TL;DR
This guide shows you how to install a ‘live’ Linux distribution onto your hard disk so it boots directly, instead of needing a USB stick or DVD. This makes the system faster and more convenient.
Step-by-step Guide
- Choose Your Distribution: Select a Linux distribution that offers a ‘live’ image (e.g., Ubuntu, Mint, Debian). Download the ISO file from their official website.
- Make sure you download the correct architecture for your computer (usually 64-bit).
- Create Bootable Media: You’ll need a USB stick (at least 4GB) to initially create bootable media. Use a tool like Rufus (Windows), Etcher (cross-platform), or the Startup Disk Creator (Ubuntu/Mint).
- Select the ISO file you downloaded and your USB drive.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to create the bootable USB.
- Boot from USB: Restart your computer and enter its BIOS or UEFI settings (usually by pressing Del, F2, F12, Esc, or another key during startup – check your motherboard manual). Change the boot order so that your USB drive is first.
- Save the changes and exit the BIOS/UEFI.
- Start the Live Environment: Your computer should now boot from the USB stick, loading the ‘live’ Linux environment.
- Partitioning (Important!): This is where you decide how much space to allocate on your hard disk for Linux. Back up any important data before proceeding! Use a partitioning tool like GParted (usually included in live environments).
- Identify the hard drive you want to install onto (be very careful not to select the wrong one!).
- Create at least two partitions:
- Root Partition (/): This is where the operating system files will be installed. Allocate a minimum of 20GB, but more is recommended (50GB+ for comfortable use). Filesystem: ext4 is common.
- Swap Partition: Used as virtual memory. Size depends on your RAM; generally equal to or double your RAM size is a good starting point, but modern systems often don’t need a dedicated swap partition if you have plenty of RAM (8GB+).
- Install the System: Most distributions will have an ‘Install’ icon on the desktop. Double-click it to start the installation process.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
- When prompted for a partition, choose “Something else” or “Manual partitioning”.
- Select your root and swap partitions you created earlier. Make sure the mount point for the root partition is set to
/. - Choose where to install the bootloader (usually the Master Boot Record of your hard disk – often /dev/sda).
- Complete Installation: The installation process will take some time. Once finished, reboot your computer.
- Remove USB Drive: After rebooting, remove the USB drive before Linux starts to load from the hard disk. If it doesn’t boot automatically, you may need to enter BIOS/UEFI again and ensure your hard disk is set as the primary boot device.
- Update System (Recommended): Once logged in, open a terminal and update your system:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade(This command is for Debian/Ubuntu-based distributions. Use the appropriate package manager for your distribution.)