Dual Boot Ubuntu 9.10 on Windows with Wubi Installer
Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala is out. There is a good chance that you are planning to run Ubuntu along with the existing windows installation. In such a case, it becomes hard to free up space, move data and create a new partition for installing Ubuntu. The solution lies in using Wubi.
wubi
Wubi is a free open source application licensed under GNU and is an acronym for Windows Ubuntu Installer. For information on Wubi, visit this post by Keith.
Using Wubi is pretty simple.
It prompts for a username password, installation location and size.
wubi-installer
There are options to select the desktop environment and the install language as well.
After installation is complete, this install location is mounted as a boot disk and presented as boot option when the system boots, allowing you to dual boot into either your native Windows system or the Ubuntu system you just installed.
The biggest advantage is that with Wubi, we can install Ubuntu anywhere. There is no need to manually change the bootloader, edit the boot process or create any partitions to dual boot.
The only drawback is a slight reduction in disk performance which can be overlooked if you are not performing continuous disk I/O.
Download Wubi here.
Brian
November 2nd, 2009 at 2:21 pm #
great article! wubi seems to be a really nice application. I like the idea that you can install ubuntu anywhere without having to manually change the bootloader, edit the boot process or create any partitions
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malach hamovess
November 13th, 2009 at 4:48 am #
the new wubi installation, 9.10, installs quite flawlessly, and only requires a few Firefox plug-in downloads to create a fully-functioning alternative to windows.
however, it is still pretty tough to see why anyone would want to use Linux on the desktop, as there are still a million easier ways to accomplish most anything in windows, including much more up-to-date programs.
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GDI
November 19th, 2009 at 4:33 pm #
Wubi seems to be the way to go, it looks easy enough to use and install Ubuntu. I just hope there are no issues with it sitting side by side with Vista.
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