Install Ubuntu 8.04 as a Windows application
Ubuntu 8.04 has several cool features that were not previously available in past versions. The coolest is when you load the Ubuntu CD on a PC running Windows you have the option to perform a Wubi installation. The Wubi install installs like
a Windows application (and it is removed as a Windows app too – i.e. from the Control Panel > Add / Remove programs) but configures your PC to dual boot Ubuntu and your Windows version. It does not modify partitions, the MBR, or any part of your hard disk. It simply creates a new folder named Ubuntu on the drive you choose to install to.
When I first tried the Wubi install I attempted to load it to the same partition Windows boots from. The installation failed, so I then installed it to my data partition and was successful. After a reboot I was prompted to choose which OS to boot. I selected Ubuntu and was amazed as my Lenovo T60p booted successfully. The only problem Ubuntu had with my hardware was that the wireless indicator L.E.D. did not light up, but wireless was working fine.
I was then able to download and install packages / updates, modify my theme and appearance, and configure Ubuntu as you would expect. I could even access my Windows files because the data partition was mounted as /host and the boot partition could be mounted as a removable drive. The end result is the screenshot of my dsktop in this post.
I installed VirtualBox and created a Windows XP virtual machine just so I can use the seamless feature to run whatever Windows apps I will need. I am trying to see if I can survive the next week by running only Ubuntu. The Wubi install makes this possible because I know my original XP OS is intact and unchanged.
To learn more about Wubi installation and the other new features check out the post:
Wubi: install Ubuntu Linux from within your Windows environment | freewaregenius.com
The author of this post used a downloadable 1 mb Wubi installer instead of the UBuntu CDrom.
Here’s some high-lites:
- How to use: download and run the installer in Windows. You will be asked to specify a folder to install into, and asked to specify your login passwords. Wubi will then proceed to download Ubuntu for you (approx 700 megs), save it into your specified folder, and install it for you. (Or if you have an Ubuntu CD it will be automatically detected).
- Prerequisites: you need to have at least 5 gigs of space on your chosen hard drive partition. You do NOT have to re-partition and/or move data around. Minimum memory requirement is 256 Megs.
Dual booting: the next time you boot your machine you will be asked whether you want to boot into your Windows OS or into Ubuntu. Very cool! The folder where you installed Wubi will be mounted as a partition.- Access to your Windows partitions: you can mount and access the Windows partition where you installed Wubi from within Ubuntu and get access to your Windows files.
- Ubuntu: is very cool. Comes pre-loaded with free and/or open source versions of most of the applications that an average user would need, many of which you might be familiar with in their Windows incarnations (OpenOffice, Firefox, Pidgin, GIMP, etc).
- Performance: “identical to a standard installation”, to quote the Wubi site (i.e.very fast); in theory hard disk accesses would be faster if installed on a dedicated partition, but in practice I doubt it makes any difference.
- Uninstallation: to uninstall simply re-run the Wubi executable from within Windows to uninstall Ubuntu (it will give you the option to preserve the downloaded installation CDs in case you want to re-install later). After uninstalling you can simply delete the original install folder .
The verdict: simply brilliant!. This has to be the world’s easiest, most user friendly way to install a dual-booting Ubuntu OS next to your Windows installation. If you’re curious about Linux but hitherto haven’t reached the “tipping point” that would compel you to undertake the process of installing Linux next to your Windows, you will definitely appreciate this software. Fantastic!.
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