Howto: Install Ubuntu without a CD

tuxcantfly · 05:01 PM

UNetbootin NOW HAS ITS OWN WEBSITE AND GUIDE AT http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

UNetbootin allows for installation of various Linux distributions to a real partition (so it's no different from a standard Ubuntu install), and uses a standard netboot installation, so internet access is needed. The main advantage of UNetbootin over Wubi and similar projects is that it creates a standard GNU/Linux install without needing a CD, and supports a variety of distributions.

Note that if you have a USB drive handy, and your computer can boot from USB, this guide (which instead creates a liveUSB drive to boot and install from) will likely work better.

Downloads at http://sourceforge.net/project/showf...roup_id=222386

Note that this guide is now somewhat outdated; I am still updating it; please see the website at http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ for more up-to-date instructions

Supported Distributions and Versions

UNetbootin allows for the installation of:

Ubuntu (and official derivatives) 7.10, 7.04, 6.10, 6.06 LTS, and upcoming 8.04 LTS
Fedora 8, 7, and Rawhide
openSUSE 10.3, 10.2, and Factory
PCLinuxOS 2008
CentOS 5.1
Debian Stable/Etch, Testing/Lenny, and Unstable/Sid
ArchLinux 2007.08
FreeBSD 7.0 and 6.3
NetBSD 4.0
Frugalware Linux Stable, Testing, and Current
Foresight Linux 1.4.2
Damn Small Linux 4.2.4
VectorLinux 5.9
Mandriva 2008.0 and 2007.1
Slackware 12.0

Post a request for any others that support installation over FTP, and supply links to the requested distribution's PXE/netboot initrd image, or FTP-install CD.

Purpose

This is meant for people who want to install Ubuntu but don't have a CD-R to burn, lack a CD writer, or they want to install on a computer that doesn't have a CD-ROM drive, like an ultra-portable laptop.

What it does

UNetbootin uses an Windows-based or Linux-based installer to install a small modification to the Windows or Linux bootloader (grldr and boot.ini for NT-based systems, grub.exe and config.sys for Win9x, or grub for Linux), uses the bootloader to boot the netboot initrd and kernel, then uses that to download and install the desired distro (Ubuntu, Mandriva, Fedora, OpenSuse, Slackware, Debian, and Arch Linux) are currently supported) directly from the internet, no CD required. After Ubuntu is installed, the modification to the bootloader is then undone,

Requirements/Dependencies

Linux or Microsoft Windows 95-Vista
A broadband internet connection (dial-up will take way too long to download)
3GB or more of spare hard drive space to install Ubuntu in

Installation Instructions

Before installing, remember to back up all your data, in case you do something wrong in the partitioning stage of the installer.

1. Download the appropriate file for the distro version you want to install; if using Windows, use the exe files, if using an Ubuntu or a Debian-based distro, use the deb files, if using Fedora or an RPM-based distro, use the rpm files, if using if using another Linux distribution, use the sh (self extracting) files:
http://sourceforge.net/project/showf...roup_id=222386

2. Run the file, and click "OK" to reboot

3. Select "UNetbootin" from the menu list

4. Answer the questions asked by the installer, and wait while it downloads and installs 650 MB of packages.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO USERS INSTALLING UBUNTU: If you're installing *Ubuntu, make sure to mark one or more desktop environment (Ubuntu, Xubuntu, Kubuntu, etc) using the space button when asked by the installer, so that it's marked with an asterisk (*), or else you'll be left with a commandline-only environment.

5. Reboot, and enjoy your new Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, Mandriva, Slackware, Arch Linux, or Debian system

Removal Instructions

1. To undo the changes to the Windows bootloader, simply boot Windows, and the uninstaller should begin. Press "OK", and it will undo the changes, or uninstall manually from "Add/Remove Applications". If you used Linux, and used the .deb/.rpm packages, uninstall the "unetbootin" package, or if you used the .sh version, use the command:

Code:

sudo unetbootin-uninst

2. To remove Ubuntu itself, see this guide: http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/p18.htm

Running UNetbootin from a liveCD or using it to make a bootable USB net-install drive

The .sh (shell script) version for GNU/Linux can operate in 3 different ways; installmode=tohost operates like the rpm/deb packages, chainloading off the existing grub install, installmode=nohost can be used off a liveCD/liveUSB when there is no existing OS installed, while installmode=usbdrive can be used to make a bootable net-install USB drive. Syntax and options are as follows:

If you are running this script from a host, hard-drive Linux install, and want the GRUB bootloader installed in /boot to be used, enter:

Code:

./unetbootin-fedora8rev49.sh installmode=tohost

Otherwise, if you are running this script from a liveCD or other live, non-hard drive media, or the installmode=tohost option fails, or you want to specify your target partition (targetpartition=/dev/sda1) or (optionally) the bootloader (bootloader=grub or bootloader=lilo), enter, in addition to the targetpartition and formatpartition options:

Code:

./unetbootin-fedora8rev49.sh installmode=nohost targetpartition=/dev/sda1 formatpartition=yes

Otherwise, if you want to install to a USB drive, enter, in addition to the targetpartition and formatpartition options:

Code:

./unetbootin-fedora8rev49.sh installmode=usbdrive targetpartition=/dev/sda1 formatpartition=yes

Using UNetbootin If You Don't Have an OS Installed

If you have a liveCD/liveUSB, boot it and use the UNetbootin .sh version as described above in the section for the "installmode=nohost" option, then reboot and the installer will start from the hard drive.

Alternatively, if the machine can boot off a USB drive, and you have access to another machine that can run Linux from a liveCD or hard drive, then make a bootable net-install USB drive using the UNetbootin .sh version as described above in the section for the "installmode=usbdrive" option, then boot the install-USB drive on the target machine and the installer will start.

If all else fails, or if you only have access to floppies, then first, download the Debian minimal-install floppies. Then, install Debian. Once installed, download the UNetbootin deb package using wget $unetbootin.deb, install it using dpkg -i $unetbootin.deb, then once done, reboot, and select UNetbootin in the GRUB menu.

More Resources

A Fedora and CentOS specific guide is available at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=543257 and http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?p=859216. A Fedora and Ubuntu guide is also available at http://www.howtoforge.com/unetbootin...untu_fedora_p4

A Mandriva specific guide is available at http://forum.mandriva.com/viewtopic.php?p=371030 and http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=3411772

An OpenSuse specific guide is available at http://opensuse.us/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=14851 http://www.suseforums.net/index.php?showtopic=39081 and http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=3411879

An Arch Linux specific guide is available at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=556230 and http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=283021

A Vector Linux specific guide is available at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=4062492

A Slackware specific guide is available at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=3720797 and http://slackwarehelp.org/viewtopic.php?p=6427

Notes For Vista Users

Vista has its own partition manager, which can be started with the command:

Code:

diskmgmt.msc

It can be used to shrink the NTFS partition to make space for Ubuntu's partition, and may work better than Ubuntu's partitioner. Details on using the graphical tool are at http://www.pro-networks.org/forum/viewstory.php?t=78111 and http://vistarewired.com/2007/02/16/h...windows-vista/

Should the graphical tool not work, you can also use diskpart, a commandline tool:

Code:

diskpart

Details at http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/0...0-2003-and-xp/ and http://vistarewired.com/2007/04/07/h...t-doesnt-work/

Installing Other Distributions Using UNetbootin

Since UNetbootin allows for the usage of unmodified netboot kernel and initrds, it is possible to install any distribution that provides one, such as in the form of a mini-FTP-install iso. If installing another distribution on a one-time usage basis (for packaging and mass distribution, see the section below), first install another distribution using UNetbootin, download the netboot version of the desired distribution (generally available on the FTP server), extract the initrd and kernel files, and replace (on Windows) C:\unetbootin\ubnkern and C:\unetbootin\ubuninit, or (on Linux) /boot/ubnkern and /boot/ubninit with the netboot kernel and initrd files, respectively, then reboot and the installer for the desired distribution should start.

Packaging UNetbootin for Other Distributions

Thanks to UNetbootin's portable architecture, it is easy to add support for other distributions. If you would like to create UNetbootin packages for other distributions, first make sure you have installed the "bzr", "alien", "fakeroot", and "wine" utilities, which are installable through your package manager, then check out the source with the command:

Code:

bzr checkout http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~gezakovacs/unetbootin/devel-new

Then add the name of the distribution, referred to here as {distroname}, into the file "targetdistros" in the checked-out source, add the netboot initrd and kernel, with the naming scheme "ubninit-{distroname}" and "ubnkern-{distroname}" into the "initkern" folder, then cd to the source directory, and run the command:

Code:

./build

Then, the "exe", "deb", "rpm", and "sh" packages for distribution will be created in the "dist" directory. More info is available in the readme file in the source folder.

License/Source Code

This is licensed under the GNU GPL. Source code is available at the launchpad page at https://launchpad.net/unetbootin

Credits

This guide was written from scratch by me. The installer was created using NSIS http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Main_Page the bootloader came from grub4dos http://grub4dos.sourceforge.net/ and the netboot initrd/kernel came from Ubuntu.

Known Issues

If you encounter errors on reboot such as "Error 17" or "File not found" at the grub screen, try defragmenting your hard drive and running "chkdsk /r"

If you encounter errors following the bootup and during the operation of the debian-installer, consult the netboot initrd, debian-installer, and ubuntu installation howtos and documentation

If you encounter errors in Ubuntu, consult the general ubuntu documentation and the forums

If you encounter errors in the Windows portion of the installer, post a question here

Use this guide at your own risk.

tuxcantfly

Ignore this, I'm subscribing to this thread...

nonlinear

wow, so glad i found this, this is exactly what i need right now! having problems burning error-free discs, and used teh regular WUBI but want a 'real' install.... i think this feature should be incorporated into the next release

has anyone tried this? how did it go? is it possible to put a pre-existing ubuntu iso in the directory and bypass the download stage?

tuxcantfly

Quote:

is it possible to put a pre-existing ubuntu iso in the directory and bypass the download stage?

No, it's a netboot installer, so you can't use an iso; you'll have to download while installing

Quote:

i think this feature should be incorporated into the next release

We'll have it incorporated eventually, though using a different method (install from alternate iso instead of netboot) but probably not in the next release, as we're still working out issues with the loopmounted installation.

Quote:

has anyone tried this? how did it go?

It works the same way as the standard netboot install does, only without any cds needed, so if netboot works, this will work fine too. After install, you'll just have a plain ubuntu install.

chochem

I used this to successfully install Feisty. I know I ought to have thought of it myself but I think a mention of "have your IP-address-gateway-dns-server-info at the ready" should be included in the howto. That being said the installation went like a charm once I had rebooted and collected the needed info.

The Windows bit is perfect: you run it (takes two seconds) and don't have to do anything part from OK'ing a reboot. Once you're done and boot into Windows again, you're presented with an uninstaller which works just as elegantly simply. As for the actuall installation process, it's pretty much the same as using the text-based alternate install cd. As long as that doesn't frighten you, I'll definitely recommend this.

One slight annoyance was that the installation process was halted halfway through to ask what desktop was required (ubuntu/kubuntu/xubuntu/etc.) I would have prefered to see this at the start with the other installation choices so that the installer could be left on its own for the some 30 minutes the process took.

Mr|C

Can this be used to install 7.04 on an external Hard drive?

tuxcantfly

Quote:

Can this be used to install 7.04 on an external Hard drive?

Yes, it mimics the standard ubuntu behavior, so it should be able to, just follow the way you would install with a standard ubuntu install.

Mr|C

Thanks for the fast reply. I'll let you know how it goes

Mr|C

Ok, I'm worried

It's installed everything to my C:/ drive, when I want it to go to my Z:/ drive (The letter of the USB external). Is this okay?

tuxcantfly

Quote:

Ok, I'm worried

It's installed everything to my C:/ drive, when I want it to go to my Z:/ drive (The letter of the USB external). Is this okay?

No, that's not ok, installing to a usb drive is a bit tricky, you might have better luck if you follow instructions here:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=80811
http://frontier05.blogspot.com/2006/...ernal-usb.html

April 29th, 2007	#1
tuxcantfly Fresh Brewed Ubuntu Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cambridge, MA Beans: 1,217 Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope	Install Ubuntu without a CD using UNetbootin UNetbootin NOW HAS ITS OWN WEBSITE AND GUIDE AT http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ UNetbootin allows for installation of various Linux distributions to a real partition (so it's no different from a standard Ubuntu install), and uses a standard netboot installation, so internet access is needed. The main advantage of UNetbootin over Wubi and similar projects is that it creates a standard GNU/Linux install without needing a CD, and supports a variety of distributions. Note that if you have a USB drive handy, and your computer can boot from USB, this guide (which instead creates a liveUSB drive to boot and install from) will likely work better. Downloads at http://sourceforge.net/project/showf...roup_id=222386 Note that this guide is now somewhat outdated; I am still updating it; please see the website at http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ for more up-to-date instructions Supported Distributions and Versions UNetbootin allows for the installation of: Ubuntu (and official derivatives) 7.10, 7.04, 6.10, 6.06 LTS, and upcoming 8.04 LTS Fedora 8, 7, and Rawhide openSUSE 10.3, 10.2, and Factory PCLinuxOS 2008 CentOS 5.1 Debian Stable/Etch, Testing/Lenny, and Unstable/Sid ArchLinux 2007.08 FreeBSD 7.0 and 6.3 NetBSD 4.0 Frugalware Linux Stable, Testing, and Current Foresight Linux 1.4.2 Damn Small Linux 4.2.4 VectorLinux 5.9 Mandriva 2008.0 and 2007.1 Slackware 12.0 Post a request for any others that support installation over FTP, and supply links to the requested distribution's PXE/netboot initrd image, or FTP-install CD. Purpose This is meant for people who want to install Ubuntu but don't have a CD-R to burn, lack a CD writer, or they want to install on a computer that doesn't have a CD-ROM drive, like an ultra-portable laptop. What it does UNetbootin uses an Windows-based or Linux-based installer to install a small modification to the Windows or Linux bootloader (grldr and boot.ini for NT-based systems, grub.exe and config.sys for Win9x, or grub for Linux), uses the bootloader to boot the netboot initrd and kernel, then uses that to download and install the desired distro (Ubuntu, Mandriva, Fedora, OpenSuse, Slackware, Debian, and Arch Linux) are currently supported) directly from the internet, no CD required. After Ubuntu is installed, the modification to the bootloader is then undone, Requirements/Dependencies Linux or Microsoft Windows 95-Vista A broadband internet connection (dial-up will take way too long to download) 3GB or more of spare hard drive space to install Ubuntu in Installation Instructions Before installing, remember to back up all your data, in case you do something wrong in the partitioning stage of the installer. 1. Download the appropriate file for the distro version you want to install; if using Windows, use the exe files, if using an Ubuntu or a Debian-based distro, use the deb files, if using Fedora or an RPM-based distro, use the rpm files, if using if using another Linux distribution, use the sh (self extracting) files: http://sourceforge.net/project/showf...roup_id=222386 2. Run the file, and click "OK" to reboot 3. Select "UNetbootin" from the menu list 4. Answer the questions asked by the installer, and wait while it downloads and installs 650 MB of packages. IMPORTANT NOTE TO USERS INSTALLING UBUNTU: If you're installing Ubuntu, make sure to mark one or more desktop environment (Ubuntu, Xubuntu, Kubuntu, etc) using the space button when asked by the installer, so that it's marked with an asterisk (), or else you'll be left with a commandline-only environment. 5. Reboot, and enjoy your new Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, Mandriva, Slackware, Arch Linux, or Debian system Removal Instructions 1. To undo the changes to the Windows bootloader, simply boot Windows, and the uninstaller should begin. Press "OK", and it will undo the changes, or uninstall manually from "Add/Remove Applications". If you used Linux, and used the .deb/.rpm packages, uninstall the "unetbootin" package, or if you used the .sh version, use the command: Code: sudo unetbootin-uninst 2. To remove Ubuntu itself, see this guide: http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/p18.htm Running UNetbootin from a liveCD or using it to make a bootable USB net-install drive The .sh (shell script) version for GNU/Linux can operate in 3 different ways; installmode=tohost operates like the rpm/deb packages, chainloading off the existing grub install, installmode=nohost can be used off a liveCD/liveUSB when there is no existing OS installed, while installmode=usbdrive can be used to make a bootable net-install USB drive. Syntax and options are as follows: If you are running this script from a host, hard-drive Linux install, and want the GRUB bootloader installed in /boot to be used, enter: Code: ./unetbootin-fedora8rev49.sh installmode=tohost Otherwise, if you are running this script from a liveCD or other live, non-hard drive media, or the installmode=tohost option fails, or you want to specify your target partition (targetpartition=/dev/sda1) or (optionally) the bootloader (bootloader=grub or bootloader=lilo), enter, in addition to the targetpartition and formatpartition options: Code: ./unetbootin-fedora8rev49.sh installmode=nohost targetpartition=/dev/sda1 formatpartition=yes Otherwise, if you want to install to a USB drive, enter, in addition to the targetpartition and formatpartition options: Code: ./unetbootin-fedora8rev49.sh installmode=usbdrive targetpartition=/dev/sda1 formatpartition=yes Using UNetbootin If You Don't Have an OS Installed If you have a liveCD/liveUSB, boot it and use the UNetbootin .sh version as described above in the section for the "installmode=nohost" option, then reboot and the installer will start from the hard drive. Alternatively, if the machine can boot off a USB drive, and you have access to another machine that can run Linux from a liveCD or hard drive, then make a bootable net-install USB drive using the UNetbootin .sh version as described above in the section for the "installmode=usbdrive" option, then boot the install-USB drive on the target machine and the installer will start. If all else fails, or if you only have access to floppies, then first, download the Debian minimal-install floppies. Then, install Debian. Once installed, download the UNetbootin deb package using wget $unetbootin.deb, install it using dpkg -i $unetbootin.deb, then once done, reboot, and select UNetbootin in the GRUB menu. More Resources A Fedora and CentOS specific guide is available at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=543257 and http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?p=859216. A Fedora and Ubuntu guide is also available at http://www.howtoforge.com/unetbootin...untu_fedora_p4 A Mandriva specific guide is available at http://forum.mandriva.com/viewtopic.php?p=371030 and http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=3411772 An OpenSuse specific guide is available at http://opensuse.us/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=14851 http://www.suseforums.net/index.php?showtopic=39081 and http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=3411879 An Arch Linux specific guide is available at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=556230 and http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=283021 A Vector Linux specific guide is available at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=4062492 A Slackware specific guide is available at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=3720797 and http://slackwarehelp.org/viewtopic.php?p=6427 Notes For Vista Users Vista has its own partition manager, which can be started with the command: Code: diskmgmt.msc It can be used to shrink the NTFS partition to make space for Ubuntu's partition, and may work better than Ubuntu's partitioner. Details on using the graphical tool are at http://www.pro-networks.org/forum/viewstory.php?t=78111 and http://vistarewired.com/2007/02/16/h...windows-vista/ Should the graphical tool not work, you can also use diskpart, a commandline tool: Code: diskpart Details at http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/0...0-2003-and-xp/ and http://vistarewired.com/2007/04/07/h...t-doesnt-work/ Installing Other Distributions Using UNetbootin Since UNetbootin allows for the usage of unmodified netboot kernel and initrds, it is possible to install any distribution that provides one, such as in the form of a mini-FTP-install iso. If installing another distribution on a one-time usage basis (for packaging and mass distribution, see the section below), first install another distribution using UNetbootin, download the netboot version of the desired distribution (generally available on the FTP server), extract the initrd and kernel files, and replace (on Windows) C:\unetbootin\ubnkern and C:\unetbootin\ubuninit, or (on Linux) /boot/ubnkern and /boot/ubninit with the netboot kernel and initrd files, respectively, then reboot and the installer for the desired distribution should start. Packaging UNetbootin for Other Distributions Thanks to UNetbootin's portable architecture, it is easy to add support for other distributions. If you would like to create UNetbootin packages for other distributions, first make sure you have installed the "bzr", "alien", "fakeroot", and "wine" utilities, which are installable through your package manager, then check out the source with the command: Code: bzr checkout http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~gezakovacs/unetbootin/devel-new Then add the name of the distribution, referred to here as {distroname}, into the file "targetdistros" in the checked-out source, add the netboot initrd and kernel, with the naming scheme "ubninit-{distroname}" and "ubnkern-{distroname}" into the "initkern" folder, then cd to the source directory, and run the command: Code: ./build Then, the "exe", "deb", "rpm", and "sh" packages for distribution will be created in the "dist" directory. More info is available in the readme file in the source folder. License/Source Code This is licensed under the GNU GPL. Source code is available at the launchpad page at https://launchpad.net/unetbootin Credits This guide was written from scratch by me. The installer was created using NSIS http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Main_Page the bootloader came from grub4dos http://grub4dos.sourceforge.net/ and the netboot initrd/kernel came from Ubuntu. Known Issues If you encounter errors on reboot such as "Error 17" or "File not found" at the grub screen, try defragmenting your hard drive and running "chkdsk /r" If you encounter errors following the bootup and during the operation of the debian-installer, consult the netboot initrd, debian-installer, and ubuntu installation howtos and documentation If you encounter errors in Ubuntu, consult the general ubuntu documentation and the forums If you encounter errors in the Windows portion of the installer, post a question here Use this guide at your own risk. Last edited by tuxcantfly; May 29th, 2008 at 05:01 PM..

April 30th, 2007	#2
tuxcantfly Fresh Brewed Ubuntu Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cambridge, MA Beans: 1,217 Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope	Re: Howto: Install Ubuntu without a CD Ignore this, I'm subscribing to this thread...

May 6th, 2007	#3
nonlinear 5 Cups of Ubuntu Join Date: May 2007 Beans: 17	Re: Howto: Install Ubuntu without a CD wow, so glad i found this, this is exactly what i need right now! having problems burning error-free discs, and used teh regular WUBI but want a 'real' install.... i think this feature should be incorporated into the next release has anyone tried this? how did it go? is it possible to put a pre-existing ubuntu iso in the directory and bypass the download stage?

May 12th, 2007	#5
chochem Gee! These Aren't Roasted! Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denmark Beans: 202 Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope	Re: Howto: Install Ubuntu without a CD I used this to successfully install Feisty. I know I ought to have thought of it myself but I think a mention of "have your IP-address-gateway-dns-server-info at the ready" should be included in the howto. That being said the installation went like a charm once I had rebooted and collected the needed info. The Windows bit is perfect: you run it (takes two seconds) and don't have to do anything part from OK'ing a reboot. Once you're done and boot into Windows again, you're presented with an uninstaller which works just as elegantly simply. As for the actuall installation process, it's pretty much the same as using the text-based alternate install cd. As long as that doesn't frighten you, I'll definitely recommend this. One slight annoyance was that the installation process was halted halfway through to ask what desktop was required (ubuntu/kubuntu/xubuntu/etc.) I would have prefered to see this at the start with the other installation choices so that the installer could be left on its own for the some 30 minutes the process took.

May 19th, 2007	#6
Mr\|C 5 Cups of Ubuntu Join Date: May 2007 Beans: 41	Re: Howto: Install Ubuntu without a CD Can this be used to install 7.04 on an external Hard drive?

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