Post #1: Backup & try before installing a new system (this post)
Post #2: UEFI
Post #3: mini.iso, minimal install, netboot iso
Post #6: Is the computer running in UEFI mode or in classical BIOS mode?
Post #7: Boot options
Post #12: How to select the version and flavour of Ubuntu
Backup before installing a new system and create a regular habit to backup your personal data
Editing partitions and installing operating systems are risky operations, and I recommend that you backup at least all your personal data (documents, pictures, ...) before you start. In general, it is a good idea to have a regular habit to backup the personal data. You never know, when something bad will happen to the computer, and you will need to restore the backed up data.
Try Ubuntu (and the community Ubuntu flavours) before installing
It is a good idea to try Ubuntu and some of the Ubuntu community flavours before installing into an internal drive. This can save a lot of trouble compared to installing directly.
This link contains links to all Ubuntu flavours: http://releases.ubuntu.com/
1. Run a live session booted from a CD/DVD/USB drive and select 'Try Ubuntu without installing'
Download a desktop iso file, create a CD/DVD/USB boot drive and reboot the computer from that drive. Check that the download was successful with md5sum.
a. Basic install drive (live drive)
See instructions at these links
the official Ubuntu instructions: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop
more tips: Checking the iso file and the boot drive - detailed tips
with instructions to burn a DVD on Ubuntu, Windows, MacOS
and instructions to create a bootable USB stick (pendrive) on Ubuntu, Windows, MacOS
CD disks can be used to install Lubuntu 14.04.1 LTS and Ubuntu mini.iso while the other iso files are too big for CD disks. (But mini.iso does not run a live session, it only installs.)
Find more details for booting from USB at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In...n/FromUSBStick
Basic install drives (live drives) are the standard tool to try Ubuntu live, and if it works well, to install Ubuntu to an internal drive.
b. Persistent live drive
It is fairly easy to create a persistent live drive with a USB pendrive using Unetbootin, mkusb, grub-n-iso or some similar dedicated tool or method as described here. There are detailed instructions at the following links to get persistence with CD/DVD and USB drives.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD/Persistence
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LiveUsbPendrivePersistent
mkusb/persistent
One pendrive for all PCs - 'grub-n-iso' with persistence described in post #6 and the following posts
Persistent live drives are similar to basic live drives, and in addition can save settings, installed programs and data files, but are slower (with the same hardware). The kernel cannot be upgraded (except by upgrading to a new iso file in a 'grub-n-iso' pendrive).
The persistent data are stored in a file with the name or a partition with the label casper-rw (and sometimes with an additional file or partition home-rw). Several tools create persistent live drives with the file system FAT32 and a file for persistence. This limits the size to 4 GiB. Other tools, for example mkusb, create a casper-rw partition for persistence, which is limited only by the available drive space.
2. Install (a complete installed system) to a USB stick or pendrive and boot from it.
This way you can find which version and flavour that works best when installed without touching the internal drive. It is also the way to try, if you use an installer which does not offer a live session, for example from the Ubuntu mini.iso or an alternate iso file and Ubuntu Server. You find working mini.iso files for 12.04 LTS (32-bits pae (and non-pae in a subdirectory)) at this link.
It is a two step procedure: Make a CD/DVD/USB boot drive, boot from it and install into a[nother] USB pendrive. Make sure that you install the bootloader into the head of the target pendrive (not into the internal drive or the source pendrive and not into a partition). Install almost like you would do (into an internal drive), but into the pendrive. In BIOS mode it is easier, if you remove the internal drive, or you must use Something else at the partitioning window and point the bootloader into the pendrive. Otherwise it will be installed into the internal drive /dev/sda. In UEFI mode the system will install the bootloader into the internal drive unless you disconnect or unplug it. So it is a good idea to unplug the internal drive, if it is possible.
This will test a complete installed system (but in a USB pendrive). Boot from this installed system and check what works directly, and what needs tweaking (boot options, or drivers for graphics, wifi etc).
It is also a method to create a portable Ubuntu system in a USB drive. The normal installation method described above works also to create an installed system in a pendrive. It is a bit more complicated to make an installed system, that works in UEFI as well in BIOS mode. See this link,
Another new, simpler and so far successful attempt to create a stable portable system, that works in UEFI and BIOS model
USB pendrives have a rather bad reputation concerning lifetime, but there is evidence that they have improved, and can last quite long nowadays, at least when managed in a good way. If you intend to use an installed system in a USB pendrive, you should add the mount option noatime to the line controlling the root partition '/' in the file /etc/fstab. You can also consider running the ext4 file system without journaling (but there is a tradeoff - journaling makes the file system much more reliable).
where x is the drive letter and y is the partition number of the root partition.Code:sudo tune2fs -O ^has_journal /dev/sdxy
You can also avoid swapping. If you remove the swap partition, you should also remove or 'comment' (put a # character in the beginning of) the 'swap' line in /etc/fstab.
See also these links describing different methods to create installed systems in USB sticks or pendrives
for new or middle-aged computers:
- https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In.../UEFI-and-BIOS
- Boot Ubuntu from external drive
for old or middle-aged computers:
- https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu/AdvancedMethods
and finally these links for old computers:
- Old hardware brought back to life
- General tips, that may help
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