Updated: November 1, 2012
In Windows 7, users would typically go to a website, download a program installer (exe or msi), and then run these files to install and configure their software. Some applications have a built-in update mechanism, but most do not, and it is up to the user to manage and update their applications as they see fit. In Ubuntu, application management is done using Ubuntu Software, which utilizes a store model.
Windows 7 is out. Ubuntu 9.10 is coming next week. Do you know what this means? It's time for a dual boot tutorial. We have learned how to install Windows 7. We have learned how to install Ubuntu.
Anyhow, today, we will learn how to install Windows 7 AND Ubuntu, side by side on the same hard disk, in what is known as a dual boot configuration. In the Ubuntu installation guide, I have promised you we would do this, so here we are. P.S. For more detailed information on new versions of both Windows and Ubuntu, please consult the reading section below.
We are going to do what a typical Windows user would do:
We will install Ubuntu on a computer that already has Windows 7 installed. We will have to accommodate space for our Ubuntu installation. To this end, we will use the GParted partitioning tool to resize (shrink) the Windows installation and create new partitions for Ubuntu.
After Ubuntu is installed, we will have to deal with an error - a typical case of unbootable Windows, a common problem that can occur when the Windows installation is changed. We will learn how to deal with this problem simply and efficiently using the built-in tools, fixing the Windows boot issue. In the end, we will have the two operating systems installed side by side in a dual boot configuration, both working happily.
This tutorial is critical for any Windows user considering running Linux alongside his/her installation. Not only will it teach the user how to interpret the hard disk layout and change it safely and smartly, it will also expose the user to a seemingly catastrophic boot failure, which we will solve. This exercise in dual-booting is as real as it can get. Follow me.
To be able to fully enjoy this tutorial and follow all its minute details, you must invest some time in reading older material, on which this guide is based. Lots of technical lingo in this tutorial references to detailed, step-by-step instructions presented in the dedicated Windows 7 and Ubuntu installation guides, as well as additional tutorials.
Please do not skip this section. While you can use this guide without any external help, you will greatly benefit from studying the other articles. They will teach you the vital, fundamental basics in operating system installations, disk management and boot loading procedure.
Dual booting - Windows & Linux (based on Windows XP & Kubuntu)
This is the classic case. A Windows user, who has already installed Windows on his/her machine would like to try Linux. The user has heard of Ubuntu, which comes as no surprise, since it is the most popular Linux distribution available. The user downloads the Ubuntu live CD image, burns it to CD - and the fun begins.
Windows users need to consider carefully the pros and cons of testing a new operating system on their hardware. Please go through the following list and see if any of the issues mentioned might be of concern for you.
There might be hardware issues
Linux distributions have good hardware support in general, but there's no such thing as perfect. You may be the unlucky person whose hardware is incompatible with this or that edition of this or that Linux distribution. This can cause problems in getting the operating system to boot or you might have to deal with missing drivers after the installation.
The same holds true for Windows, but Windows usually comes preinstalled and you get a load of drivers when you buy a new computer. Keep this in mind before venturing into uncharted territories.
Windows and Linux are different
Windows users have a notion of how things work based on their former experience with computers, mostly revolving around one or more Windows releases. The Linux operating system is different. Mastering it takes time and patience. Do not expect to become experts overnight or be able to solve all your problems early on. At all times, you must remember that the two operating systems are different, they behave and act differently.
Data loss
Whenever you're about to change the existing installation, there's a risk of data loss, regardless of which operating system you're about to install. It is important to make sure you have your critical data backed up to external media. You should also verify that your backups are intact and that they can be restored.
Therefore, to install Windows and Linux together, you need to be confident your data is safely backed up and you need to understand that there might be hardware issues with your installation. Likewise, the methodology to solving the problems will differ from you're used to in Windows. As long as you keep these things in mind, your dual-boot experience will be a pleasant one.
Very fortunately, Ubuntu (as many other Linux distros) comes as a bootable live CD. This means you can boot Ubuntu and test the hardware compatibility, without making any changes to your existing installations on the hard disk. This is an excellent feature that lets you play with the operating system, get the first impression, check different applications, and make sure all your hardware is properly detected.
This is what we will do. Boot into live CD, make sure everything works, then proceed with the installation. Following the instructions in the Ubuntu installation guide should have you logged into the Ubuntu live session in the matter of minutes:
Make sure your wired and Wireless network adapters are functioning, make sure your Bluetooth, Web camera, sound card, and possibly the graphics card all work as expected. This is the first step to ensuring smooth and painless installation and post-install experience. If you need guidance how to test all these, please refer to any one of my Linux distro reviews, including Ubuntu 8.10 and Ubuntu 9.04 in particular. Once you're sure everything is ready, you can begin the installation.
Truth to be told, you should NOT start the installation immediately, but we will do this anyway. I want to show you how an average user might act and follow his/her train of thought.
Please note, it is okay to start the installation, but there is an ever better and smarter way to approach the task. We will soon learn why and how. For now, let's double-click on the Install button. This will begin the Ubuntu installation.
The most important step of the installation is Step 4: Prepare Disk Space. In technical terms, this is called partitioning.
Let us first examine the current situation:
Ubuntu wisely informs you that This computer has Windows Vista (loader) on it. Good. This means that Ubuntu recognizes the existing installation.
Do not be confused about the Windows Vista terminology. Windows Vista and Windows 7 use the same bootloader, hence the 'erroneous' notation. This will definitely change in the coming version of Ubuntu.
Take a look at the existing layout. There's a small, 100MB Windows system partition present and another 13.6GB partition in use, plus some free space. If you recall the Windows 7 installation, these are exactly the partitions we created, both primary!
We now know that we should not touch or alert the small Windows system partition, but we might be able to resize (shrink) the big NTFS partition in order to accommodate more space for Ubuntu. So far so good. Let's see what else the installer offers us:
The default installation choice is to install Windows and Ubuntu side by side. Good. This is what we want. Ubuntu even suggests its own recommended layout. While it looks quite OK, I do not think you should accept it. I think that partitioning is too important to leave in the hands of an automated installer. This is a task that you need to do manually, carefully examining each and every step.
So we should choose the third option, Specify partitions manually (advanced).
Now, we need to manually edit the partitions.
Before you make any change, let's examine the image above some more. Again, it's the same thing from before, only shown in the table form rather than as a graph ribbon. We have two partitions on the disk, sda1 and sda2, both primary, both formatted as NTFS. There's also some free space. What more, sda2 is also quite free, with less than half occupied by Windows 7 files. We have several options:
Install Ubuntu into the free space
This is the simplest choice. We will have to create the Extended partition and then create three logical partitions inside it, one for the root filesystem, one for home and one for swap. The 6.3GB free space is enough for a Ubuntu installation.
Note: On a production system, the free space might have been occupied by one or more existing partition, maybe a FAT32 or NTFS partition used for data in Windows or maybe a previous Linux installation. Whichever the case, you need to KNOW what's there, correctly match data seen in Windows to what you see in the installer and make your choice.
Shrink Windows and create a new layout
This is also an option, somewhat more complex. Let's say we want more than the free space we have. This means we will have to make the Windows sda2 partition smaller. Luckily, this can be done, because the partition is quite large and mostly unused.
We will go for option (b), both because it is harder and because it more closely resembles reality, where most people do not plan ahead and have to work around the limitations of their installations. Which brings me to the most important thing of all: planning is everything.
Plan ahead, two, three, five years. It's not easy or always possible, but it's a must for flexible, carefree computing. You need to think ahead and make sure your setup will be valid many years into the future.
What am I trying to tell you?
Before you install any operating system, think, think, think! Is this going to be a dual-boot system? Will you be installing more than one operating system? If so, make sure you create a smart partition layout in advance and dedicate partitions to each instance.
Not only does this make more sense, it is safer. You won't have to fiddle with existing partitions containing important data. You will be instantly ready for new installations, with partitions waiting for you.
Recommendation:
If you're going to create dual-boot layouts on your machines, then here are some golden rules that should serve you well.
Example:
Here's the layout I would make. Let's assume a 100GB disk, so we can relate to partition sizes in relative terms (percentage). I will also use generic /dev/sdaX names for the partitions.
This setup does not yield best performance in Linux, because Linux root and swap are toward the end of the disk, which is slower, but it makes sense for a typical dual-boot user. Creating this setup AHEAD of any installation is a wise, healthy move.
Can we use this recommended setup in our case?
The answer is: no. We did not create the partitions using a third-party tool like GParted. We created the partitions using Windows 7 installer. Unfortunately, Windows 7 creates all new partitions as primary. Here's a reminder:
So, we will have to handle the situation a little differently. We still need three partitions for Linux (root, swap, home). There are already two partitions in use by Windows. There can only be a total of four primary partitions on any hard disk. This means we must create the Extended partition in the free space, including the extra space gained by Windows 7 partition shrinking, otherwise we must forgo either the use of separate swap or home in Ubuntu. If push comes to shove, Ubuntu can manage with just one partition, but this is not recommended. So, the tasks at hand are:
Our first task is to edit sda2:
Remember the recommendation to use a dedicated partitioning tool? This is what we're going to do. We're going to close the installer and use GParted. We know what we need, the only thing left is to use the right tool for the right job - GParted.
GParted comes with Ubuntu. It can be found under System > Administration > Partition Editor.
OK, let's make sure we have everything we want and need:
If you've read my extensive GParted tutorial, you know how to do this. It's rather simple. Highlight the partition and click on Resize/Move in the icon menu.
Choose the new size. We'll lake it smaller by some 2GB.
Once you approve of the new size, click Resize/Move. Nothing will happen yet. GParted will write down the task, but it will not run it until you click Apply in the main icon menu. This is a good thing, as it lets you make new changes and cancel tasks.
The next step is to create the Extended partition that will span the entire free space, including the new 2GB freed from Windows.
Next, we will create the root, swap and home for Ubuntu. We'll format the root and home with Ext4 filesystem. Please refer to the Ubuntu installation guide for more details.
This is the final layout:
Triple check the layout, make sure you've done everything as you planned. Once you're fully satisfied, click Apply and let the tool run. GParted will start working. It will first run the shrinking task.
GParted is quite friendly. GParted will first run a simulation to make sure it can do the desired task. Then, it will run a consistency check on the NTFS partition and try to fix errors if it finds any, it will then resize the partition and copy all the data over. Depending on the chosen sizes and the disk speed, this can take many hours.
Next, it will create the Linux partitions.
Success!
If everything went as expected, GParted will complete all of the task successfully. However, please note there is no guarantee that you will succeed. Your disk may be damaged or there might be irreparable errors with the filesystem you're working on. What more, GParted might not be able to resize Windows partitions.
Remember, partitioning is a very delicate procedure. It may (and should) work. Then again, in a few cases, it may and will fail. You must be aware of this. Luckily, we had no problems.
And here's the desired layout:
Now we can go back and resume the installation.
We will close GParted and click on the Install icon once again. In Step 4, we will now be seeing a whole new layout:
Again, we will use the third option (Specify partitions manually). Ubuntu recommends yet another shrinking of the Windows 7 partition, but it is not necessary. We have all we need. We will now manually assign mountpoints to our freshly created root, swap and home partitions.
Highlight the partitions (sda5-7) and assign them relevant mount points. There's no need to format them again, because we just did that with GParted.
Apple wireless keyboard replacement. Here's the final setup:
Warning
The installer will warn you that you're not formatting the root filesystem and that it's going to destroy any existing directories found there. Since we know we've just created the partitions and want to use them for our new Ubuntu installation, this is ok.
Our installation is ready.
But there's one more thing to configure.
Ubuntu informed us that sda1 contains Vista (loader) on it. This is expected. Every operating system must use some form of bootloader to start. When you're running a dual boot system, you will have two options, using either the Windows bootloader or GRUB, which is the default loader in most Linux distros, including Ubuntu.
If you've read my GRUB tutorial, you know that GRUB can be used to boot both Linux and Windows operating systems. This is what we're going to do. We'll use GRUB and call on Windows 7 bootloader from it, which will then manage the Windows boot sequence. This is a standard procedure in dual boot systems.
The default setting is to install the bootloader, so you need not do anything. We're ready. Click Install and let the procedure complete.
After you reboot the system following Ubuntu installation, you will now see the GRUB menu, showing entries for both Linux and Windows, just as we've expected. This is very similar to what we've seen with Windows XP and Kubuntu. Notice the 'erroneous' Windows Vista entry. No matter, we can change it. See GRUB tutorial for more details.
Let's first boot Ubuntu. Indeed, everything works fine. Let's make some more checks. For example, if you go to Place, you can see the Windows partitions in the list, called System Reserved and 11.5GB Media.
And here are the contents of the 11.5GB drive:
Now, let's boot Windows.
Oops, we get this horrible error!
This is exactly what I wanted you to see! Don't panic!
Whenever you use a partitioning tool against an installed system, there's a chance of a problem, filesystem corruption and who knows what else. There is no guarantee for success. Re-partitioning of installed operating systems is risky. This is why you should always create your setup BEFORE installations, so you never have to face this kind of problem.
What went wrong?
Well, my guess is the resizing (shrinking) messed up the filesystem. No worries, we will fix it. Luckily, we can solve this one rather easily. The error message itself suggests the course of action - boot from Windows installation disc, choose Language settings, click on Repair your computer and let the built-in Windows tools do the job. Let's do it, then.
Following the instructions, we will boot from the Windows installation disc.
Click on Repair your computer:
And you will see this menu:
Let Windows repair itself. Apple shortcut keys symbols. It should do a pretty good job. Indeed, we're up and running. Windows 7 will start booting and recommend you run checkdisk against your disk, offering yet another hint that the resizing procedure messed things up a little. You should indeed let the tool run.
And soon, you'll see the login menu:
And here we can see the changes in My Computer and the Disk Management.
One thing that Windows 7 does not report correctly are the partition types for our Linux partitions. It reports all of them as primary, for a total of five on the same disk! Impossible! But this is a small glitch overall.
In case the automated Windows 7 self-repair does not work, you can use additional tools available via the Recovery console. In addition to Startup Repair, you can also try System Restore, Image Recovery, and even check the Memory.
That's it, we're finally done! We have our dual-boot system running. Windows 7 and Ubuntu are installed side by side. Everything works as expected. We've even had to deal with a serious boot issue in Windows, but we managed it quite well. This is a very important lesson.
You might also be interested in the following:
Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin review one and two and three
Windows 8 reviews: Customer Preview and Enterprise RTM review
Dual booting Windows 7 and Ubuntu is not a simple task. It requires attention to details and patience. And there is no guarantee that it will work. However, if you follow the instructions carefully and invest time planning your setup, you will enjoy a pleasant, problem-free experience of running two or more operating systems side by side. What more, even if you do encounter errors, you have the right knowledge and tools to solve them easily.
Hopefully, this tutorial has provided you with the crucial knowledge and real-life examples to configuring a complex, useful dual boot system. We will visit the concept of dual booting once again when openSUSE 11.2 is launched. In addition to the standard installation guide for openSUSE, we will again setup a dual boot system.
P.S. If you find this article useful, please support Dedoimedo.
Cheers.
Installing an operating system is not an easy task. For most people, this is something they will never have done. The vast majority of people buy computers with the operating system already installed, so they never have to manually run through the system setup. The process can be intimidating, but we will try to make it as simple as possible.
In this article, we’d like to continue the journey we started last week – how to successfully migrate from Windows 7 to Ubuntu. In the first article, we talked about the preparation steps – the differences between Windows and Ubuntu, software parity, hardware support, and data backup ahead of the change. Here, we will show you how to safely install Ubuntu. In the last tutorial of this series, we will tour the Ubuntu desktop, install popular applications, and learn how to use Ubuntu.
Let’s start with the phrases we will use in this tutorial. Some of the terms can seem vague at this point, but they will make more sense as we go along.
The setup of a new operating system is broadly called installation. The installation has several stages:
| Phrase | Windows | Linux |
| Installation media | ISO file | ISO file |
| Boot sequence | The startup of a computer | The startup of a computer |
| Live session | N/A | A session in which the operating system runs in memory only and does not touch the hard disks; it is great for non-destructive testing of the operating system and software |
| Installation | Copy of the installation media to hard drive and user setup | Copy of the installation media to hard drive and user setup |
| Partitioning | The installation sub-step during which the hard disk is configured | The installation sub-step during which the hard disk is configured |
| Partition | A logical slice of the hard disk. In Windows, these are identified by drive letters, like C:, D: | Partitions in Linux use the following notation: /dev/sdXyX – letter (a, b, c, etc) that denotes which the hard disk number. If you have only one hard disk, it will be a.Y – number that denotes the partition on a particular hard disk. For instance, /dev/sda3 denotes the third partition on the first hard disk. |
| Filesystem | The logical structure used to store files on a drive. By default, Windows uses NTFS. | By default, Linux uses Ext4. Linux supports many other filesystems, and can also read/write Windows filesystems. |
| Mountpoint | The logical endpoint by which the filesystem on a particular partition is made accessible to the user. Synonymous with how partitions are shown to the user through Window Explorer (C:, D:, etc). | In Linux, there is a single tree that contains all mount points to all filesystems. The top-tree element is called root, and it is identified by the forward-slash character (/). Entries under the root will then point to different folders/files. For example: /usr – folder that contains application data. It can be mapped to any partition/filesystem (e.g.: /dev/sda5)/home – folder that contains user data, like application settings and documents. It can be mapped to any partition/filesystem (e.g.: /dev/sdb6) |
| Formatting | The process of initialization of a partition with a new filesystem. This is a destructive process. | The process of initialization of a partition with a new filesystem. This is a destructive process. |
Macbook not recognizing external hard drive. There are multiple ways operating systems can be configured – this is not unique to Ubuntu; this is true for all operating systems out there.
If you decide to install Ubuntu, the sequence of steps will be slightly different based on your choice of the configuration (single boot, dual boot, etc).
If you want to replace Windows 7 with Ubuntu, you will need to:
If you want to dual-boot Windows with Ubuntu – even as a transition step until you get accustomed to using Ubuntu, you will need to choose one of the two options below:
Please note: This scenario will not actually migrate you from Windows 7 to Ubuntu. However, it is a very useful exercise, as it will help you get familiar and comfortable with the new operating system, so you can then commit to a setup on physical hardware – and actually replace Windows 7.
Let’s start with the simplest and safest of scenarios – we will install VirtualBox, a free virtualization software, create an Ubuntu virtual machine template, and then run through the installation.
Run the downloaded VirtualBox setup exe, and follow the instructions. The one part where you need to pay attention is the configuration of network adapters. By design, virtualization products create virtual machines (computers), with their own virtual hardware, including network. You will need to approve the installation of VirtualBox network drivers (signed by Oracle).
Once VirtualBox is installed and configured, start the application. Click on the New button. You will now be asked several questions. You will need to provide the name for your virtual machine (VM). You can use anything, like John or Jane, but it is best to use the exact operating system version. If you type in Ubuntu, VirtualBox will automatically detect what you’re trying to do.
The next step is decide how much RAM you want to give your VM. Then, you need to configure a virtual hard disk. Once these steps are complete, the VM is ready to start. However, we also need to attach the Ubuntu ISO to it.
Click on Settings. In the new window, click on Storage. In the right panel, there will be multiple Storage Devices listed – think hard disks and DVD trays on a physical computer. You will have your hard disk there (in the .vdi format), and an empty IDE controller with a virtual optical drive attached to it. Select it, and then, from the drop down menu, select Choose a disk file… and navigate to where you downloaded the Ubuntu ISO (called something like ubuntu-18.04.3-desktop-amd64.iso). Fs 1 5 7 – note manager cover letter. After you complete this step, you can start the VM, and it should boot from the “external” media (in this case the virtual DVD tray).
Once you start the virtual machine, you will see Ubuntu launch.
On startup, Ubuntu will ask you what you want to do – Try Ubuntu or Install Ubuntu.
If you select Try Ubuntu, the operating system will launch into a live session, running from memory. Your disks are untouched at this stage. You can play around, get the feel for the operating system and its desktop layout, try network connectivity, test applications, and more. Once you’re ready to install Ubuntu, click on the desktop icon, or the installer shortcut in the vertical taskbar on the left.
The installation process is done with a step-by-step wizard. The first step is just a Welcome note and installer language selection.
The second step is to choose your keyboard layout. You can always add more layouts (and languages) after the installation.
The optional third step is network. If you’re using a desktop and have a wired connection, you probably won’t see this step in the installer. If you’re on a laptop with a wireless connection, the installer will ask you if you want to connect to an access point. This is not mandatory, but it does allow you to install updates before you get to the desktop. Alternatively, you can connect to the network from the top taskbar (panel), via a drop-down menu in the right corner.
The fourth step is to decide what setup you like. Most people want the normal installation, which comes with a complete desktop and a set of productivity applications. You can also choose to install third-party software, graphics drivers and media codecs (last checkbox). This is recommended, as it will give you access to a wider range of applications and use cases.
In the virtual machine, your hard disk will contain no data. This is why the installer will notify you that it cannot detect any operating systems. It also makes the first option – Erase disk and install Ubuntu – perfectly safe to run.
The installation will begin now in the background. You will be able to configure your timezone and your user. The choice of the timezone will determine your language locale. For instance, if you’ve selected English (US) as your keyboard layout and choose London, UK as your timezone, Ubuntu will be configured with British English as the desktop interface language. You will be able to change this after the installation if you like.
The user setup is self-explanatory – choose your name, computer name and your password. You can auto-login into the desktop, or have the system ask you for your credentials to allow you to login.
https://coolsload266.weebly.com/play-windows-media-files-on-mac.html. Here, we will configure a dual-boot setup. Once again, we are not getting rid of Windows 7 just yet. But this scenario allows us to test Ubuntu on physical hardware without altering the Windows 7 data. This way we will gain additional knowledge and practice ahead of the actual migration.
After you have mastered this step, you can then re-run the installation and replace Windows 7 with Ubuntu (on the same PC or a different computer, if you like). Alternatively, you can simply reuse the Windows 7 partition(s) inside Ubuntu as additional storage space.
Launch the UNetbootin tool. You have two options available: 1) download Ubuntu from the tool directly and then copy it to the USB drive 2) load a previously downloaded ISO image. Either option will work fine. Since we’ve downloaded the ISO already, check the Diskimage button, locate the ISO file on your disk. https://herehload635.weebly.com/tree-1-9-0.html.
Once the USB drive is ready, insert it into your computer, and power it on. Some computers are automatically configured to boot from external media first. In that case, you won’t need to do anything. Other computers require a manual change to the startup order. This is done by editing the BIOS boot menu. Each hardware manufacturer uses its own BIOS implementation, so there is no uniform way to do this. Typically, you will need to press a key (F2 or Del or alike) to access BIOS, and then you will need to change the Boot order or Boot options so that your system starts from the external device containing the Ubuntu operating system.
The first four steps in the installer are identical to the virtual machine. The real difference is whether there is any information stored on the hard disk(s). In a virtual machine, the hard disk was empty, and it did not contain any partitions (like a new computer). On a computer that has Windows 7 installed, the installer will show different options.
Most likely, the installer will inform you it has found Windows 7 and will suggest installing Ubuntu alongside it. Effectively, the installer will try to find the most suitable partition, allow you to shrink it, create a new partition in the free space after the resizing, and install Ubuntu on it.
Alternatively, if you do not care about anything on your hard disk – or feel comfortable with completely removing Windows 7 – you can use the second option, erase everything, and setup Ubuntu as the only operating system. If you have safely backed up your data from Windows 7, you can use this option. If you’re not sure, the best way is to start with the dual-boot option, and then eventually fully replace Windows 7 once you’re confident with using Ubuntu.
If you select the first option (Ubuntu alongside Windows 7), the next step in the installer allows you to allocate drive space. You can drag the divider to decide how much you want to resize the Windows partition – Ubuntu will be installed in the remainder.
If you are familiar with the concepts of disk and partition management, you can also use the last option – Something else, where you can make changes manually to partitions as you see fit. These are non-trivial steps, and not recommended for new users.
If you do not want to use the dual-boot option, or the installer cannot set it up automatically for you, you will need to manually configure the partitions. In the Ubuntu desktop, click on Activities, type Gparted in the search box, launch the application. It will scan your hard disks and show you a table of results.
The image above is from a laptop with a Windows 7 installation. It has a single 500GB hard disk, shown as /dev/sda (465.76 GiB). It has a total of eight partitions:
From the data presented by GParted, we do not have sufficient free space, so we will need to change the partition layout. We can either delete one of the non-C: partitions, or resize them. The last partition, dev/sds8 (labeled Downloads) looks like a good candidate. It is a large partition, and most likely contains less critical data. Click on a partition and select Resize from the menu. Gparted will attempt to run this operating, and if successful, you will have free space available to set up Ubuntu.
In the Ubuntu alongside Windows 7 option, the installer automatically selected/dev/sda8 as the candidate for the installation. If your computer only has one partition (essentially the C: drive), you will need to resize it. This means you do need sufficient free space, and you must safely back up your data, as hard disk operations can be risky.
The remaining steps in the installation are identical. After the setup completes, and you restart your computer, you will see a text menu on startup, and you can select which operating system to boot into – Ubuntu or Windows 7.
Our installation setup is now complete.
We have completed the most complex and difficult part of the journey. When you need to manage your storage, there is always some risk involved, but since we have safely backed up our data in the first article, the chances of data loss are low. The installation requires knowledge that most computer users won’t readily have, but hopefully, you have now gained the necessary skills and practice to do this with relative ease. The next step is to explore the Ubuntu desktop – and even have some fun. We will do this in the third installment of this series.
Photo by Jonatan Pie on Unsplash.
Learn how the Ubuntu desktop operating system powers millions of PCs and laptops around the world.
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