Ok, let’s see how we can go about installing the Ubuntu Linux operating system. The first step is to go to website the Ubuntu Linux website. Next, select to download the Ubuntu Linux image. This can be a huge download, so you might want to leave your download for a night to get the whole file. Burn the downloaded file into a CD and you will be ready. Another alternative is just to order te Ubuntu Linux CD and it will be delivered to you through the post.

The great thing about Ubuntu Linux is that you get to try it without even installing it! How? Well, Ubuntu Linux has a “Live CD” option which allos you to boot and run the Ubuntu Linux operations system entirely from the optical drive. So you don’t have to install the operating system at all. Just pop in the CD and immediately see it boot up with no need to touch your hard disk files. There are limitations to this installation of course – you won’t get to use all the features in the full-blown installation of Ubuntu Linux (e.g. saving files is not allowed).

The other option which is available to you is to download and install Ubuntu Linux into a USB flash drive. This is great for trying out the operating system without installing it into a hard disk. Be aware, as before, that there are limitations to this kind of installation.

Finally, there is the option of a full-blown installation of Ubuntu Linux. You have to be careful of the full-blown installation of course, because you are writing files into your hard disk, unlike the “Live CD” or USB flash drive installation options. The first thing I’d recommend you do is to backup your important files before you proceed with the installation. In general, an important thing to remember is not to delete any files. Backup your data before proceeding with installation.

Once you data is backed up, you have the optional step of creating a partition for your Ubuntu Linux installation. If you create a partition for the Ubuntu Linux platform, then you potentially can dual boot between Microsoft Windows and Ubuntu Linux, which is always useful.

The program to use to create partitions is FDISK. But be extremely careful with this program. Make absolutely sure you know which partition you are creating before proceeding – FDISK has the power to complete erase your data with no way to recover it. Generally, a good idea is to create a 20 GB disk partition for Ubuntu Linux and associated files.

Once you have backed up your data and created a partition (if you so wished), the next thing to do is to actually install Ubuntu Linux. This copies the installation files onto your hard disk. I guess the good thing about Ubuntu Linux is that migration from Windows is exteremely straightforward. With v7.04 of Ubuntu Linux, support for migration from other operating systems has been much improved. You will just need to follow onscreen instructions during set up.

Once the installation is done, remember to copy in your backed up data, including you critical documents, photos and also Internet website bookmarks and settings.