best? (See Chapter 17, “Backing Up,” for more information about
backing up your system.)The Boot Loader
During installation, Ubuntu automatically installs GRUB2 (Grand Unified
Boot Loader) to the Master Boot Record (MBR) or to the GPT (GUID
Partition Table) of your hard drive. Handily enough, it also detects any other
operating systems, such as Windows, and adds entries in GRUB2 as
appropriate. If you have a specific requirement not to install GRUB2 to the
MBR, you need to install using the Alternate disc, which enables you to
specify the install location for GRUB2.
DUAL-BOOT NOT RECOMMENDED, BUT YOU CAN TRY IT IF
YOU WANT
If you are attempting to create a dual-boot system using both Windows and
Ubuntu—a system in which multiple operating systems exist on the hard
drive and the user selects which one to use at boot time—you should install
Windows first because it will overwrite the MBR and ignore any other
operating systems on the disk. Ubuntu also overwrites the MBR, but it does
so in a way that creates a boot menu that includes all operating systems it
detects on the disk. Dual-booting works, but in the past few years options
have arisen that are better for most people.
If you decide you must dual boot, make sure you have your Windows
recovery media available and that you either already have enough free
space on your hard drive or know how to shrink the existing Windows
partition and create a new partition on the hard drive for Ubuntu. No
support or instructions for doing this are given in this book. If you need to
use more than one operating system on the same hardware, this book
recommends virtualization.
See Chapter 30, “Virtualization on Ubuntu,” for more information.Installing from DVD or USB Drive
On most PCs, the BIOS supports booting directly from a CD, DVD, or USB
drive and enables you to set a specific order of devices (such as floppy, hard
drive, CD-ROM, or USB) to search for bootable software. Turn on your PC
and set its BIOS if required (usually accessed by pressing a function key or
the Del key after powering on) and then insert your Ubuntu install media and
boot to install Ubuntu.