If you've installed Ubuntu in the past, you might notice that, unlike its predecessors, Ubuntu 12.10 does not fit on one CD. Developers also improved the installer, which now provides full encryption and Logical Volume Manager (LVM). Other than these updates, not much has changed with the Ubuntu installation process.

Installing Ubuntu 12.10 on your computer or virtual machine can be done in several ways. Although Ubuntu is geared toward novice Linux users, installing the system is different from installing Windows. I'll explain your options and walk you through the steps.

What's New, Quetzal?

If you're running Ubuntu 12.04, you can update to version 12.10, or you can do a fresh install. In the latter case, try the Live version first to try the programs and get used to the Unity desktop. Then, you can load the distribution via the integrated installer on your computer. No matter what you decide, back up all your important files beforehand so nothing gets lost in the process.

Insert Media

The double-sided DVD that comes with this issue provides two versions of Ubuntu, for 32-bit and 64-bit computers. To boot from the DVD, first have your computer recognize it as bootable. Often, computers do this automatically; starting the PC with a bootable CD or DVD in the drive invokes the corresponding bootloader. If the computer can't find the DVD, change the boot order via the BIOS. To get to the BIOS, start up the computer and immediately press Esc, Del, F2, or F12, depending on your computer. Then, look for the appropriate option to change the boot order and move the CD/DVD drive to the top of the list. If you're starting Ubuntu from a USB stick, move the USB device to the top of the boot order. In both cases, save the setting and restart the computer.

If your computer is missing a drive, use a USB stick, which assumes that you already have Ubuntu installed. Create the stick by downloading the ISO image for Ubuntu 12.10 for the 32-bit or 64-bit architecture [1] that your installed Ubuntu uses, then load it to the USB stick using the Startup Disk Creator app in Ubuntu (Figure 1).

Figure 1: The Startup Disk Creator in Ubuntu 12.04 copies the Ubuntu 12.10 image onto a USB stick with the required free space. Both Ubuntu versions have to use the same 32-bit or 64-bit architecture.

To begin, delete all previous files on the stick, leaving at least 4GB of free space. Then, at the top of the Make Startup Disk window, select the downloaded ISO image. At the bottom, you need to select the USB device to use, then click Make Startup Disk. Booting from the USB stick requires the BIOS setting previously mentioned.

Fresh Install via Boot Menu

To do a new installation, insert the DVD included in this issue into the drive with the DVD label showing the appropriate architecture for your system (either 32-bit or 64-bit) and then turn on the computer. Before the Ubuntu boot menu appears, you are asked to make a language selection. In the boot menu itself, use the F keys to set language, keymap, and boot parameters.

Press F6 (Other Options) on the Ubuntu boot menu so that you do not land on the Ubuntu desktop. The window has a Boot Options line at the bottom (Figure 2). Enter the boot options mentioned here instead of the default ones quiet splash. The nomodest, radeon.modeset, nvidia.modeset=0 or nouveau.modeset=0 options help if you have graphics problems and the screen stays black. The acpi=off boot option fixes power management problems on older computers.

Figure 2: If booting doesn't work, adjust the boot option in the Ubuntu boot menu.

Ubuntu on Trial

If you do not want to Install Ubuntu right away, you can Try Ubuntu without installing. In so-called Live mode, Ubuntu copies only the necessary programs into memory and executes them from there. Booting takes noticeably longer than with the installed version, and the system as a whole is a bit slower, but you can test Ubuntu 12.10 with little risk. Also, look at the bundled applications to see whether Ubuntu supports your hardware (printers, scanners, wireless, and graphics cards). Ubuntu 12.10 loads only the 3D version of the Unity desktop and uses LLVMpipe for slower machines, creating sluggish responses on some older computers (cause for a recommended desktop replacement).

Installer

The Ubuntu installer opens in a window as shown in Figure 3. The first step is to choose a language. The next window checks whether your computer meets the installation requirements, which is at least 4.9GB available drive space (for the DVD version), plugged in (important for laptop and netbook installations), and preferably connected to the Internet.

Figure 3: The installer provides options, among other things, to prepare for MP3 support and for downloading updates.

In this window, you can set two check marks. If you mark Download updates while installing, Ubuntu uses the idle time during installation to download patches and security updates from the Internet, but doesn't install them yet.

Marking Install this third-party software loads a few important codecs for playing MP3 files and flash content on the player during Ubuntu installation. These two options can always be set later, but for now, Next takes you to the next window.

If no wired connection exists to the network and Ubuntu recognizes your wireless card, the next window displays the discovered access points. Using the correct password, you can connect to the access point. If no choices are available, a wireless connection is not possible, so use a wired connection instead.

Choices, Choices

A new window then appears that was not there before. If Ubuntu doesn't find another operating system installed, it provides the options as before, to Erase disk and install Ubuntu or to do Something else (Figure 4). Now, there are two additional options: Encrypt the new Ubuntu installation for security and Use LVM with the new Ubuntu installation. If you encrypt Ubuntu, the performance is a bit less than optimal, although it secures data to prevent theft. There is also a later opportunity to encrypt your home directory.

Figure 4: Choose to erase the entire disk for the Ubuntu install, or make a different selection.

If you have another resident operating system, such as Windows 7, the option Install Ubuntu alongside Windows 7 will appear, which you can invoke using Continue. In this case, the options for encryption and LVM are grayed out and not available. If you have an older Ubuntu version, additional options appear in the installer window.

Ubuntu Flying Solo

Installing Ubuntu by itself takes up the entire hard disk and writes all files into the /dev/sda1 primary partition. Also, the Ubuntu install creates the /dev/sda2 extended partition and, within it, the /dev/sda5 logical partition that houses the swap area (see the "Hard Drives in Ubuntu" box). The swap area includes the swap file that takes over when working memory is overloaded, although writing to the swap area is noticeably slower than direct access to main memory.

Ubuntu Neighbors

Windows often takes up the entire hard drive instead. If you want to install Ubuntu alongside Windows, you must shrink the Windows partition and completely defrag it, as described in the "Windows and Ubuntu" box. Ubuntu 12.10 then invokes the GRUB 2 bootloader, which boots both systems and can handle new computers supporting Secure Boot.

DIY Ubuntu

If you want to maintain some control over the installation, select the Something else option, although this requires some knowledge of the Ubuntu hard drive structure (see the "Hard Drives in Ubuntu" box).

Ideally, you would place at least two logical partitions for Ubuntu on an empty hard drive: a swap partition (/dev/sda5) and a partition for the root directory that is at least 4.9GB (/dev/sda6). Optionally, you can add an extra partition for the /home directory (/dev/sda7) that gives you enough space. This partitioning has the advantage that you can install Ubuntu again later without losing your user data. You can add the new partitions using Add. For the / and /home directories, selecting the Ext4 filesystem is best.

Install Now

If you opted for self-partitioning, click Install Now. To set up complete encryption, Ubuntu asks for a security key; select the most secure one possible (Figure 5). Ubuntu then asks about your location (Where are you?, to get the time zone), Keyboard layout, name, username, and password (Who are you?). The latter dialog also asks whether you want to Require my password to log in or Log in automatically, with an additional option to Encrypt my home folder, for which Ubuntu uses EcryptFS.

Figure 5: If you use the complete encryption Ubuntu provides as an option, be sure to use a secure password (security key), and keep it in a safe place so as not to lose it.

If you have one of the supported Ubuntu webcams, the installer also suggests that you take an image of yourself to complement your profile. Ubuntu 12.10 can also import profiles for parallel-installed operating systems that includes not only browser and email files but also screen backgrounds and documents.

During the install process, you can view a slideshow that presents the new Ubuntu features. Installation can take a while, depending on your system, and it ends with Restart Now. Then, you can remove the CD/DVD and press Enter so that the computer reboots. If you activated system encryption, enter the password before booting up.

Updating Ubuntu

If you have Ubuntu 12.04 installed already, first consider whether you want to upgrade at all. Version 12.04 is an LTS version with five years of support, so you could wait until 2014 to upgrade to Ubuntu 14.04. If you still want to upgrade to 12.10, turning off the external repositories and PPAs first makes sense. To do so, use the Software Center Edit | Software Sources function and remove the check marks on the Other Software tab.

Next, press Alt+F2 and enter update-manager -d. In the empty window of the update manager, an Upgrade button shows at the top. During the upgrade, the installer asks whether you want to keep or replace a specific configuration file; choose to replace if you haven't made any changes. Because Ubuntu is downloading many packages and replacing them, make sure your computer is plugged in to stay charged.

Bootloader Failures

Occasionally, the bootloader doesn't appear after an Ubuntu installation, or you can boot only one system. Loading Windows after installing Ubuntu often leads to a bootloader failure. Refer to the "Revival" box for commands you will want to enter in a terminal window. These commands install the GRUB 2 bootloader with help from a Live system so that GRUB correctly identifies all systems.

$ sudo mount /dev/sda6 /mnt
$ sudo mount -o bind /dev /mnt/dev
$ sudo mount -o bind /sys /mnt/sys
$ sudo mount -t proc /proc /mnt/proc
$ sudo chroot /mnt
$ grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
$ update-grub2
$ grub-install /dev/sda
$ exit
$ sudo reboot