Howto: Install Ubuntu without a CD

[GZBurtchell]

I've also updated the Mandriva 2008, OpenSuse 10.3, Fedora 7, and PartedMagic Partition Manager packages to work on Vista as well.

Fedora 8 is coming out in 12 days, I'll have the UNetbootin Fedora 8 packages available soon.

Will UNetbootin work for installing Ubuntu Studio 7.10?

[tuxcantfly]

Will UNetbootin work for installing Ubuntu Studio 7.10?

Yes, you can select between the various *buntus (ubuntu,kubuntu,xubuntu,gobuntu,studio,server) in a dialog that appears after the "installing base system" phase is done.

[GZBurtchell]

Yes, you can select between the various *buntus (ubuntu,kubuntu,xubuntu,gobuntu,studio,server) in a dialog that appears after the "installing base system" phase is done.

Well, I got as far as "Select And Install Software", selected Ubuntu Studio Desktop, the next window came up, the indicator bar sat at 6% for a bit then shot up to 85% and then this message came up:

Select And Install Software
Installation Step Failed
The Failing Step Is:
Select And Install Software

I thought it might be a mirror that was too congested so I tried a couple of different ones but got the same message. I aborted out of it rather than let it continue until I know what the problem is and how to corect it.

[tuxcantfly]

Well, I got as far as "Select And Install Software", selected Ubuntu Studio Desktop, the next window came up, the indicator bar sat at 6% for a bit then shot up to 85% and then this message came up:

Select And Install Software
Installation Step Failed
The Failing Step Is:
Select And Install Software

I thought it might be a mirror that was too congested so I tried a couple of different ones but got the same message. I aborted out of it rather than let it continue until I know what the problem is and how to corect it.

Do you get the same error when you just select "Ubuntu", or is it just an ubuntustudio-specific error? Also, did you actually select the entry (using space) so that a star appears next to it before pressing enter? (Simply going over it and pressing enter without selecting with space isn't going to mark it for installation)

Also, on another note, I've found a minor bug with UNetbootin on Vista; the install folder c:\unetbootin isn't properly removed after uninstallation. I've uploaded a new build for Ubuntu 7.10 to fix that, users of the other builds can just remove the folder manually after uninstallation if it remains residual after uninstall.

[tuxcantfly]

Also, note for any users using Windows Vista or Server 2008:

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

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:

diskpart

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

I've added this info to the main website and first post

[GZBurtchell]

Do you get the same error when you just select "Ubuntu", or is it just an ubuntustudio-specific error? Also, did you actually select the entry (using space) so that a star appears next to it before pressing enter? (Simply going over it and pressing enter without selecting with space isn't going to mark it for installation)

Also, on another note, I've found a minor bug with UNetbootin on Vista; the install folder c:\unetbootin isn't properly removed after uninstallation. I've uploaded a new build for Ubuntu 7.10 to fix that, users of the other builds can just remove the folder manually after uninstallation if it remains residual after uninstall.

I'm using the Linux version of UNetbootin and happily running with Grub. I already have Gutsy installed, (dual boot with WinXP), so I didn't think to try that or a different version, other than the Ubuntu Studio that I wanted to install. I definately selected the Ubuntu Studio Desktop entry, and properly selected it with the star in the box next to it. I checked the partition it was to be installed on and the folders are there though most being empty or incomplete.

My internet connection was working fine. I'm thinking I had the unfortunate luck of catching a bad day on the mirrors. Though I did try four different ones with the same results. I'll give it another shot tonight and see what happens.

[GZBurtchell]

I found the problem.

Note: You MUST have a floppy drive plugged in and enabled.

Gutsy did the same thing. It had a fit and wouldn't install until I plugged the darn thing back in. I used the floppy drive perhaps 3 times in as many years. Pretty useless so I pulled it out, stuck it in a drawer, and disabled the FD controller in the bios. And to think, I still have a 5.25" drive and floppies hanging around, as well as a true dinosaur 8" drive from my first computer - for nostalgia.

After I plugged the floppy drive back in and enabled the controller the installer ran fine.

[asbjornu]

[Can we please get a separate UNetbootin forum please? ]

I'm thinking of buying a new harddrive to my old Compaq Armada M300 and don't have any way to boot onto anything from the computer. What I'm thinking is to buy a USB jacket to the new harddrive and load UNetbootin onto it from another computer somehow.

Can someone please explain to me how I should make the new harddrive bootable and set up with UNetbootin before I plug it into the laptop and install Linux on it there?

I'm thinking this might work (please correct me if I'm wrong):

1. Attach the clean, new laptop harddrive to another Windows-based computer (I have Cygwin and can install Linux if that helps).
2. Format the laptop drive with the "/s" option to put Windows boot files on it so it can boot.
3. Download UNetbootin and put it on the laptop harddrive.
4. Detach the laptop harddrive and plug it into the laptop.
5. Boot the laptop up on the new harddrive and install Linux from UNetbootin.

What I'm not really confident about is step 2. I'm not sure Windows allows me to format a harddrive as a system bootable drive, since it isn't a floppy. Is there a way to format a random drive as bootable (e.g. fill the boot sector with something bootable) from Cygwin or Linux? If there is, what is the procedure? How can I modify the steps above to make such a solution work?

Thanks!

[tuxcantfly]

[Can we please get a separate UNetbootin forum please? ]

Just made a request to ubuntu-geek (this forum's admin), expect one soon...

I'm thinking of buying a new harddrive to my old Compaq Armada M300 and don't have any way to boot onto anything from the computer. What I'm thinking is to buy a USB jacket to the new harddrive and load UNetbootin onto it from another computer somehow.

Can someone please explain to me how I should make the new harddrive bootable and set up with UNetbootin before I plug it into the laptop and install Linux on it there?

Easier approach, I think, would be to just install GRUB and a minimal Linux distro onto it (floppy-install of Debian or something), then you can install the UNetbootin Linux package and that'll do the job.

FYI, to install GRUB to the MBR of a drive, you use the command grub-install, some details are at http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/p15.htm Once you have GRUB installed you can just place the initrd and kernel files onto /boot and update the menu.lst to load them (or UNetbootin can automatically do it for you as well if you copy over a base system and boot that and install the UNetbootin package).

On another note, I've updated the Arch, OpenSuse, Fedora, and Mandriva builds (rev7) to fix the vista-uninstallation bug in the earlier version (rev1) (Ubuntu builds have already been updated)

[asbjornu]

Just made a request to ubuntu-geek (this forum's admin), expect one soon...

Great!

Easier approach, I think, would be to just install GRUB and a minimal Linux distro onto it (floppy-install of Debian or something), then you can install the UNetbootin Linux package and that'll do the job.

Okay, thanks for the reply. I'll try this out as soon as my new harddrive arrives. The floppy install I found requires actual floppy disks to be used, though. I can of course fill four floppies with the given disk images, but what I'd like is to have the install on the laptop harddrive. I'm not sure how to achieve that.

FYI, to install GRUB to the MBR of a drive, you use the command grub-install, some details are at http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/p15.htm Once you have GRUB installed you can just place the initrd and kernel files onto /boot and update the menu.lst to load them (or UNetbootin can automatically do it for you as well if you copy over a base system and boot that and install the UNetbootin package).

This sounds like a way to go, but since I'm completely braindead when it comes to Linux, I don't really know where to start. Could you please point me in the right direction?