Installing Ubuntu from Disk

You will have to change the Boot order in your Bios.computer booting>> press F2 (before windows loading screen).Then you get in your Bios.

there get the Boot option and make your CD/DVD drive be the first.

bios will check on the CD for an OS on nonavailability it will go on and check on your HD...

Thank you, using Boot Option enabled me to start the installation procedure. One more thing: during installation I want to ensure that Ubuntu does not wipe out Windows and all my collected data.

What is the procedure I must take to install Ubuntu without wiping out Windows & existing data?

Do I need to partition the drive. If so which options must I choose? Or if that is incorrect what is the correct procedure?

And is installing Kubuntu and Edubuntu a similar procedure or different?

To partition you disk you can choose the manual partitioning option in the ubuntu partitioner.

See this link to more information: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GraphicalInstall

To Install Kubuntu and Edubuntu you have to follow the same procedures.

Thank you for the link, Rafael.

Please can you confirm that to save Windows and existing Data that partioning is the correct procedure?

I am being very cautious as I do not wish to wipe out all my data on Windows by mistake! :-)

Am still waiting to hear from one of you at Technical support as to my last question: to save Windows and existing data is partining the hard disk the correct procedure?

I have an awful lot of saved data which I certainly do not wish to lose by making the wrong move. If Ubuntu included a proper set of instructions for installation all these questions would not be necessary. Installing Ubuntu is very far from being user-friendly at present.

Come on guys! Why the silence? Don't you care if I lose all my Windows data? I've asked you a simple question. How about an answer, huh?

Yes, partitioning is how you make Windows and Ubuntu both be there. You should defragment Windows first. There's an option to use the free space on the hard drive in step 4 (paritioning). It's automated. Resizing partitions (especially NTFS) is somewhat tricky, so I suggest backing up important data anyway just in case.

You do not need Kubuntu and Edubuntu disks. All three have the same base. You can install Ubuntu, then run "sudo aptitude install kubuntu-desktop edubuntu-desktop" and it'll get the desktop part of the setups for the other 2 from the internet. On the login screen you can choose (through the options > sessions, I think) which desktop to use (GNOME of KDE). Ubuntu and Edubuntu both use GNOME. The difference is that Edubuntu has extra education software included. Kubuntu uses KDE. These are just desktop environments. They control the look'n'feel, basically, but you can run KDE programs while using GNOME or GNOME programs while using KDE (they just won't match perfectly on the theme).

Thanks, Maco, for your valuable advice. Actually, I got to Stage 4 in the installation where three options are given for partitioning. The problem there was that I couldn't figure in which sector/s my Windows data was stored. So I couldn't progress any further than that.

Is there any way of knowing which sectors have data stored and which not?

The Option Resize and use free space will resize you main partition. The main idea about this option is only resize the partition and do not lose any data stored in there. But as maco said, resizing partitions (especially NTFS) is somewhat tricky, so you should backup your windows data just in case.

Rafael, thanks for this advice. But it still hasn't sorted out my installation problems.

In trying to install I go to Stage 4, Partitioning and choose the second option, "Use the largest continuous free space" and select that.

The installer then attempts to partition but comes up with an Error Window: "No Root File System: No Root File is defined. Please correct this from the partitioning menu"

When I click on the OK button the whole process ends and I have to start installation all over again!

The only other option is Manual Partition but I am just not sure how to select the right root file while preserving existing data.

Installing Ubuntu is proving to be a pig. Most folk would have given up by now but I just went and spent nearly £20.00 on the disks! I think I made a really bad mistake ...

Ok, so you're all taking Saturday night off, huh?

Look, world: here's the easy, user-friendly answer to installing Ubunto 7.04 without al the hassle that'll drive a normal non-techie nuts.

Download the Wubi-7.04.04 installer at hhtp://wubi.sourceforge.net/ and you're away.

Now, guys, why didn't you save me all the pain and frustration by advising me to do this in the first place?

Sorry, I didn't know this program.