Just installed Ubuntu 8.10 from a CD what now?

It depends how you installed Ubuntu. If you installed it correctly you can now dualboot your system between Windows and Ubuntu.
Updates should be installed. That's no problem. These are all the updates since October 2008. That's OK.
I suggest to install the following package: "ubuntu-restricted-extras". So you don't have to mess around with codecs support and so on..
To install this package go to: System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager

You can check if Windows is still on your computer by opening a Terminal (under "Applications-->Accessoires") and typing

sudo fdisk -l

Oh yes, and please paste the output of that command here if you want more help.

And for validation, you don't need to validate your copy like you do with Windows because it's open source and therefore free software.

Acquaintance of Ubuntu:
https://help.ubuntu.com/8.10/index.html

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?s=a79084ef9b5538bff954b5a7aab94e18&t=801404

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SynapticHowto

Official provided packages are signed
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Repositories/Ubuntu#Authentication%20Tab

For Bernhard
sudo fdisk -I=
Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x9c48122b

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 1218 9783553+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 1219 60801 478600447+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 60047 60801 6064506 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6 1219 59291 466471309+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 59292 60046 6064506 82 Linux swap / Solaris

but is this what i installed?

Can you also provide the result of mount terminal command...

Open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:

mount

Thank you

@keavycal: it looks like you have to Linux partitions and two swap partitions. You definitely only need one swap partition and if you only want Ubuntu you would only need one partition for that. In my case eg, I don't have sda6 and sda7 but only sda1, sda2 and sda5.

If you want to reinstall (is done pretty quickly) and you really only want Ubuntu, be careful what options you enter in the "partitioning tool". There should be an option "whole disk". Choose this one and it will use your whole disk for your Ubuntu partitions sda1 , sda2 , sda5. That's the normal setup. But if you re-install, make sure to backup any data that you still need.

@devs: I think other people have also reported they are missing the "ubuntu-restricted-extras" even though I can currently see it in my aptitude (64bit). Is this a packaging bug?

To Marcobra:

Mount=/dev/sda6 on / type ext3 (rw,relatime,errors=remount-ro)
tmpfs on /lib/init/rw type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,mode=0755)
/proc on /proc type proc (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
sysfs on /sys type sysfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
varrun on /var/run type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,mode=0755)
varlock on /var/lock type tmpfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,mode=1777)
udev on /dev type tmpfs (rw,mode=0755)
tmpfs on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,nodev)
devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,noexec,nosuid,gid=5,mode=620)
fusectl on /sys/fs/fuse/connections type fusectl (rw)
securityfs on /sys/kernel/security type securityfs (rw)
binfmt_misc on /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc type binfmt_misc (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)

This meens nothing to me.

Well, it's funny because you are mounting sd6 but you also have sda1 as Linux partition which seems to be superfluous. I also think that sda2 is a bit too large (an extended partition doesn't usually need so many blocks). That's why I thought you might want to do a clean re-install.

Did you install two Linux systems? Or did you install something twice?

No the first instalment was from a trial disk & the second was from an original disk,
as for that sda2 being so large i couldn't edit or resize it in any way, (Is it Windows in Disguise i wonder)
I will try a complete instalment & see what happens.

It's not Windows since it says "Linux" in both cases. Actually, not sure what you mean by trial disk and original disk. It's always best to download the newest version here http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

And as I said, if you install there will be a partitioning tool and in your case (since you only want Ubuntu), it makes sense to choose the "whole disk" for your install and then the installation should be pretty easy. It will suggest some sizes for sda1, sda2, sda5 and you can just accept that standard suggestion.

You have not win partitions... so win is not more installed on this pc...
so please tell us what you want to do...

Thank you

 "Sorry!" Iv had a timeout away from the PC,
 Back to my problem
 I have downloaded the newest version of Ubuntu
 & i have made a disk & that's as iv got
 im surfing the live disk at the moment,
 I read something about compatibility problems between
 Dell computers & Ubuntu software?
 But iv read that much stuff that i don't understand!
 oh ye & non off my software is digitally signed.

Now to please press on the install icon tell to use entire disk when asked from install process.

Hope this helps

keavycal: to install Ubuntu

1) insert live CD
2) reboot and boot from live CD
3) click the "install" icon

then the installation process is pretty well guided