Installing Elementary OS
Be the envy of your friends with one of the finest distros around.
We often get some stick for being too Ubuntucentric. It’s a fair point – there are hundreds of other distributions. It’s just that (at least as far as desktop Linux is concerned) most people are using Ubuntu. Last issue we strayed from the trodden track a little by going with Linux Mint for our Build a PC feature.
Mint is an Ubuntu-derivative that differs from its progenitor by its use of the more traditional Cinnamon desktop. Under the hood, things are much the same. This time around, we’re going to use Elementary OS, another Ubuntu-derivative with another desktop. Both Elementary and Mint are based on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, so they inherit all of its stability and receive all of its prompt security updates.
Elementary is technically still in beta, but don’t let that put you off. We’ve been following its development avidly over the past couple of years and have been nothing but impressed. Of course, Linux is all about choice, so feel free to choose Ubuntu or Mint, or whatever distribution takes your fancy. Some of this guide will be specific to Elementary, but much of it applies to any Ubuntu-based distro, and the additional tools mentioned later on are available for any flavour of Linux.
Elementary’s Pantheon desktop is often described as MacOS-like, which in some circles is a compliment, but we think it deserves more credit. Granted, the launcher bar at the bottom and the multipane file manager do bear more than a passing resemblance to the fruity OS, but it’s more than capable of standing on its own merits. Apart from looking pretty, Elementary has some unique features that make it worthy of your attention. We’ll delve into those more once we’ve got the thing installed.
Duelling OSes
Now is an excellent time to back up any important files you have on your machine. If you’re setting up a dual-boot arrangement with, say, Windows, then it’s unlikely that installing Linux will do bad things to your Windows partitions. It’s also not unheard of though, so don’t take the risk if you rely on the target machine for mission-critical business. Consider what would happen if your Windows install breaks. Do you have the means to re-install? Do you have license keys
for it and all your other programs to hand? If you have a spare SSD or hard drive then consider using that for your first install, sidestepping any potential territory war. Better yet, if you have a spare computer, even an old one, then consider using that for your first install.
Having carefully heeded our warnings and deciding you still want to proceed with dual boot, then follow the step-bystep guide ( belowleft). Note that those steps are only necessary if Linux is going on the same drive as Windows. If not, you can install straight from the LinuxFormat DVD.
Support network
Check out the DVD pages and FAQ ( https://linuxformat. com/dvdsupport) if you have difficulties getting the disc working. You’ll need to ensure Secure Boot is turned off for it to boot, and you may need to tell your BIOS/UEFI to boot from the DVD rather than its hard drive. This is beyond the scope of this feature, but the FAQ has some hints. If your target machine doesn’t have an optical drive then you can download an ISO from https://elementary.io (the donation is optional) and follow the instructions at https:// elementary.io/docs/installation to write it to a USB device.
For the first successful boot choose “Try elementary OS without installing”. The annotation below will help you get your bearings once it’s booted. Explore the installed applications, don’t be put off by any slowness, then, when your ready, select Install elementary OS from the Applications menu.
The installation will ask you a couple of questions along the way. If you’re connected to the Internet, then you’ll want to check the “Download updates while installing…” box. The main reason for ticking the “Install third-party software” box would be to make your wireless card work, so if you’re not sure it’s best to check this box, too. Only select the “Erase disk and install elementary” if you’re sure there’s nothing on the target drive. There’s a confirmation screen before anything destructive happens, so use that to make sure the correct drive will be used.
You’ll then be asked for some localisation info, and then to set up a user account and password. It’s a good idea to tick the “Encrypt my home folder” box if you plan on storing sensitive information on this machine. This will prevent the data being read if the hard drive is removed, but won’t protect against malware accessing it while your logged in. It also means your data will be as good as lost if you forget your password. So don’t do that. Instead make a cup of tea, wait patiently for the installation to finish. Hit Restart Now, remove the installation medium when instructed to do so and press Enter. If things go wrong you may need to brave the UEFI settings. Many implementations are buggy and forgetful, but it should be possible to manually boot from here.
All being well you should, after a few moments gazing at the elementary OS logo, be met with a login screen. Enter the credentials from before and you should find yourself in an environment remarkably similar to both the live environment we booted to initially and the annotation below. Have a browse around, then continue reading for more top tips and guidance on how to make the most of elementary OS.