step zero

[CatKiller]

If anyone is familiar with Nero and can tell me what to do I would be most appreciative.

Not familiar at all: I haven't used Windows for 15 years. From the screenshot you showed, the DVD Copy option would seem to be the most likely, with your iso file as the source rather than a disc in the drive, but I have no idea what's lower down in that window. There may be an option labelled up specifically for burning an image.

[ajgreeny]

Like CatKiller I haven't used Windows for about 15 years, so O don't know Nero either but it didn't take long to find this site with a search for "burn iso image with nero".

[oldrocker99]

What you need is a Nero option to "burn an image." That is how to do it. A far better way is to burn the .iso to a USB thumb drive, using the free program Rufus, which works like a champ.

Win7 is no longer supported, and is very vulnerable, so copy all the personal information to another drive and use the whole disk to install Ubuntu, or any other Linux version. You'll have a very stable, incredibly secure operating system, with which you can do anything you want a computer to do.

Here's a detailed page on how to install Ubuntu with a separate /home partition, which is highly desirable.

https://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/installseparatehome

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Every one of us were complete newbies at the beginning!

[ipv]

If anyone is familiar with Nero and can tell me what to do I would be most appreciative.

you do not need nero.

windows 7 can burn .iso to disc with out the need for any software. just right click on the .iso & click on burn disc image.

in the next step you choose the drive which is your dvd drive & then click on burn.

have a look here : https://www.howtogeek.com/80094/how-...-in-windows-7/

[TheFu]

For completeness, ubuntu team/official documentation:

• https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto
• Windows: https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/tutoria...dvd-on-windows
• OSX: https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/tutoria...a-dvd-on-macos
• Ubuntu: https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/how-t...dvd-on-ubuntu/

Pick your poison (instructions of choice).

Most of us would use a flash drive to install any linux OS. Keeping a flash drive around with an Ubuntu Desktop flavor is smart. This flash drive isn't just for installing, but should anythng bad happen, it is also a "Try Ubuntu" environment useful to troubleshoot another install, backup any data from other disks, and have a way to hop on the internet quickly should you accidentally screw something up. People new to any OS often screw things up, as they learn.

i would strongly push towards using a virtual machine for the first few months to see what can be done.

i would also say there are some things that still only work on Windows, but for me, that list is down to 3 things. The other 20,000+ things i use computers for work better on Linux than Windows or OSX. i still use Wndows almost daily, but haven't installed it in about 10 yrs.

Nothing against the other provided links, just we should probably share the guides created by ubuntu-centric, knowledgeable people, from clearly reputably web domains.

[seeker17]

Yes, Impavidus, I could use the installer to wipe Windows 7 and install Ubuntu, but I like to do things in small steps. But I have a more fundamental problem. I don't seem to be able to correctly burn the Ubuntu installer DVD. Thank you, CatKiller & ajgreeny. Ajgreeny, if oldrocker99's advice regarding Rufus and a thumb drive doesn't work I will try that. I will try to follow those instructions on the Nero page. And thank you, oldrocker99. That was fascinating about the separate home partition. Because I am just learning, I will not do that yet, but I see the point of it. As to Windows 7, I have already moved all my files to the new Windows 10 computer. I left next to nothing on the Windows 7 computer other than a few programs.

So ipv, I actually tried burning the DVD without Nero, just using Windows 7. I'll have to see what i did wrong.

TheFu, I don't need the 7 machine for anything else, that is why I will install Ubuntu.

I'll let everyone know if I am successful. Or not.

Thanks.

[seeker17]

All right......I think I am going to need the "Instructions for Idiots" (that is, me) version.

This time I tried the USB thumb drive method.

Here is what I did:
1. I downloaded a new copy of ubuntu-18.04.4-desktop-amd64
2. I clicked "send to" on the file and sent it to my thumb drive.
3. I took the thumb drive to the target computer, the Windows 7, put it in the USB port, hit the power button and pressed F12.
4. I got a window asking me where I wanted to boot from and I chose the thumb drive.

No success. The computer booted to Windows 7.

Questions:
1. Do I have to erase everything else that was on the thumb drive?
2. Was there something I had to do to ubuntu-18.04.4-desktop-amd64 before I put it on the thumb drive? I get the feeling there is, but this is the part I don't fully understand.

Hoping you folks don't lose patience with me. I really want to do this, but I am stuck at step zero.

Thanks again.

[CatKiller]

2. I clicked "send to" on the file and sent it to my thumb drive.

No, you absolutely do not want to have that file on the drive. You use that file to say what should be on the drive. Think of the .iso file as a .zip file if you like. It's an image of the contents of a filesystem.

Do I have to erase everything else that was on the thumb drive?

The act of writing the contents of the image to a drive will wipe everything that was on there before.

[ipv]

I think I am going to need the "Instructions for Idiots" (that is, me) version.

dvd : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCb6_Up0GCw

usb : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCb6_Up0GCw

[yancek]

If you are using Nero, the link below (very dated) explains its use. You need to select an option to burn the iso file of Ubuntu as an image and not burn/copy it as data. If you choose that option (burn data) it will not be bootable.

http://www.ntfs.com/bootdisk_quest_burn_nero.htm