MaximumPC 2006 01

Installing and using

Linux on a PC used to

be nigh-impossible for

a neophyte. But with

today’s newb-friendly

distros, Linux is easy

for everyone

For a great balance of power and ease-of-

use, we recommend Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu is

a LiveCD version of Debian, which uses the

more streamlined Gnome window manager.

Though there are some fundamental differ-

ences between it and Windows—some things

will naturally be in a different place—Ubuntu

should seem familiar enough that it will be

easily navigable by anyone who’s used a

Windows machine.

To get the latest version of Ubuntu, go to

http://www.ubuntulinux.org/download and select a

mirror near you. You’ll have to make a couple

of choices before you can download an

Ubuntu image. You’ll want either the 64-bit

version—if you have an Athlon 64 or Pentium

4 that supports AMD64 extensions—or the

Intel x86 ver-

sion, for all

other PC CPUs.

If you have a

DVD burner,

we recommend

you use the

combination

install/live DVD

images, which

allow you to

test boot the

OS, and then

actually install

a working copy of Ubuntu to your hard drive.

If you don’t have a DVD burner, you can alter-

nately download the install CD from your mir-

ror of choice.

Our preferred download method for large

files—such as a 2GB Ubuntu DVD image—is

BitTorrent (www.bittorrent.com). Once you’ve

installed BitTorrent, you can download the

appropriate DVD image (in .iso format) by

clicking its .torrent link. Make sure you save

the ISO file someplace where you’ll be able to

find it.

Once you’ve downloaded the ISO, you’ll

need to burn it to disc using your favorite CD

mastering program. With Nero, it’s as easy as

double-clicking the ISO image, and clicking

“Write to disc” once the app loads.

Y

ears ago, when Linux was new, installing and using the alternative OS was

best left to propeller-head nerds with oodles of free time. Indeed, just get-

ting Linux up and running on a machine required several hours, just the

right mix of supported hardware, and then several more hours. If you were dealing

with cutting-edge hardware, it would take a couple days of tinkering to achieve a

working install with a graphical interface and a reliable Internet connection.

These days, installing Linux is a piece of cake. In addition to the

traditional distros that install Linux to your hard drive, there are also several

specialized distros that run directly from your optical drive, without making

any permanent changes to the Windows install already on your PC. Such

LiveCD distros make it really easy to give Linux a test spin and experiment

without any real danger to you or your computer.

Install Linux the Easy Way

INGREDIENTS

BLANK CD OR DVD

CD OR DVD BURNER

BROADBAND CONNECTION

EMPTY HARD DRIVE

Or a hard drive with 10GB or more

of free space

1 Downloading the Right Distro^

BY WILL SMITH

JANUARY 2006 MA XIMUMPC 59

how 2 IMPROVING YOUR PC EXPERIENCE, ONE STEP AT A TIME

There are several different download options for Ubuntu, depending on

your PC’s CPU and your choice of download software.

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