LINUX INSTALLATION STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE.
Many users have heard about the Linux operating system, which is a popular alternative to Windows. But if 20 years or more ago this OS was installed mainly on servers, today it is a frequent guest on ordinary computers.
Those of us who are not averse to trying to use it are often hesitant to take such a step for one simple reason – because of the fear that the installation procedure will be too complicated. In fact, if you have installed Windows yourself at least once, then you will cope with Linux without any problems. Moreover, it is not necessary to install this operating system on a clean computer – using the bootloader allows several operating systems to peacefully coexist on one PC.
Today we will look at how to install Linux on a computer with Windows 10 already installed, and these instructions will be equally true for younger versions of Windows.
As for the choice of Linux distribution , Mint, Ubuntu, and other popular configurations are put almost the same, at least according to a single algorithm. The differences will only be in the details.
How Linux is installed
If you have decided on the distribution kit (often hitching occurs at this stage, because on the forums everyone defends their own position, and the choice is not easy to make), you must first download it as an image file (with the ISO extension). The algorithm for installing Linux looks simple in general: we write the image to a USB flash drive or optical disk, set the BIOS to boot from an external media, insert the disk or flash media into the computer, reboot into the Live system. Next, we launch the installer and simply observe the process, following the instructions and requests that appear. Linux installation usually doesn’t take long.
The most important and crucial stage during the installation is preparing the hard disk for the future system. Partitioning should be done with extreme caution so as not to accidentally delete existing Windows or user data partitions. We will pay maximum attention to the consideration of this issue.
Those who are in a hurry to rush into battle can be advised not to rush. Read our instructions first, this will avoid many misunderstandings and draw up a rough plan of action.
A step-by-step description of the Linux installation procedure
Installing Kali Linux, Linux Mint, Ubuntu or any other distribution you like (and most of them are constantly evolving, supplemented with new functionality and programs , updates are released with a frequency of 1-2 releases per year) is a simple procedure. Linux fans say it’s as easy as installing Windows. You have to evaluate how these words correspond to the truth.
Downloading Linux installation file as ISO image
It just so happened since the era of undivided rule of optical media that the installation of the operating system is not performed from a set of installation files – in unzipped form, they often occupy a volume exceeding 4.7 GB. Therefore, a single ISO file is created, which is called a disc image, and is a compressed version of the classic installation disc. Today, the situation with the volume of external media, from which the installation is usually performed, is not so acute, but the tradition of using disk images has remained.
So, we have to find and download such a file. It is better to download such a download from the official website of the developer. The disk image is usually located in the Download section – you only need to select a version, preferably a stable one, and it does not necessarily have to be the most recent.
Burn the installation ISO image to DVD or USB flash drive
The downloaded Linux image needs to be written to the media that you will use as an installation medium. If your computer has an optical drive, it makes sense to burn to a DVD disc. But today flash drives have become more widespread , in which the volume can be many times larger. At the same time, it is not recommended to use drives with a capacity of over 32 GB.
The easiest way to create bootable media is to use third-party programs , for optical discs we recommend UltraISO (one of the most popular utilities among Russian users), CDBurnerXP, ImgBurn.
To create a bootable USB flash drive, you can use the Rufus programs, the same UltraISO or Etcher.
Booting from a USB flash drive / disk, launching the installer
Now that the media with the system image has been prepared, it’s time for the next stage. Installing Linux requires the PC to boot from our media. Simply by inserting it into a computer, we will not achieve anything – the download will still be done from the hard disk. To achieve this goal, you need to go into the BIOS and change the boot priority, putting a USB flash drive or DVD drive in the first place. After saving the changes made, the computer will reboot again, but this time it will be done from our external media.
Language selection
First of all, the Linux installer will ask you to choose the interface language. After the choice is made, press Enter and get to the first menu. Here we will be offered several download options. We need the item “Install Linux” (instead of the word Linux there will be the name of a specific distribution kit). But if we want to install a new OS for informational purposes and to test its capabilities, we need to select the Live mode.
Choosing a keyboard layout
The initial steps for installing Linux on a computer are about the same as for Windows, so after choosing a language, we will need to specify the keyboard layout to the installer, agreeing with the default value (it is based on the choice of language) or changing the value to the desired one and clicking “Continue”.
Settings for installing programs, applications, updates
The algorithm of how to install Linux, and at the next stage, resembles the procedure for installing Windows: we will be asked to choose one of the following installation options regarding the choice of the OS composition:
- a typical installation is done with a specific set of applications. It is this mode that is recommended for novice users, as is the case with operating systems from Microsoft, since the installation will be performed automatically;
- minimal installation is required if you want an OS with a minimal set of utilities installed on your computer, and you plan to install all the rest of the software yourself. This is the choice for experienced users who prefer to customize the system for themselves.
If you have access to the Internet, you can leave a checkmark in front of the item “Download updates during the installation of Linux”. If you downloaded the latest distribution kit, then you can uncheck the box, since the system image already contains all the latest updates, which will speed up the installation of the OS.
Partitioning a hard drive
And now we have come to the most important step in installing a Linux distribution kit – preparing partitions on a drive for a new system.
We note right away that, unlike Windows, it is not customary to install the system in a single partition, despite the presence of such a possibility. The flexibility of Linux lies in the fact that different partitions can and should be used for the OS, user files and settings. It follows from this that the minimum number of such sections is three. This allows, if necessary, to reinstall the operating system on the main partition – the rest will remain intact.
So even for inexperienced users, you need to choose the option for partitioning the disk manually, that is, opt for the “Other option” item.
The installer will determine by itself whether there is another OS on the disk, and if the answer is yes, the number of available installation options will increase. For example, the items “Install Linux Mint along with the installed OS”, or “Remove the existing system and reinstall Linux”, or simply “Reinstall the system” may appear.
And a little more theory. We already know that we need a root partition, a partition for personal files (usually called / home), previously we also needed a swap partition for swap, but now they use a swap file instead.
If you want minimal Linux, a root partition is sufficient, but in most cases a home partition is considered a must.
We will not consider the option of installing the system on a blank disk, as well as the automatic installation next to Windows . Our option is manual disk partitioning.
After selecting, a utility will be launched designed to partition the hard disk.
If Linux is installed on a PC along with Windows, we get something like the following:
Below we see a line with the inscription “Free space”, and there will be indicated the value that we set for the location of Linux. The rest of the partitions are created in the Windows environment, including the EFI partition (if it did not exist, you would have to create it).
Now let’s start partitioning the disk. In Linux OS, the partition table uses GPT format if the PC uses UEFI, otherwise it creates an MBR table with a size limit of no more than 3 TB.
Since you already have an EFI partition, you do not need to create it.
We create a root partition with a volume and a home / home, under which we allocate all the remaining space.
You don’t need to pay attention to the top line “free space” – this is the overhead used to align the size of partitions. To create a root section, click on the bottom line “Free space” and on the “+” button.
In a new window, specify the parameters of the section:
- size in megabytes (for example, 10000, which corresponds to 10 GB);
- in the column “Partition type” put a tick in front of the word “Primary”, but for the MBR format partition table it is better to specify “Logical”;
- in the column “Location of the section” we indicate the option entitled “The beginning of this space”
- in the next column, select the item “Journaled file system Ext4”;
- the column “mount point” must take the value “/”.
We create the home section in the same way. The size will be indicated here automatically as the remainder of the total volume minus the size of the root partition.
We indicate the type of section the same as for the next two columns. The changes will only be in the mount point column, where you need to select the “/ home” option.
As a result, we get a list of sections with the following content:
If you scroll down the window, you will see a drop-down list. Here you need to select the disk for installing the Linux bootloader. You need to understand that to install the bootloader, you need to specify not the partition, but the entire disk. In a specific example, this is / dev / sda, that is, the disk on which the Linux OS is installed and which is specified in the BIOS as bootable.
Before continuing, carefully study the table of the created partitions again – at this stage, you can still make adjustments or roll back the changes, since we only indicated to the installer which partitions we want to create. Physically, they will be created only after clicking the “Install now” button, and then the errors and inaccuracies already made can only be corrected by a second installation.
Time zone selection
After creating the partitions, the Linux installation will continue by setting the time zone. The procedure is familiar to Windows users, so this shouldn’t be a problem.
User creation
If in Windows the creation of users is formal, then here it is a mandatory procedure, since Linux was initially positioned as a multi-user OS. So we enter our work alias (username), specify the computer name and password, confirm the password. Even if you plan to use a computer or laptop with Linux installed in splendid isolation, it is recommended not to uncheck the “Require a password to log in …” option.
But even in this case, you do not need to specify the password every time you turn on the PC. To do this, just put a check mark a little higher, opposite the option “Log in automatically” Of course, you must be sure that no outsider will be able to access your computer.
Only after that, the actual process of installing the Linux OS will begin, during which beautiful slides will rotate on the monitor screen. The estimated installation time is about 15 minutes. Completion of the installation will be marked with a corresponding message, after which the computer can be restarted.
As you can see, the main stages of interactive when installing Linux almost do not differ from those when installing Windows, the only serious moment that requires a thorough and balanced approach is partitioning the disk for the system.
