Be patient.Įventually the system will finish and ask you if you want to install updates automatically, so select the option that works for you. Just as with downloading the packages from the mirror, the install may take some time. There will be one last check of the partitioning you have selected, and then the system will start installing. The system will select the amount of space automatically however, you can follow the hint and use the word “max” to specify the maximum size available. If you have elected to not use encryption, you will immediately arrive at the following screenshot. The installer will then run through some additional options, such as setting up passphrases for your encrypted disk. I would personally advocate encryption as a matter of course to keep your data secure, but the choice is yours. If you want to use encryption, select the third option to allow guided setup. The system will then ask you to select how you want to partition your disk.
The system will flag a password if it considers it weak as shown:Īfter this the system will set up the clock and time zone. As an illustration, I picked the distro name which is “ubuntu.”Ĭhoose a password – for this demo I selected “root.” For your own system, pick something strong and not easily guessed. You can pick anything you like as long as it is memorable. With the download completed, you’ll be asked to set up a username and password.
This may take a while depending on your connection, but just be patient. Once you have selected the local mirror, which will make the download faster, Ubuntu will proceed to call all the packages and elements it needs to install itself on your PC.
Generally, all machines should be able to boot from the CD drive, whereas some older BIOS will not have the USB boot capability. Depending on how old the machine is, and if it has a CD/DVD drive, will determine which of these is better-suited to your hardware. Once you have the image saved, you will need to burn it onto either a CD or USB stick.
Details of how to check this can be found at the Ubuntu help pages. An MD5SUM is a calculation (hash value) of the ISO file to ensure no files have been changed or altered. Verify the Downloaded ISO File (Optional)Īs an optional step, you can verify the ISO file to ensure its integrity against the MD5SUM. Therefore, depending on your machine specifications, it is better to select this minimal installer as it is more likely to work on all machines.
The main difference is that while you can perform a minimal install within the “full version” of Ubuntu, some older hardware may not be able to display the full graphical installer. The minimal one, as shown above, and the full installer that can be obtained from the Ubuntu website. Note: there are two versions of the Ubuntu install media. It will pull all the information and packages from the Ubuntu repositories as it installs. Note the small size – this is because the ISO file is just the bare bones of what Ubuntu needs to boot.
They are also likely to work on slightly newer systems, as 64-bit processors can run 32-bit systems.Ĭlick on your chosen image and save it to somewhere convenient, such as the Downloads or Desktop folder.
These are generally PCs that have less than 4GB of RAM and a much slower, older processor. If you are using an older PC, then chances are you might need the 32-bit PC (i386, x86) image file. This can be found by going to the Ubuntu website and selecting the appropriate image. Getting the ISO Fileįirst, you will need to obtain a copy of the Ubuntu minimal ISO image file. In this tutorial we will show you how to install a minimal and lightweight version of Ubuntu on your old PC. It is easy to install, quick and will make your old PC more secure. Ubuntu is a free open-source operating system that enables users to either break away from using Windows completely or have the option of dual booting to give more choice.