In this blog we generally talk about the Windows operating system, both because it is the most used in the world and because the writer must admit, for intellectual honesty, that he is not a Linux expert. However, the Linux world is to be discovered and we must avoid thinking that it is an operating system for experts, above all thanks to distributions such as Ubuntu which is becoming the most famous and popular Linux distribution in the world.
Linux is an operating system like Windows, with the difference that its development codes are public and free and anyone can develop their own Linux operating system.
Every Linux operating system is called a distribution and some are becoming famous and used because they are free, easy to use and much more efficient than Windows.
One of the factors that prevents the spread of Linux is the thought of having to uninstall Windows and then format the PC and venture into a new installation, then go from certain to uncertain.
Through new methodologies, also addressed in this blog, it is however possible to install Linux without having to give up Windows and therefore numerous possibilities have been created to try and test the Opensource operating system.
In other articles we have seen 10 ways to use Linux from Windows including, how Linux can be installed on a USB stick (pendrive) even only 128 MB and how it is possible to create a virtual PC and use Linux simultaneously with Windows on the same computer .
In this article we describe a new even simpler way than the previous ones to install Linux inside Windows as if it were a normal program or a normal application, to be installed and used, to bring the Linux world on any computer without any need to format or partition the disk .
The software that allows this magic is called Ubuntu Windows Installer (before it was Wubi) and was created by the Ubuntu team, the distribution that stands out for its ease of use. Software like this was created to introduce Linux to common computer users with the advantage that less experienced users will not run the risk of having their files suddenly deleted.
The installation of Ubuntu with Windows Installer takes place within Windows itself, and the files of the Linux distribution will be placed within a virtual file system of the Microsoft home operating system.
The final result after installing Windows Installer and Ubuntu will be that, when the computer starts, a screen will appear where you can choose which operating system to use, whether normal Windows or the new Linux Ubuntu.
To install Linux Ubuntu with Windows Installer you need to download the wubi.exe file after which the only two requirements will be to have the computer connected to the internet and to have at least 5 Gigabytes of space on the hard disk; otherwise everything will be automatic and without any need to use CDs or DVDs.
Run Windows Installer, enter a password for the new account, and, after clicking on "Install", the installation process will start completely automatically .
Basically Wubi downloads the Ubuntu Linux operating system from the internet, checks it and starts the installation until it asks to restart the PC. On reboot a boot screen will appear where you have to choose Ubuntu to continue the installation.
After about 10/15 minutes, at the end of the installation, the computer restarts again and from this moment, every time you turn on the pc, you can select Ubuntu at the boot screen to use it or you choose Windows to have the usual system operating.
Ubuntu Windows Installer does not modify the partitions of the PC and does not install drivers, it simply adds an entry to the Windows start menu, which allows you to run Linux.
For the uninitiated, partitioning the hard disk means dividing the hard disk into two distinct parts as if you had two different hard disks.
With Wubi this operation is absolutely not to be done because Ubuntu is installed inside a file in the Windows file system (C: ubuntu root.disk disks), and this file is seen by Linux as a real hard disk.
Ubuntu Windows Installer works and is compatible with all versions of Windows, from Windows 98 to Windows Vista (with the exception of Windows ME), it costs absolutely nothing and requires no activation, registration and use restriction.
In case you want to uninstall Wubi and Ubuntu and go back to having only Windows on the pc, the removal of the new operating system is very simple, just use the normal Windows "application installations" menu and uninstall as you are used to doing with any other program.
Alternatively, if the download of Linux via Wubi is slow, you can directly download Ubuntu, burn it on a CD and start Windows Installer from there, since in the latest versions of Ubuntu, the Wubi program is present.
Another way to use Linux Ubuntu programs on Windows is andLinux which installs the Ubuntu operating environment and allows you to run Linux programs on Windows .
Personally I think it is important to know that Windows is not the only operating system for a computer and, since Linux is free, I hope that especially in companies and public administrations the waste of money will be reduced and the open source culture spread.
Finally, for those who really want an easy life, I would like to point out that Ubuntu can be used on Windows with Ubuntu Portable, a kind of emulator that works as a complete system and that starts as a portable application, without installation.
