Note: that Linux Mint is installing as a normal Windows application, so it will not overwrite any of your files. Click Install when everything’s entered. Linux Mint will now be extracted from your disk image and setup on your computer. I don't want to burn a CD, DVD or USB memory stick. And I don't care about saving the existing operating system (Linux Mint). I want to install Ubuntu (actually Kubuntu 12.04 LTS) to the computer directly from the ISO image. The image is for the Kubuntu Live DVD (3.5 GB). The computer is now booted into Linux Mint.
Nothing makes me happier than resurrecting an old, slow, useless Windows PC by installing Linux on it.
The result is a system that will almost always run faster, with almost zero chance of malware infections, and that affords all the computing basics. (Many of the latest computing advances, too.)
Before you begin, read my tips on choosing a Linux distro, arguably the most challenging part of the equation (if only because there are so many). Once you've made that decision, all that's left is to actually install the operating system.
Choose a boot option
But, first: This is a proceed-at-your-own-risk tutorial. Also, note that I'll be referring to the old PC as the 'destination system.'
Here's the overall process in a nutshell:
Step one: Download a Linux OS. (I recommend doing this, and all subsequent steps, on your current PC, not the destination system. Although the latter is an option if it's malware-free and in decent working order, everything will get done faster and more easily on your primary machine.)
Step two: Create a bootable CD/DVD or USB flash drive.
Step three: Boot that media on the destination system, then make a few decisions regarding the installation.
Linux Mint Download Usb Bootable
The first part is easy: Just download Linux from Mint or Ubuntu or whatever site hosts the version you want. That download will likely consist of a single ISO file. Note: An older computer may have a 32-bit processor, which won't work with 64-bit versions of Linux.
The second part -- creating boot media -- requires a little thought. The fastest, easiest method is to use a flash drive, even if the destination system has a CD/DVD drive. Indeed, the only reason not to go the flash-drive route is if the destination system won't boot (or boot properly) from one. (I've encountered this problem a few times, even after tweaking the BIOS boot settings and actually selecting 'USB drive' from a pop-up boot menu.)
My advice: Try a flash drive first. If it doesn't work, you can always use that same ISO file to create a bootable CD later.
Install Linux Mint From Iso
How big a drive do you need? It depends on the size of the Linux distro. The latest versions of Mint and Ubuntu run about 1.8GB and 1.5GB, respectively, so a 2GB drive should suffice. Make sure it doesn't contain any important data, as it'll need to get wiped as part of this procedure.
Build your boot drive
Once you've downloaded your Linux ISO, you'll need a utility that can create a bootable flash drive. I'm partial to Rufus, which is fast, free and easy to use. Download the portable version; there's no need to actually install it, because most likely you'll just run it once.
Step 1: Plug in your flash drive (ignoring or closing any prompts that pop up), then run the Rufus utility.
Step 2: In the Device field, at the very top, make sure your flash drive is the one selected. If not, click the pull-down and select it.
Step 3: Near the checkbox marked 'Create a bootable disk using,' click the little disk icon and navigate to the Linux ISO file you downloaded. It's most likely in your Downloads folder. Click it, then click Open.
Step 4: If you like, you can change the 'New volume label' field to something like 'Linux,' but it's not necessary. Click Start, then wait while the drive is formatted and the ISO installed.
Get ready to boot
Now it's time to turn your attention to the destination system. It doesn't matter what condition it's in or even if it's riddled with malware; you just need it to be able to boot from a flash drive.
That may mean venturing into the BIOS and changing the boot order, which by default almost certainly puts the hard drive first. Some systems do offer a pop-up boot menu that lets you choose what device to boot from without having to monkey with the settings. If yours does, count yourself lucky.
For example, I did some testing with a years-old HP Pavilion dm1z. When you first power it on, there's no boot menu -- just a blank screen and then the Windows startup screen. So I did a quick web search for 'Pavilion dm1z boot menu' and learned that I need to press either F1 or F10 immediately after powering on the machine. (Turns out it was F10.)
That's pretty common, though based on past experience, it might also be F2, F9, F12 or even the Delete key. Depends on the system.
Once you've found your way into the BIOS, find the boot or startup menu and make sure 'flash drive' or 'USB drive' is first in the boot order. Then save and exit (usually by pressing F10, but, again, this varies).
One OS or two?
As you probably know already, Linux can boot and run right from the flash drive -- no actual installation required. That's a great way to test-drive a distro, but this tutorial is about installing the OS, so let's focus on that option.
The big decision you'll need to make is whether you want to install Linux alongside your existing OS, which would result in a dual-boot setup, or reformat the hard drive and run only Linux. The former is worth considering if the system has a large drive and can easily accommodate both operating systems, or you still have need for Windows.
This following instructions may vary a bit from one distro to the next, but they're based on my installation of Linux Mint.
Download free movies. Step one: Boot from the flash drive directly into Linux.
Step two: Double-click the Install Linux icon on the desktop.
Step three: Make any requested selections regarding language, installation of third-party software and so on. Then choose your OS installation preference: alongside the existing OS or erase-and-install.
After you make your choice, just sit back and wait while Linux does its thing. The installation might take some time, especially if the computer is on the older, slower side.
Install Linux Mint Directly From Iso
Now that you're up and running, hit the comments and let us know which Linux distro you chose and how the installation went!
Linux’s GRUB2 boot loader can boot Linux ISO files directly from your hard drive. Boot Linux live CDs or even install Linux on another hard drive partition without burning it to disc or booting from a USB drive.
We performed this process on Ubuntu 14.04 — Ubuntu and Ubuntu-based Linux distributions have good support for this. Other Linux distributions should work similarly.
Get a Linux ISO File
RELATED:How to Configure the GRUB2 Boot Loader’s Settings
This trick requires you have a Linux system installed on your hard drive. Your computer must be using the GRUB2 boot loader, which is a standard boot loader on most Linux systems. Sorry, you can’t boot a Linux ISO file directly from a Windows system using the Windows boot loader.
Download the ISO files you want to use and store them on your Linux partition. GRUB2 should support most Linux systems. if you want to use them in a live environment without installing them to your hard drive, be sure to download the “live CD” versions of each Linux ISO. Many Linux-based bootable utility discs should also work.
Check the Contents of the ISO File
You may need to look inside the ISO file to determine exactly where specific files are. For example, you can do this by opening the ISO file with the Archive Manager/File Roller graphical application that comes with Ubuntu and other GNOME-based desktop environments. In the Nautilus file manager, right-click the ISO file and select Open with Archive Manager.
Locate the kernel file and the initrd image. If you’re using a Ubuntu ISO file, you’ll find these files inside the casper folder — the vmlinuz file is the Linux kernel and the initrd file is the initrd image. You’ll need to know their location inside the ISO file later.
Determine the Hard Drive Partition’s Path
GRUB uses a different “device name” scheme than Linux does. On a Linux system, /dev/sda1 is the first partition on the first hard disk — a means the first hard disk and 1 means its first partition. In GRUB, (hd0,1) is equivalent to /dev/sda0. The 0 means the first hard disk, while the 1 means the first partition on it. In other words, in a GRUB device name, the disk numbers start counting at 0 and the partition num6ers start counting at 1 — yes, it’s unnecessarily confusing. For example, (hd3,6) refers to the sixth partition on the fourth hard disk.
You can use the fdisk -l command to view this information. On Ubuntu, open a Terminal and run the following command:
sudo fdisk -l
You’ll see a list of Linux device paths, which you can convert to GRUB device names on your own. For example, below we can see the system partition is /dev/sda1 — so that’s (hd0,1) for GRUB.
Create the GRUB2 Boot Entry
The easiest way to add a custom boot entry is to edit the /etc/grub.d/40_custom script. This file is designed for user-added custom boot entries. After editing the file, the contents of your /etc/defaults/grub file and the /etc/grub.d/ scripts will be combined to create a /boot/grub/grub.cfg file — you shouldn’t edit this file by hand. It’s designed to be automatically generated from settings you specify in other files.
You’ll need to open the /etc/grub.d/40_custom file for editing with root privileges. On Ubuntu, you can do this by opening a Terminal window and running the following command:
sudo gedit /etc/grub.d/40_custom
Feel free to open the file in your favorite text editor. For example, you could replace “gedit” with “nano” in the command to open the file in the Nano text editor.
Unless you’ve added other custom boot entries, you should see a mostly empty file. You’ll need to add one or more ISO-booting sections to the file below the commented lines.
Here’s how you can boot an Ubuntu or Ubuntu-based distribution from an ISO file. We tested this with Ubuntu 14.04:
menuentry “Ubuntu 14.04 ISO” { set isofile=”/home/name/Downloads/ubuntu-14.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso” loopback loop (hd0,1)$isofile linux (loop)/casper/vmlinuz.efi boot=casper iso-scan/filename=${isofile} quiet splash initrd (loop)/casper/initrd.lz }
Install Linux Mint From Iso On Hard Drive
Customize the boot entry to contain your desiredmenu entry name, the correct path to the ISO file on your computer, and the device name of the hard disk and partition containing the ISO file. If the vmlinuz and initrd files have different names or paths, be sure to specify the correct path to those files, too.
(If you have a separate /home/ partition, omit the /home bit, like so: set isofile=”/name/Downloads/${isoname}”).
Important Note: Different Linux distributions require different boot entries with different boot options. The GRUB Live ISO Multiboot project offers a variety of menu entries for different Linux distributions. Keyman desktop free download software. You should be able to adapt these example menu entries for the ISO file you want to boot. You can also just perform a web search for the name and release number of the Linux distribution you want to boot along with “boot from ISO in GRUB” to find more information.
If you want to add more ISO boot options, add additional sections to the file.
Save the file when you’re done. Return to a Terminal window and run the following command:
sudo update-grub
Virtualbox Install Linux Mint From Iso
The next time you boot your computer, you’ll see the ISO boot entry and you can choose it to boot the ISO file. You may have to hold Shift while booting to see the GRUB menu.
If you see an error message or a black screen when you attempt to boot the ISO file, you misconfigured the boot entry somehow. Even if you got the ISO file path and device name right, the paths to the vmlinuz and intird files on the ISO file may not be correct or the Linux system you’re booting may require different options.
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