Installing Linux

Overview

This chapter introduces how to install the Linux operating system. We will cover multiple installation methods, from the most suitable virtual machine installation for beginners, to dual-boot and full installations.

Pre-Installation Preparation

1. Choose a Distribution

For beginners, the following distributions are recommended:

• Ubuntu: Most popular, good community support, suitable for getting started
• Linux Mint: Based on Ubuntu, offering a more traditional desktop experience
• Fedora: More recent software, suitable for developers

2. Download ISO Image

Download the ISO image file from the official website:

• Ubuntu: https://ubuntu.com/download
• Linux Mint: https://linuxmint.com/download.php
• Fedora: https://getfedora.org/

3. Verify Downloaded Files

After downloading, it's recommended to verify file integrity:

# Calculate SHA256 checksum
sha256sum ubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso

# Compare with the checksum provided on the official website

Installation Method Selection

Method 1: Virtual Machine Installation (Recommended for Beginners)

Advantages:

• Does not affect existing system
• Can create snapshots at any time
• Convenient to try different distributions

Disadvantages:

• Performance has overhead
• Cannot use full hardware resources

Method 2: Dual-Boot Installation

Advantages:

• Can experience the complete Linux
• Retain existing operating system

Disadvantages:

• Installation process is more complex
• Requires reboot to switch systems

Method 3: Full Installation

Advantages:

• Best performance
• Complete Linux experience

Disadvantages:

• Will overwrite existing system
• Need to backup important data

Method 4: WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)

Advantages:

• Windows users can quickly experience Linux
• No need to reboot to switch

Disadvantages:

• Not a complete Linux experience
• Some features are limited

Virtual Machine Installation (Detailed Steps)

Installing VirtualBox

Windows Users

1. Visit https://www.virtualbox.org/
2. Download the Windows installer
3. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete installation

macOS Users

# Install using Homebrew
brew install --cask virtualbox

Linux Users

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install virtualbox

# Fedora
sudo dnf install virtualbox

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S virtualbox

Creating a Virtual Machine

1. Open VirtualBox, click "New"

2. Configure virtual machine name and type

   • Name: Ubuntu (or any name)
   • Type: Linux
   • Version: Ubuntu (64-bit)

3. Allocate memory

   • Recommend at least 2GB (2048 MB)
   • If host memory is sufficient, allocate 4GB or more

4. Create virtual hard disk

   • Select "Create a virtual hard disk now"
   • Hard disk file type: VDI
   • Storage on physical hard disk: Dynamically allocated
   • Size: Recommend 25GB or larger

5. Configure virtual machine settings

   • System → Processor: Allocate 2 or more CPU cores
   • Display → Video Memory: 128 MB
   • Storage → Add ISO image to optical drive

Installing Ubuntu

1. Start the virtual machine

   • Select the virtual machine and click "Start"

2. Select language

   • Select "中文（简体）"

3. Select installation type

   • Click "Install Ubuntu"

4. Keyboard layout

   • Select "Chinese" or "English (US)"

5. Installation options

   • Normal installation (includes common software)
   • Check "Download updates while installing"

6. Installation type

   • Select "Erase disk and install Ubuntu"
   • (This is safe in a virtual machine)

7. Timezone settings

   • Select Shanghai

8. Create user

   • Enter your name
   • Set computer name
   • Create username
   • Set password

9. Wait for installation to complete

   • Installation usually takes 10-20 minutes

10. Restart system

    • After installation is complete, click "Restart now"
    • Remove installation media as prompted

Installing Guest Additions

Installing VirtualBox Guest Additions provides better experience:

# Open terminal in virtual machine and execute:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r)

# Then in VirtualBox menu select:
# Devices → Install Guest Additions

Dual-Boot Installation

Preparation Work

1. Backup important data

   • This is very important!

2. Create bootable USB

   Use Rufus (Windows) or Etcher (cross-platform):

   # Using Etcher
   1. Download and install Etcher
   2. Select Linux ISO image
   3. Select USB drive
   4. Click Flash to begin writing

3. Make space for Linux

   In Windows:

   • Right-click "This PC" → Manage → Disk Management
   • Select a partition, right-click "Shrink Volume"
   • Allocate at least 50GB space for Linux

4. Disable Windows Fast Startup

   • Control Panel → Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do
   • Uncheck "Turn on fast startup"

Installation Steps

1. Boot from USB

   • Restart computer, enter BIOS/UEFI
   • Set USB as first boot device
   • Or use boot menu (usually F12 or F2)

2. Select "Install Ubuntu"

3. Select installation type

   • Select "Install Ubuntu alongside Windows Boot Manager"
   • Or select "Something else" for manual partitioning

4. Manual partitioning (optional)

   Recommended partitioning scheme:

   Partition	Size	File System	Mount Point
   EFI	512 MB	FAT32	/boot/efi
   Root	30-50 GB	ext4	/
   Swap	Equal to RAM	swap	-
   Home	Remaining space	ext4	/home

5. Complete installation

   • Follow the installation wizard to complete remaining steps
   • After restart, you will see GRUB boot menu

WSL Installation (Windows 10/11)

Enable WSL

# Run PowerShell as administrator
wsl --install

Install Specific Distribution

# View available distributions
wsl --list --online

# Install Ubuntu
wsl --install -d Ubuntu

# Install other distributions
wsl --install -d Debian

WSL Basic Configuration

# Set default distribution
wsl --set-default Ubuntu

# View installed distributions
wsl --list --verbose

# Set WSL version
wsl --set-version Ubuntu 2

Starting and Using

# Start default distribution
wsl

# Start specific distribution
wsl -d Ubuntu

# Start as root user
wsl -u root

Post-Installation Basic Configuration

1. Update System

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Fedora
sudo dnf update -y

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -Syu

2. Install Common Software

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install vim git curl wget htop

# Fedora
sudo dnf install vim git curl wget htop

3. Configure Chinese Input Method

# Ubuntu
sudo apt install ibus-pinyin

# Then add Chinese input method in Settings

4. Install Graphics Drivers (if needed)

# Ubuntu - NVIDIA drivers
sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall

# Or install manually
sudo apt install nvidia-driver-535

5. Configure Terminal

# Install Oh My Bash (optional)
bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmybash/oh-my-bash/master/tools/install.sh)"

Common Problem Solutions

1. UEFI Secure Boot Issue

If unable to boot from USB:

• Enter BIOS settings
• Disable Secure Boot
• Or use signed boot loader

2. Partition Issues

If installation program cannot recognize hard drive:

• May need to disable Intel RST
• Change SATA mode to AHCI in BIOS

3. Wireless Adapter Not Working

# View network card information
lspci | grep -i wireless
lsusb | grep -i wireless

# Install additional drivers
sudo apt install linux-firmware

4. Time Not Synchronized (Dual-Boot)

# Make Linux use local time
timedatectl set-local-rtc 1 --adjust-system-clock

Getting Help

If you encounter problems during installation:

1. Official Documentation

   • Ubuntu: https://help.ubuntu.com/
   • Fedora: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/

2. Community Forums

   • Ubuntu Forum: https://ubuntuforums.org/
   • Ask Ubuntu: https://askubuntu.com/

3. Search Engines

   • Searching with error messages usually finds solutions

Summary

This chapter introduced multiple ways to install Linux:

• Virtual Machine Installation: Most suitable for beginners, safe and convenient
• Dual-Boot Installation: Can experience complete Linux
• WSL: Convenient choice for Windows users

Recommend beginners first use a virtual machine to become familiar with Linux, then consider dual-boot or full installation.

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Previous chapter: Linux Introduction

Next chapter: Desktop Environment