Install Ubuntu 21.04
Looking to switch to Linux from Windows? Discover how to take Ubuntu for a test drive, then install it alongside your existing operating system.
THE RELEASE OF ANY NEW VERSION of Ubuntu is bound to attract potential switchers from other operating systems. These days, installing most types of Linux in general, and Ubuntu in particular, is no harder than installing Windows, and in many ways, it’s much easier.
Crucially, it’s also free and, unlike Windows, there are several ways in which you can give Ubuntu a test drive without committing to a full-blown install. The Ubuntu installation media doubles up as a live disc, which loads a fully functioning version of Ubuntu without touching your hard drive, giving you the chance to try out its user interface and key programs in minutes.
If you want to take it further, we recommend running it in a virtual machine, enabling you to install and try out everything Ubuntu has to offer over an extended period. If you decide you’d like to run it permanently and natively on your PC, we’ll take you through the process of setting Ubuntu up alongside your existing Windows installation, so you can easily switch between the two.
CREATE YOUR BOOT DISC
First, obtain your Ubuntu installation media. Visit https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop to download the desktop version. You have a choice of two versions: choose the newer (21.04) version if you want access to the latest features and are happy with upgrading Ubuntu every six months or so; the LTS version only updates once every two years and is supported for five years as opposed to nine months for non-LTS releases.
Save the ISO file to your hard drive. It’s around 2.6GB in size, so may take a while to download (it’s on the LXFDVD too) depending on your internet speed. Once saved to your hard drive, the ISO file can now be copied to install media or used directly with VirtualBox. If you’re looking to create installation media, then the simplest option is to pop a blank DVD into your DVD writer, then right-click the ISO file and choose Burn disc image.
Bootable DVDs are simple to set up, but they’re slow. If you have a spare USB flash drive (4GB or later) that you’re happy to devote to Ubuntu, format it as FAT32. Next, download and run Unetbootin ( https://unetbootin. github.io). Select Diskimage and click … to select your ISO file. You’ll see ‘ Space used to preserve files…’ option, which basically creates ‘persistence’. For a quick test of Ubuntu, leave this set to 0. Plug in your USB drive and select it from the Drive drop-down, then click OK.
BOOT FROM UBUNTU
It’s time to give Ubuntu a test drive. Reboot your PC with the DVD in the drive or USB flash drive plugged in. If you’re lucky, your PC will be set up to detect your boot drive and reveal a simple loading screen—you can skip to the next section.
If you boot straight back into Windows, restart your PC again and look for a message enabling you to press a key to either enter the BIOS/UEFI setup utility or select a boot device. Choose the latter, then select your bootable media from the list. If it appears twice, try the UEFI option first. If neither option works, then you’ll need to boot to the UEFI setup utility and look for options to disable QuickBoot or FastBoot and Intel Smart Response Technology (SRT).
You may also need to disable Fast Startup in Windows itself. Navigate to Settings>System>Power & sleep and click ‘Additional power settings’. Click ‘Choose what the power buttons do’ followed by ‘Change settings that are currently unavailable’ and untick ‘Turn on fast startup (recommended)’.
TESTING UBUNTU
If your boot media is detected, then you should see a boot menu appear with various choices—leave the default Ubuntu selected and hit Enter. This should now load Ubuntu to the point where you’ll be given the option to either try or install Ubuntu. Click Try Ubuntu to find yourself at the Ubuntu desktop. You can now go exploring. It’s mostly a point-and-click interface, just like the Windows you know and… [Don’t say it— Ed].
The problem with live discs is that by default you lose all your changes once you shut down, so you’re only going to get a small taste of how Ubuntu works. If you’d like to give it a more extended test drive, then check out the box (see overleaf) on running Ubuntu 21.04 as a virtual machine.
You should be able to road test all its new features, and it will even run the Wayland desktop server by default (more on that later).
UBUNTU AND WINDOWS, LIVING TOGETHER
You’ve tested Ubuntu and realized the benefits of having a full-time install. So what’s next? If you have a spare computer, you could wipe its drive and install Ubuntu directly on to that, following the same process you did when installing Ubuntu into a virtual machine, selecting ‘Erase disk and install Ubuntu’ when prompted.
However, what if you only have a single PC and want to run Ubuntu as an alternative to your current Windows install, swapping between them as required at boot time? The answer lies in configuring your PC as a dual-boot setup. For this to work, you can either install Ubuntu onto its own dedicated hard drive or, if you have sufficient space, partition your existing hard drive to make room for a dedicated Ubuntu partition.
There’s no substitute for running Ubuntu off a fast internal drive—SSD definitely, or even an NVMe drive if your motherboard supports it. If Windows is currently installed on this drive, and you have enough free space, say 80GB or more, then partitioning it may be the best solution.
STEP THROUGH THE INSTALL PROCESS
When your drives are set up, boot from your Ubuntu live media and choose Install Ubuntu. The install wizard is self-explanatory, you’ll be prompted to connect to your Wi-Fi network if you don’t have an Ethernet connection. We recommend ticking both boxes to download updates and install third-party software when prompted.
The Installation type menu is the trickiest part of the process. If you’re dual-booting with Windows, you may get lucky and see that your system has detected your existing installation and offered an ‘Install Ubuntu alongside Windows 10’. If so, leave it selected and click Continue. If not, you’ll need to look at manually partitioning it. Our step-by-step guide (opposite) reveals how to do this using the Ubuntu live media.
Once past this point, the rest of the installation process should be simple. If all has gone well when you reboot your PC for the first time after installation, you’ll see a GRUB menu that makes it possible for you to choose whether to load Ubuntu or Windows. Select Ubuntu and you’ll be whisked to the login screen, ready to start using the latest version of the Linux distro.