UEFI
If you have hardware that is from 2010 or newer, it probably includes a
firmware interface called UEFI. The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
is a specification that defines how an operating system and the hardware
interact. It replaces the BIOS mentioned above, although some
manufacturers continue to use the term BIOS, just for consistency over
time, even when they are using UEFI. It has also been known to cause
problems when you try to install a different operating system than the
default one it came with on one of these machines. The 64-bit version of
Ubuntu has become more reliable in supporting installation on these
machines with each Ubuntu release. However, if you encounter difficulties,
see https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI for assistance.Step-by-Step Installation
This section describes a basic step-by-step installation of Ubuntu from the
install DVD included with this book, but these instructions also work with
media you create yourself using an ISO image you downloaded and wrote to a
disk or USB drive using the instructions provided earlier; just replace
mentions of DVD with your install medium. The install process itself is fairly
straightforward, and you should not encounter any real problems.
CAUTION
If you have anything at all on your computer that you want to save, back it
up first. Installing an operating system has become easier to do, but it is still
a major change. Your entire hard drive will be erased, and new information
will be written to it. This is expected when installing Ubuntu to the entire
hard drive, but it can even happen due to user error or gremlins
(unexplained problems) when attempting a dual-boot installation. Back up
anything you want to preserve. Save data and files to an external hard drive
or other medium. You may even want to back up your entire operating
system and current installation using something like Clonezilla
(http://clonezilla.org). Whatever you do, go in with the perspective that
everything currently on the computer will disappear. If this is okay,
continue.It is useful and recommended to have your computer connected to the Internet
as you proceed so that you can download updates while installing.