Running Ubuntu, Part 2

Check out part one of the Ubuntu series.

Last week, we went over the very basics of what Linux and Ubuntu are, as well as some vague guidelines for who might be a good candidate for installing Ubuntu without a lifeguard. This week, we dive in. Ready to go?

I just got a brand new Dell Inspiron 1721, preloaded with Windows Vista. Dani’s installed Ubuntu on several computers I use, but I’ve never installed it before, so here’s the blow-by-blow account of my experience. I’m going to assume that everyone reading this is installing on a Windows XP or 98SE machine, or is at least very familiar with them. Why not Mac? Because I haven’t used a Mac since high school, that’s why.

First, go to Ubuntu.com and decide how you’re going to get your hands on the software. We have decisions to make already. You have the choice between version 7, or version 6 LTS, or Long Term Support. I recommend version 7, also referred to as Ubuntu Feisty Fawn, as I’ve found it to be significantly easier to use once it’s installed. The support part of LTS has to do with pro tech support, and it probably meant for businesses. If you’re the sort to get your computer fixed by professionals, go for it, but then I would suggest you get a professional to install Ubuntu for you, too, and you can stop reading now.

Next, select the processor of the computer you’re going to install the program to. Since my computer has a 64-bit AMD processor, I’ve got the 64-bit version. If your computer is more than a year old, you probably have a standard processor. The Sun UltraSPARC processor is an extremely high-end server processor, and you’ll know if you have one, so don’t worry about it too much. If you’re not sure what processor you have, you can right-click My Computer and check out the Properties, or consult your original hardware documentation, or you can Google the name and number of your computer and find a hardware spec list. Then you select a server near you, and start your download. This will download a CD-ROM ISO to your hard drive.

ISO files are like hard drive snapshots. They’re big container files that not only hold information and files, but they replicate the file structure and other really important information from the source, which normal CD-ROMs full of files don’t do. There’s a lot of really complicated other stuff that I don’t really understand, but the important thing to know is that an ISO can be designed so that once it’s burned to a disc, you can boot your computer from that disc like a hard drive. You can find out all sorts of information at Wikipedia if you’d like to learn more. One thing to note, some decompression programs, like WinRAR, can read and uncompress ISO files. Don’t do that. Just leave it the way it is.

If you prefer, you can have Ubuntu send you a copy on CD for free and only pay 4 to 6 weeks shipping time, you can buy a copy from On-Disk.com for about five bucks, or you can buy a copy from Amazon.com for about ten bucks.

If you prefer a DVD ISO, go here: http://nginyang.uvt.nl/feisty/ and select either a standard (i386) or 64-bit (amd64) ISO, download and go.

I opted for the DVD ISO, simply because I have blank DVD-R’s in the house, but no blank CDRs. The file is about 4 gigabytes, so I started the download and went to bed. I woke up the next morning, and found Windows had bluescreened. So, I downloaded the ISO again. Halfway through, Windows updated and then restarted itself. So I started the download again, and this time it stuck (finally).

Next, I went to burn the ISO to a DVD. Windows reported an error after the burn. I grabbed a fresh DVD that hadn’t spent a month living in my briefcase, and tried again. I got the same error. I hit Google, and apparently ISO burning isn’t a native Vista skill. The best advice the internet could give me was to try a bunch of different shareware and freeware programs and see if I could get one of them to work. I opted instead to transfer the file to Dani’s computer and let her burn it for me, because ISO burning is very much a native Ubuntu skill.

I popped the disk in my drive, restarted aaaaaand… the disk crashed. I checked the DVD ISO with MD5 checker, and it looks like I downloaded a bad ISO. MD5 Checker is a program that reads computer files and spits out a long string of numbers. If the string of numbers matches the string the site you downloaded it from provides, you have an identical copy. If the numbers are different, something is screwed up, and obviously I got something screwed up. With a download that big, downloaded over wireless, I shouldn’t really surprised.

So, after going back to Ubuntu.com and ordering a free CD *just in case*, I downloaded a CD ISO. I transferred it to Dani’s computer again, burned it to CD-R, and threw it in my drive. (That’s my actual disc at the top of the entry.) It worked! I made it to the main disc screen, pictured here. From here on out, there will be a lot more pictures of what I encounter, and you can always click on them to get a closer look at what I’m talking about.

What you’re looking at is the main Ubuntu CD screen, and it lists the options of what you can do with it.

Alright, let’s end it on that high note. Now that we have a functional disc, next time I’ll tell you what I did with it, and I promise that it’s not nearly as dirty as you’re probably hoping.

Continued in part 3.