Many of us want to install Ubuntu to learn about it, but don’t know how to install it safely on your Windows machines. In this tutorial we explain how to dual boot windows 7 and Ubuntu Linux. The procedure is same for dual booting Linux with Windows Vista. Here we deal with procedure to install and run Linux on Windows 7 and also how to set up network connections to browse Internet in Ubuntu Linux.
Most manufacturers ship their desktops and laptops with Windows pre-installed. Trying out a new OS on such computers while ensuring that Windows remains safe requires the existing partition of the hard drive to be resized. Most advanced computer users manage to do all of this with ease, but what about the rest who are new to the process?
Here is a simple step-by-step guide on how to resize your hard drive partition on which Windows OS is installed, and set up dual-booting options as well. All you need is a bootable Ubuntu installation DVD. You can create your own Linux Distro easily : How to create your own Linux Distribution
Let’s get ready for the installation.First, right-click on ‘My Computer’ in Windows 7 and click ‘Manage’. Now follow the steps below to get started with Ubuntu on your machine.
Resizing Partition and Installing Ubuntu
STEP 1: Resize your hard drive’s partition in Windows
Click ‘Disk Management’ under ‘Storage’. Right-click on the C: drive and select ‘Shrink Volume’ from the context menu. Enter the amount of space you would like your new partition to occupy. Make sure you have enough space.
STEP 2: Make space for the Linux distribution
At least 10 GB should still be free on the Windows partition after the process. The volume should show ‘Unallocated’ space, indicating that the section of the drive is now not used. We will install Ubuntu in this space.
STEP 3: Boot from the DVD and choose the language
Restart the computer, insert the Ubuntu DVD, and boot from it. At the first screen you see, select the language you want and press [Enter]. ‘English’ is the default option.
STEP 4: Choose to run the Live edition or to install Ubuntu
From the next menu, choose ‘Install Ubuntu’ and press [Enter]. You can test the OS from the CD itself, before installing it to your hard drive. This option will ensure that your hard drive remains untouched.
STEP 5: Detection of hardware and resources
After choosing the option to install Ubuntu, you will see this text scrolling on your monitor. The Ubuntu installer is detecting your system’s hardware and getting ready with the information it needs.
STEP 6: Welcome screen in GUI, choosing the language
The GUI loads, and you will see the ‘Welcome’ screen. Select the language here again and click ‘Forward’. You can quit the setup at any stage by clicking the ‘Quit’ button.
STEP 7: Choose your country and city
In the next step, select the place you live in. From the drop down list, choose ‘Kolkata’ (for India, Kolkata is the only option). You can also choose the location by clicking on the map. Once done, click ‘Forward’
STEP 8: Choose the keyboard layout
Select the Keyboard layout as per your requirements. By default, the ‘USA’ layout is selected. A small box lets you can type in characters to test the layouts of other keyboards. Click ‘Forward’ when done.
STEP 9: Critical: disk partitioning and space allocation!
If you are a beginner, select the first option here, which guides you through the partitioning process. Ubuntu will install itself in the free space that you created in Windows 7. Look at the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ bars for info.
STEP 10: User information and system details
Once the partitioning is done, enter your personal details like the ‘Username’, ‘Password’ and ‘Computer name’. If you do not want to see a username prompt each time you boot up, check the ‘Log in automatically’ option.
If you follow the above steps,You can install Ubuntu Linux on your system. After this, we deal with how to set up the network which will let you browse Internet in Linux. Here is the procedure..
We already discussed How To Connect To The Internet Using Your Broadband Connection On A Linux System
How to set up the Network Connection to browse Internet
STEP 11: Option to import account settings from Windows
Ubuntu offers to migrate your documents and settings from Windows OS. It will automatically detect Windows on the other partition. Check the box if you want to import the settings from Windows.
STEP 12: Ubuntu installation begins
After you have fed in the necessary details, Ubuntu will now be installed on the hard drive. First the file system will be created, and then the installation of system files and applications will follow.
STEP 13: Installation complete
After around 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the speed of your computer), the file copying stage will be complete. Click on the ‘Restart’ button to reboot your system and complete the installation of Ubuntu.
STEP 14: Boot menu: Choose between Vista and Ubuntu
Ubuntu has finally been installed! When you restart the computer, you will see a boot screen called ‘GRUB’. Here you can choose to boot into Windows or Ubuntu each time you boot. Select Ubuntu for now.
STEP 15: Enter your username and password
After Ubuntu has finished detecting all your hardware and has loaded all the services it needs, you will be asked to enter the username and password you provided during installation.
STEP 16: Set up the network adapter
Ubuntu is now up and running on your system. For the network setup, right-click on the networking icon on the top right-corner and select ‘Edit connections’. Enter the necessary IP addresses for your network.
This completes the installation of Ubuntu on your Windows system. In this way we can dual boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu Linux on the same machine and this procedure can also be used for doing the same with Windows Vista.
Also check out, How to add applications, set the screen resolution and desktop wallpaper, etc.
my system is preloaded with ubuntu linux. Now i have purchased Windows 7 pro.
Tell me the procedures to remove the ubuntu linux and boot with the windows 7 CD. I dont want to keep dual OS.
i have installed linux on my Netboo (HP Mini 110) but ubuntu gets problem when bootinh … it didn’t load any screen,just a blank black screen
i have wait it for 1 hour,but no change, pleas email me if you would to help me 🙂
lowenergy32@gmail.com
Thnx man…
I have a question..my RAM size is 512MB…will it work ??or i hv 2 upgrades my ram for unbuntu…m using window xp sp2..
hey TARANFX…..can u plz tell me how u installed Mac OSX and Windows 7…i tried iPC OSX but it failed i couldn’t dual boot
Good tutorial, Can someone tell me whether it’s possible to run two OS’s running at the same time. My situation is that I use Windows 7 most of the time and I download torrents using utorrent as my client. But I know that it’s pretty slow on Windows 7 compared to ubuntu’s bittorrent client Transmission, as I have tried it and I feel it’s at least two times faster than the utorrent, So I want to run Windows 7 on one partion while use Transmission on the other, therefore I need to keep running both OS’s.
It’s greatly appreciated if anyone can share any suggestions
Thanks in advance.
You can use a virtual pc program. This makes you able to run 2 OS at the same time. The virtual pc will reserve resources from the host system, but other then that it acts as a independent system (You can do stuff to share folders and stuff like that)
VMware probaly the most known program also quite expensive.
http://www.vmware.com/
Sun virualbox is free and works with all OS´s ive tried out. Dosent have as many features as VMware. But you save a hell lot of money.
http://www.virtualbox.org/
Dont use Microsofts virtuel program. Its so slow even the IT school I go in. Demands students to use every other program then that. And ofc it dosent work with anything else then Windows OS if I remmenber correct.
I know this is abit late answer and you might already found soulation but just incase 🙂
I Quadruple boot my Core i7 : Mac OSX Snow Leopard, Ubuntu 9.1 and Windows 7, XP
Nice site; nice tutorial 🙂
Thanks Anand.
Awesome dude. Nice explanation flow. But wht if, I want to install it in a separate drive. I have two partitions named C & D. I wanted to install Ubuntu in D and want to access C files as well. is it possible ?