A very important element in our computers is the Operating System (OS). Everyone uses it, but really how many have stopped to install it from scratch or know how to do it? In this article, we are going to show each step of the installation and explain the details of interest or key points of the installation of GNU Linux Ubuntu 20.04.
We can download the Ubuntu 20.04 ISO from the following URL
https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop
Why Ubuntu and not another distribution of GNU Linux?
The answer to this question is quite simple:
- Easy to use
- It is one of the most popular GNU Linux distributions
- Focused on the common user
- It is free and open source
- It has greater hardware support (Drivers) than most Linux distributions
- Based on Debian
- It is one of the distributions that is always available in cloud solutions, VPS, etc.
- It has a large support community
To install an OS you need installation media. This can be an installation CD/DVD, a USB memory, booting the computer over the network using a server, etc. There are several boot methods that exist to install a PC, we will be analyzing these in another of our articles. Starting from any installation medium we will reach a common point. No matter what route we use; That common point is the installation program, which is what we will see in this article.
It is extremely important that we always read everything and understand all the information that the installers show us. It depends on this that we choose the correct options.
An essential recommendation: during the installation of the operating system it is advisable to remove the network, that is, proceed with the installation without internet. This way we avoid possible update attempts, which is they fail can render the system useless, and we would have to reinstall it completely again. These updates can be applied later when the system is already functional.
GNU Linux Ubuntu 20.04 installation process
Once our computer starts on the media that will be used to install, the first thing we see is a check that the installation program does of the information on the installation media, as shown in this image.
Once the media verification is completed, the installation program loads and displays the screen that we will see below. In it, we will select the language in which we want to carry out the installation. We also have two options available, one to test the system without making changes to the computer (Live CD) Test Ubuntu and the other that will install the system, Install Ubuntu. In our case, we are going to select the “Try Ubuntu” option to make an adjustment to the screen resolution before installing.
Once it has loaded we can test the almost fully functional operating system, we now see the desktop as shown in the image below.
Next we click on the application drawer in the lower left corner, it would be equivalent to the start button on a Windows system.
When it is displayed in the search field, we are going to put the text “monitors”
A result should appear like the one shown in the image below, we click on it.
In the window that appears, we proceed to display and choose a much higher screen resolution to be able to work more comfortably and see everything that should appear on the screen. If the resolution with which it initially loads is very small, there are elements of the installation program that we will not see.
Once the list is displayed, we scroll with the mouse wheel and select at least 1024×768.
Then we click on the apply button in the upper right corner as shown in the image.
Then in the confirmation that comes out we choose to keep changes
We then proceed to close the window by clicking the close icon in the upper right corner and return to the desktop. Now we are ready to begin the installation, for which we double-click on the icon on the desktop or click on the first icon that appears in the sidebar on the left.
Now we will actually start with the installation program. In the Welcome window, we will select the language in which we want to install and click on Continue.
Next, we select the keyboard layout that we are going to use and click Continue.
On the next screen, we will select the type of installation (Normal installation). It is also important to select the “Install third-party programs for graphics hardware….” box. This option allows drivers that our equipment needs to be installed. Next, we click on Continue. The necessary options are shown in the image below.
In the next step of the installation, we have two options. The first option will be used to install the system on a new or completely empty hard drive. You have to be very careful in this step because it is very essential; If this option is checked, the entire disk will be erased and the entire disk will be used for the operating system. The second option is more advanced, it allows you to choose which specific partition the operating system will be installed on. In this basic guide, we will proceed with the first option “Erase disk and install Ubuntu” and click on the button in the lower right corner “Install now”.
Next, a confirmation window will appear in which we will click on Continue as shown in the following image.
The next step is to set the time zone that the system will use. To do this, we click on the map in the country where we live and then Continue. The image below illustrates the step in question.
The last step of the installation that requires our intervention is the one shown in the image below. In this step, we will enter the data for the user account that will access this device. We complete the data and click Continue.
From here we only have to wait for the installation to complete.
When everything is finished installing, a notification like the one shown in the image below will appear. We click Restart Now to test our newly installed system.
At this point the installation of GNU Linux Ubuntu 20.04 is complete, it is very easy! And it is very useful that we know how to do it, since if our hard drive is damaged, and we buy a new one, we will have to install the operating system and apply everything seen in this article.
After restarting the PC and loading the operating system, the welcome screen will look like the following image.
Here we can click on our user and enter the password as shown in the image. Then we press Enter and wait for the desktop to load.
Here is the newly installed system desktop. Feel free to explore it further and discover things.
In future articles, we will be addressing topics related to this system.
