheeplinux to burn you a CD and to send it out to you. When The CD boots, you will be presented with a welcome screen, You will note that there are further options and compatibility switches available through keywords like 'server', or by using the Function keys. In a standard Ubuntu install, this will not be necessary. Simply hit return (ENTER). 
Click on the image to enlarge it Choosing the language The next screen that you will see is a Language selector, That one's easy. Choose English, or if your native tongue is not English, choose your appropriate language by using the cursor keys. Press RETURN on the language you want to use. 
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Click on the image to enlarge it Choosing the keyboard layout On the next screen, you will be asked to choose a keyboard layout. Make sure that you choose the correct one for your country or you'll find yourself pressing a @ on your keyboard, when you really want a quote (you get the idea). 
Click on the image to enlarge it ...About the ads on this site... At this point, Ubuntu's installer will attempt to see if it can find out a few things about your network. Typically, this will be any network cards or cable modems connected to your machine, however, you may have a router set up, so it will try and figure out about all of that too. Ubuntu does this by the standard method, DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). If Ubuntu can't find your network hardware (eg Network Card/Wifi Card/Modem), it'll tell you that Network autoconfiguration has failed. Fear not! - As long as you have the hardware - The Ultimate Linux Newbie Guide will help you out! Click Here if you can't get your network to autoconfigure. If the autoconfiguration was successful, the installer will ask you for a hostname. A hostname is simply the name your computer will take on the Internet. I reccomend that you do not take the default 'ubuntu', but personalise it with something you will recognise in the future. 
Click on the image to enlarge it Telling Linux to use the partitions on your hard drive. The empty partition you set up at the start of this chapter will now be configured for Linux. There are a number of options. The easiest, but not always the best option, is the first option (Erase entire disk). If you have set aside a seperate disk for Linux, then this will be an easy option, and you should give it some good consideration.
The next few screenshots detail the 'Erase entire disk' option. 
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Click on the image to enlarge it Choosing a time zone Simply choose the time zone for your part of the world. I live in Scotland, so I use London time. The installer automatically lists the most appropriate time zones for you, so this should be a no brainer! 
Click on the image to enlarge it Getting Personal! Believe it or not, but it is important to provide your system with your real name. This is because a lot of programs take this information from the system when they automate things, such as setting up email accounts. 
Click on the image to enlarge it ...About the ads on this site... Now that you've told Ubuntu who you are, you must specify a username for this user. Make it memorable, sensible and usable. Something to note about this first user on your machine: Ubuntu always sets the first user specified as an administrative user. In this context, this means that you, the first account on the machine (you can have as many as you like), will also get administrative priviliges on the machine to do things like install software and deal directly with hardware and all things associated with it (eg the kernel). Take this information with a little caution. If you are asked again for your password when doing something in Ubuntu, it is asking you to escalate your own privileges into what Linux calls the root user. Root is simply the administrator, but as administrator you have free reign over the system at all times. Do not perform tasks as root unless you know what you are about to do, or unless you have good confidence in the task ahead! 
Click on the image to enlarge it Password Next up is passwords. It's important that you follow this advice carefully, because in time to come, you may wish to open up services such as remote access onto your machine. It's simple but believe it or not, still a reasonably effective method of security, do not choose a simple word as a password. Also, don't think that your password is invulnerable to attack, simply because you use l33t-words (eg: h3ll0 for hello). Dictionary attacker bots/programs are wise to this these days. Don't reverse words either, choose random things, like for example, your favourite colour, and your first car, with a few numbers (maybe your year of birth) sprinkled in the middle for good measure. Here is a reasonable password: blue77volvo740GLS No, I wasn't born in 1977, my favourite colour isn't blue, and I've never had a Volvo 740GLS. However, you get the idea. The password is still important, especially if you ever run any server software on your machine in the future. 
Click on the image to enlarge it Getting there! By now, most of the software you will need will have been copied to your new partition on your hard drive, your user account will be set up and your regional settings are a distant memory. It's time to reboot the machine. Make sure the cd is removed from the drive and continue onwards! 
Click on the image to enlarge it Setting the screen up One of the last things you need to set up is your screen. Make sure you know what resolution your monitor can handle (as a guide, a good 17" CRT monitor can handle up to around 1200x800 pixels). Ubuntu will try to guess the resolutions of your monitor, but it is not always great at doing this, so feel free to press space on any resolutions you wish Ubuntu to use. By default, the highest resolution you pick is the one Ubuntu will use. You may be asked to provide screen refresh rates if your monitor cannot be probed for information correctly. If this is the case, go with the Simple setup unless you really know about the Horizontal and Vertical Refresh ranges of your monitor. You may choose Medium or Advanced, if you know this. 
Click on the image to enlarge it Welcome home! This is the login screen, and it's the screen you will see every time you start up Ubuntu. Type your username that you defined earlier, hit return, then enter your password. The system will then log you on. 
Click on the image to enlarge it The Ubuntu Desktop The Ubuntu desktop is a friendly place, which we will cover in later chapters, but briefly, you will see that a lot is very similar to either Windows or Mac OS. If you are used to Windows, your 'Start' menu can be located to the top left, as 'Applications'. All of your software can be located here in much the same way as it is in Windows. The Places menu contains a drop down list of all the major locations on your computer, much like the 'My Computer' dialogue in Windows does. The System menu provides tools to change the setup of your Ubuntu system, like the background wallpaper, the screen resolution, and more. The 'System Tray' is located to the top, far right, as well as a clock. The 'Window list' is the long gray bar at the bottom of the screen. When you launch an application from the Applications menu, it will appear down here so you can switch between programs, just like Windows. Two other mentionable items on this panel include the 'Desktop selector', which allows you to have 4 desktops, each with seperate programs running on them. This is really handy to stop cluttered desktops, as you can have for example, your E-Mail on one desktop, Web on another, and perhaps Music & Instant Messaging on another. Finally, you can see the Trash can, which provides a very similar task as to the 'Recycle Bin' in Windows. Enjoy! 
Click on the image to enlarge it Want More? Having problems? Try asking some questions in the Forum. 5.2: Video of a similar installation
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