Getting Started With Linux: How To Install Linux On Your Computer

So you’ve decided to give Linux a shot, and you’ve found a distribution that suits you. But how do you actually get it installed? Here, we’ll show you how to create a live CD or USB drive, boot into Linux, and install it on your system.

Whether you’ve played around with live CDs and drive partitioning before or this is your first time, this guide will get you up and running with Linux in just a little bit of time. It isn’t the most straightforward process, but if you’re reading this, you’re probably experienced enough with a computer to pull this off—it just takes a bit of legwork.

Note: If you’re installing Linux on a Windows computer, the process shouldn’t be too difficult. If you’re installing on a Mac or Hackintosh, however, you’ll need to perform a few extra steps, so definitely check out our triple booting guide for Macs and Hackintoshes, even if you aren’t triple booting.

Burning a Live CD or USB Stick

There are a few different methods for installing Linux on your computer, but generally, the most popular way is by downloading and burning a live CD (which has its own uses besides just installing Linux). I’ll show you how to do both here. The live CD method is probably easier, so go that route unless you’re on a netbook, or otherwise can’t burn a CD.

The Live CD Method

You’ll have to get your live CD from the net, so head to your distribution’s home page (like Ubuntu’s)and look for a downloads section. Most will make it pretty easy to find. In addition, many sites will even host BitTorrent downloads of their distribution too, which will be a little faster—so if you see a link for “alternative downloads“, check that out. Otherwise you can probably download it directly from the site.

Once your .ISO file is done downloading, open up your favourite burning program and burn that sucker to a blank CD. It’s pretty easy to do on Windows 7. Once it’s done burning, restart your computer. Wait for the “press any key to boot from CD” prompt, and then press a key. Once the CD boots up, it’ll give you the option to try out Linux or install it. Go ahead and click install. If you want to try it out, though, go for it—you’ll be able get a pretty good feel for what the desktop is like. When you’re ready to install, you can usually launch the installer right from the desktop.

The Live USB Method

Booting from your USB drive will take a few extra steps over the live CD method. While your computer is probably set to check your CD drive for bootable discs, it probably isn’t set to check your USB ports. So, with your newly created live USB stick plugged in, restart your computer and enter your BIOS setup (usually by hitting a key like Delete when you first start up—your computer’s splash screen will let you know when you first turn on your computer). Head over to the “Boot” section of your BIOS and find the section for changing your PC’s boot order. You’ll want to move your USB hard drive to the top of the list. Save your settings and exit the BIOS. When your computer reboots, it should take you to the Unetbootin menu, from which you can boot into your Linux live session (as described in the live CD method).

The Installation Process

The installation process will be slightly different for every distro, but in general setup should guide you through the necessary steps pretty easily. Assuming you’re installing Linux alongside another OS like Windows, though, there are a few things you’ll want to pay attention to.

Partitioning Your Drive

When the installer asks you where you want to install Linux, you’ll have to partition your drive. We’ve gone through how to do this a few times before, and it’s usually pretty simple to add new partitions from the free space on your drive.

GRUB and Other Bootloaders

swap space

That’s it! To boot into your newly installed Linux partition, you just need to restart your computer. When you do, it’ll take you to the GRUB menu, which will let you choose whether to boot into Linux or Windows. From there, you can play around with your new Linux installation. It’ll probably come with quite a few apps installed, some you’ll recognise and some you won’t, and you can poke around in the settings and see what’s available to you. If you’re lucky, most of your hardware will work. If you’re unlucky, you’ll have a few quirks with your hardware, and if you’re really unlucky, your Wi-Fi won’t work out of the box and you’ll have to work just to get connected to the internet. Luckily, we’ll be talking all about getting your hardware working tomorrow, so check back with us then!