One of the biggest problems of Windows is surely the presence of dangerous viruses on the net: it takes very little to see blocked files and programs or stolen personal data. If we are tired of dealing with viruses and threats on Windows operating systems, the alternative is is called Linux (also known as GNU / Linux), a free and open source operating system that we can install on practically any computer, without the need to pay an expensive user license. In this guide we decided to show you how to install Linux Ubuntu on PC from scratch, with all the steps explained in detail to meet even the less experienced users and adequately replace Windows as a production system or as an entertainment system. In the various chapters we will also show you the differences between the two systems, how to be able to switch gradually and what to keep in mind when using Linux.
Article Index
- Preliminary information
- How to install Ubuntu
- The programs that we can install on Ubuntu
- Terminal commands to be memorized
- Conclusions
Preliminary information
Before continuing with the installation guide, it is important to be aware of the differences between Window and Linux, so as not to be found unprepared when we try the new operating system live.- There are numerous Linux : compared to Windows (where only the versions change), Linux is an ecosystem of operating systems, all weighted to offer different interfaces and different program packages. For beginner users, we recommend trying Ubuntu right away, a Linux distribution that's easy to set up for home purposes and basic productivity.
- The programs start differently : we cannot install and start the programs as we did on Windows, that is, by clicking on the installers (with the extension .msi) or on the executable files (.exe). The Linux world has its installers (packages), has its own program store (where we will find many of the programs that we already use on Windows) and its binary files, but it does not allow you to start the .exe, at least with the starting conditions.
- Viruses do not exist (or almost) : the viruses that we can catch on the net are meant to infect Windows systems, so they will not work when started on Ubuntu. Unfortunately, there are also malware for Linux (designed mainly for Android), which can create some headaches even on Ubuntu, but they are so rare or so limited as to not cause concern, just be careful (much less attention is needed than that required by Windows!) .
- The password is used more often : in addition to protecting access to the account, the system password is essential for performing some administration operations (such as installing programs); we will therefore have to enter the password more often than on Windows.
- We must not give up on Windows : even if we are trying a new operating system, at the beginning it is always advisable to use both, even on the same computer (by configuring a dual-boot). So we can choose at startup what to start according to our needs.
- We will have to learn to use the terminal : even if modern Linux distributions are very simple to use and practically everything must be configured from a graphical interface, we must learn some commands for the terminal, since they speed up the execution of some operations to the maximum. Nothing transcendental or too difficult: very few commands are enough!
- Some devices may not work : although Linux updates in recent years has added support for more and more devices, some printers, some Wi-Fi adapters and some video cards may present problems when used under Linux. Usually everything works without problems from the first start, but if we notice that some peripheral does not work, it could be too difficult to remedy without putting hands on complex terminal commands.
To conclude, we show you below the recommended hardware requirements to be able to exploit Ubuntu to its fullest potential, so that we can evaluate whether it is worth installing on our system.
- Dual-core CPU or higher
- At least 4 GB of RAM
- At least 30 GB of free disk space
- Internet connection (Ethernet or Wi-Fi)
- 3D hardware acceleration
How to install Ubuntu
After seeing together the differences and features to keep in mind, in this part of the guide we will show you the steps to follow in order to install Ubuntu, a Linux distribution that is easy to use, next to the Windows installation already present on our computer.USB flash drive preparation
In order to proceed with the installation, we will have to create a USB stick with Ubuntu inside it, so as to use one of the USB ports for the whole process. We then download our copy of Ubuntu from the official website by clicking on the Start download button. While the browser downloads the ISO file of the system (it may take a few minutes), let's get the program that can prepare the USB stick for installation, that is UNetbootin. From the program window, click on Download (Windows), in order to download the version suitable for our system.At the end of the download of the ISO file, we connect any empty USB stick (at least 4 GB) to one of the USB ports available on the computer and open the UNetbootin program, looking for it among the files just downloaded (the program is portable, does not require installation ).
Make sure that our key is the one selected in the Unit field at the bottom, then put a check mark on the item Disc image, select ISO and click on the button with the three dots ( Browse ). In the management window, go to the download location and select the Ubuntu ISO file, confirm with OK and start the creation process by clicking on OK at the bottom.
The operation could take a few minutes, it's all normal (even if in some moments it will seem blocked).
Please note : for maximum compatibility, make sure that the USB stick is empty and formatted in FAT32, as we also showed you in the guide on How to format USB sticks and disks: difference between NTFS, FAT32 and FAT .
Ubuntu installation
As soon as the key is ready, we close the program and restart Windows, so that we can start the boot selection screen. Usually it is sufficient to press the F8 key repeatedly as soon as the PC is started, but if we want to find out how to adjust the boot and access the key directly (and avoid starting Windows), we can refer to our guide How to start the computer from USB .
As soon as the key has left, we wait a few minutes for the boot, until we find ourselves in the initial screen of the Ubuntu operating system.
To start the installation procedure, make sure that the Italian language is selected, then click Install Ubuntu .
The following steps will be used to make the first configurations: choose the right keyboard ( Italian ), click Next ; select the Wi-Fi network to which we want to connect, enter the password and click Next again (if we are connected via Ethernet cable, nothing will appear and we will go directly to the next screen).
In the new screen we can choose the type of installation: we choose Normal installation and activate the item Install third-party software for graphics, Wi-Fi devices and additional multimedia formats, removing the check mark next to Download updates during the installation of Ubuntu (updates can be done calmly after installation is complete).
Click again on Next ; in the new screen we select the item Install Ubuntu alongside Windows and we click Install and Next .
Now we will have to configure the last things: first we choose the correct time zone, then let's dwell on the account configuration screen.
We insert in the fields our name, a name for the computer, a username (for access) and finally we choose the system password (valid for access and administration); in this screen we can also choose whether to automatically log into the account or request the password at each start.
Note : the system password is very important on Ubuntu, since it is used even after logging in. So let's choose a safe but easy to remember.
At the end of the configuration we click Next : the installation will proceed automatically, we will only have to wait for the confirmation window, where you just need to click Restart now .
Update the system
At the next reboot, we will see a new screen appear, where you can choose whether to start Windows or Ubuntu; we choose the latter, so that we can admire the new operating system in all its splendor (if we see the initial configuration windows appear, we can ignore them by clicking on Skip, Next and Done ).
First we update the system, so as to have all the latest versions of the programs and the improvements provided for Ubuntu: already from the first start the window of updates should have opened, in which we will only have to click Install now to proceed.
If this window does not appear, we can always update the system by clicking on the Show applications button at the bottom left and looking for the Software Updates program.
Note: the system password may be required for the update.
The programs that we can install on Ubuntu
Now that the system is ready, what programs can we install on it ">We can either search within the various categories or use the search button (above) to find specific software.
We can currently install the following popular programs on Ubuntu:
- Chromium (open source version of Chrome)
- Google Chrome (available via the official website)
- Spotify
- GIMP
- VLC
- Steam
Within the Ubuntu system there are already Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, LibreOffice and other programs necessary for the management of multimedia files and the main document formats used.
Terminal commands to be memorized
Most of the Ubuntu system can be configured from a convenient graphical interface, but to make the most of the system we recommend learning the following terminal commands:- sudo apt update : to update the program sources, so as to find new versions.
- sudo apt full-upgrade : to update all programs.
- sudo apt dist-upgrade : to update the programs and the version of the operating system (version change).
- sudo apt install : to install a program
- sudo apt remove : to remove a program
- sudo apt autoremove : useful for cleaning up the system from orphaned packages, which no longer belong to a program (previously removed).
- sudo shutdown -r : to restart the system within one minute
- sudo shutdown -h : to shutdown the system within one minute
- sudo power off : another command useful for shutting down the operating system
To open the terminal, go to the Show applications menu at the bottom left, find the Utility folder then open the Terminal app.
Conclusions
In this guide we have shown you how to install Ubuntu on our PC, without having to give up Windows: both systems are perfectly able to coexist, being able to choose at startup which one to use.
To learn more about the operating system and solve any problems, we recommend reading the Ubuntu documentation page, where we can find the most updated guides and procedures for carrying out the main activities.
If, on the other hand, we want to manage the startup of the computer (by deleting or replacing the system entries), we recommend reading our guide on How to install two operating systems to choose from during startup .
If we want to use a Linux environment to browse anonymously and safely, we can go into the topic by reading the guide to safe, anonymous Linux systems for using the computer without traces .
Did we browse system folders? We will certainly have noticed the difference with those available in Windows; if we want to learn the usefulness of each system folder, we refer you to reading the guide to Linux directories: which are the main folders of each distribution .
