TeraByte Unlimited

This article is to provide information for those who are installing the Ubuntu distribution of Linux and using BootIt NG as their boot manager.

Version tested: Ubuntu 9.10  Desktop Edition (October 2009 release)

Overall Summary: Ubuntu is derived from Debian, and features the Gnome desktop environment. Ubuntu 9.10 is the first version to offer the ext4 file system as an option during installation. This version is also the first to use Grub2 as the boot loader. Despite these new features, the installation steps are still basically the same as previous versions. As always, the critical steps are the partitioning and boot loader installation.

Warning: Working with partitions and boot loaders while installing an operating system can lead to data loss. It is therefore highly recommended that all data be backed up before starting an installation.

Recommended installation steps for BootIt NG users:

1. It is recommended to use the regular Desktop version of the installation CD, unless there is a specific reason why the Alternate CD is required.

2. Before the Ubuntu install, install BootIt NG first (if not already installed).

3. Before the Ubuntu install, create the partitions for Ubuntu with BootIt NG. Ubuntu requires a root partition and a swap partition at a minimum.  All Linux partitions except the swap partition should be created as Linux Native (type 131/83h). The swap partition should be created as Linux Swap (type 130/82h). Do not be concerned with formatting the partitions at this time. This will be done by the Ubuntu installer during the installation.

4. Important: Before the Ubuntu install, set up a boot menu item for Ubuntu in the Boot Edit dialog in BootIt NG. Be sure to specify the partition to boot from (typically the root partition). This will be the partition to install Grub (the boot loader) to in a later step. Also be sure that all partitions created for Ubuntu are included in the MBR Details section of Boot Edit.

5. Important: Attempt to boot from the boot menu item created in Step 4. This boot attempt will fail, but it will set up the partitions correctly in the MBR partition table so that the Ubuntu installer will see them as specified in the Boot Edit dialog.

6. Important:  After step 5, reboot the system from the Ubuntu installation CD without booting any other boot items in between.

7. Start the installation by choosing either "Install Ubuntu" or "Try Ubuntu..." from the initial CD boot menu. The "Install Ubuntu" choice will start the install immediately. The "Try Ubuntu..." choice will boot up to the Live CD desktop where there will be an "Install Ubuntu" icon available to start the install. Booting up to the Desktop first is a way to test Ubuntu on your hardware before actually installing.

8.  Proceed through the subsequent installation screens to choose language, timezone, keyboard, etc.

9. Important: At the Prepare disk space screen, choose to Specify partitions manually. This will allow you to choose the partitions created in BootIt NG to install Ubuntu to. Note that if not limiting partitions in BootIt NG, using any of the Ubuntu installer's automatic partitioning methods, or using it to create, move, or resize partitions can cause it to overwrite existing partitions that it is not aware of, leading to data loss.

10. The next screen will be the Prepare partitions screen. On this screen identify and highlight your Ubuntu root partition, and then choose Change. This will bring up the Edit partition dialog.

11. In the Edit partition dialog, set the "Use as" value to the file system of your choice. Starting with Ubuntu 9.10, ext4 is available, although ext3, reiserfs, and others could also be used.

12. In the Edit partition dialog, ensure that the "Format the partition" check box is checked.

13. In the Edit partition dialog, set the "Mount point" value to "/". This tells the installer to use this partition as the root partition.

14. In the Edit partition diaolg, choose OK. This will take you back to the Prepare partitions screen.

15. On the Prepare partitions screen, identify and highlight your Ubuntu swap partition, and then choose Change. This will again bring up the Edit partition dialog.

16. In the Edit partition dialog, set the "Use as" value to "swap area" and choose OK. This will take you back to the Prepare partitions screen.

17. If you are using any additional partitions, such as for /boot or /home, repeat the steps above to configure those partitions. Be sure to choose the correct mount points - i.e. choose /home as the mount point for the home partition.

18. When finished with choosing and editing partitions, choose the Forward button from the Prepare partitions screen. Work though the subsequent screens until you come to the "Ready to install" screen.

19. Important: On the Ready to install screen, choose the Advanced button. This will bring up the Advanced options dialog where you can specify the location to install the Grub boot loader to. The default choice will be (hd0), which means Grub will be installed to the MBR. Use the drop down list to change the boot loader install location to specify the Ubuntu root partition. For example, if your root partition is /dev/sda1, choose that value from the drop down list. The "Install boot loader" check box should remain checked.

20. In step 19, if you have a /boot partition (optional), you could also install Grub there. The important thing is that you don't install Grub to the MBR as explained in step 19. Doing that can lead to data loss if you are not limiting primaries. The partition you install Grub to must be the same partition that you select as the boot partition in BootIt NG.

21. The "Ready to install" screen summarizes your choices, including the partitions that you have selected for use with Ubuntu. To make changes, use the Back button. To start over, use the Quit button. This screen is the last chance you have to go back and make changes before committing to the installation. When satisfied with all selections, choose the Install button. This will start the actual installation to the hard drive, based on your selections.

22. When installation completes, you will be prompted to restart the system. Note that as long as Grub got installed to a partition (not the MBR) as described in steps 19 and 20 above, BootIt NG should appear normally on reboot, without any need to reactivate or reinstall it. Choosing the Ubuntu boot item (created in step 4) from the menu should start Ubuntu.