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I need some help about installing Ubuntu onto my friend's Dell Dimension DM061 desktop PC, which is currently running Windows Vista.

It seems to have an Intel dual core CPU and plenty of free space on the hard drive. Unfortunately, I soon found out that I couldn't attempt to install the 64 bit Ubuntu 14.10 version from the Linux Format Christmas 2014 issue, because at least 2 GB RAM is required, but his PC only has 1 GB RAM.

I have now failed in my first installation attempt, because I was required to burn an ISO image onto a DVD, but there are no blank DVDs here. I've got a USB memory stick, but I don't know if or how I can use that instead.

At the moment, I've got a live version of Fedora Linux installed onto the USB stick and have managed to boot my friend's Dell Dimension desktop PC from that stick.

What should I try next to try and install Ubuntu onto this PC?

Thanks for all your suggestions. Today (Sunday) I'll see if I can buy a blank DVD or even a blank CD from anywhere. I'll also wipe Fedora Linux live version from my USB memory stick then try to burn an ISO image onto that for installation. I read on the Linux Format magazine Christmas DVD that I could install an image onto a USB stick using something called dd , but unfortunately I've never even heard of dd before, let alone used it. The main thing is that I've now got about 24 hours left to install Linux onto my friend's PC. I've only been here once before, 16 months ago, and I don't know if or when I'll ever come back. I mentioned in the title that he's technophobic, which is actually a bit of an understatement. He is totally incapable of installing any extra RAM, or unplugging or installing a hard drive, and he couldn't even tell me which version of Windows he was running. I told him that it must display the version on the monitor when he boots up or closes down, but while I've been here I've seen he leaves the PC turned on all day. I found out which version of Windows it was when the screen saver was displayed. To sum up, unless I install Linux for him, then he will never be able to install it. It took me 5 days to get onto his WiFi network, because the hub/router with the password printed on it was buried somewhere in the room. I also wanted to show him my Raspberry Pi computer which I use a phono to SCART cable with, but he claims that if I plugged it into his TV it would blow up. There is no other TV here which is working and has a SCART socket. I haven't got round to buying an HDMI to VGA cable for it yet. This costs about £6 on eBay, but about £45 in Maplins. Even if I had one, I doubt I could unplug the monitor cable from the PC and connect it, because the room is in such a mess. I hope someone can make a few more suggestions in the light of all this.

fossfreedom
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user251297
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    For a PC with only 1GB RAM Ubuntu is a bad idea, it will be much too slow. So install either Xubuntu 14.04 32-bit, which is comparable to Windows Vista in look and feel or Lubuntu 14.04 32-bit, which is comparable to Windows XP. Xubuntu 14.04 32-bit will run OK on this computer. I don't recommend Wubi - either dual boot with Windows Vista or replace Vista with your new operating system. – karel Dec 27 '14 at 23:19
  • dd aka "data destroyer" wouldn't be my first choice here. If your friend's never used Ubuntu (or any Linux) before, they're probably going to run into q's & problems, and if you'll never be back they'll be in trouble if they can't find help themselves (or make a bootable cd/usb... and is afraid of blowing up his tv...) My spidey-sense tells me your technophobic friend will be saying you destroyed his computer... Maybe just show him some Ubuntu videos (using & installing) on youtube, & a link or two on how to burn a dvd & just run "live" a while, see if they even like it, or another distro? – Xen2050 Dec 28 '14 at 12:30

4 Answers4

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  1. Download uNetbootin
  2. Download the ISO of 32-bit (because the PC have less than 2GB of RAM)
  3. Use uNetbootin to burn the ISO on the USB.
  4. Go to the BIOS of your friend computer and select to start by USB.
  5. Do the installation.

Hope that it solved your problem. Sorry for bad English

Lephy
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  • Unfortunately, I don't think I can use uNetbootin because the USB ports on my laptop are both broken and my friend's Dell Dimension desktop PC isn't running Linux at the moment. – user251297 Dec 27 '14 at 23:25
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    In defense of this suggestion, unetbootin, linked below, runs on windows as well. Please see my answer which addresses more practical endeavors such as teaching your friend how to upgrade his own ram.

    http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

     – gyropyge Dec 27 '14 at 23:44
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Your intentions are good but your timing is bad, so while you can help him immensely, you can do it retroactively and mail him the result for less than a dollar of shipping. I know this for certain as I have done it several times.

For now, the previous commenter is correct. You need to help him order RAM online and maybe you can even show him how it installs using youtube videos and tools you may have with you during your visit. In so much as most desktops have as many as four memory slots, it would be wise to open the pc anyway to determine the best fit. You really only need to get him to 2gb, but of course 4 would be nicer if he can afford it.

After you get home take one of your computers which you can disconnect the internal hard drive from, then install Ubuntu (I recommend 32bit over 64bit for reasons I'll explain later if pressed). With your hard drive disconnected, install the ubuntu of your choice to a particularly fast variety of SOLID STATE USB storage. I'm particularly fond of the thumbdrive shaped PATRIOT RAGE PRO XT which you can buy in such sizes as 32, 64 and 128, but it really doesn't cost that much more to buy this tiny shirt-pocket sized mSATA adapter and an mSATA card (I recommend this brand) to put inside it. With this combination it is actually faster than most internal hard drives.

This external installation will not only permit your friend to boot his desktop from this device, but any other computer he happens to be near. I carry such a device with me at all times and love the freedom.

Alternately of course, you can give him these instructions and he can more easily disconnect his internal hard drive to do the external installation but naturally he won't be as expert as yourself and he'll be completely flummoxed when trying to install stuff like WINE which I would advise you to preinstall for him as I do for my friends.

Having only just learned that your laptop's usb ports are broken, I wish to alert you to possible solutions, not the least of which would be cardbus variety cards which your laptop might accept which would supplement your existing ports. Another option which may work for you is a near magical product with which I've fixed numerous usb ports in seconds. It is called DeOxit by CAIG. You can find it online and sometimes they offer free samples if you hunt around their site enough. If you reply with the model number of your laptop, I may have a third no cost solution. Amazon also sells it.

gyropyge
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  • Why unplug the HD to install Ubuntu onto a USB thumbdrive? I installed onto a Lexar 32GB USB once, just picked the usb's sdx & off it went (ps. it installed OK but ran terribly, s..l..o..w, and corrupted it's fs & crashed repeatedly. Running the live iso from the same (reformatted) usb was great though...) – Xen2050 Dec 28 '14 at 00:04
  • "Why" depends entirely upon how you go about the installation. If you remove the Windows hard drive and then install Ubuntu onto an external usb ssd, and then reconnect the Windows drive you will get the desired results. HOWEVER, if you do not remove the Windows hard drive and then attempt a full installation on a removeable USB SSD of the type I advised user251297 to ship to his friend... he's going to have to keep the drive... FOREVER. His internal drive won't work without it. Grub will have autoconfigured for two drives instead of one. – gyropyge Dec 28 '14 at 00:50
  • So you're saying it might overwrite the old HD's bootloader? Shouldn't, but even if it did it can be fixed – Xen2050 Dec 28 '14 at 01:04
  • @Xen2050 I prefer to advise people how to not break things, than how to fix things. I post the boot fix page link here with some frequency, but if I can prevent its necessity, I will. – gyropyge Dec 28 '14 at 01:36
  • Almost forgot how Ubuntu has a habit of overwriting things it's not supposed to, there's regular questions about entire windows partitions being overwritten when attempting dual-boot installs too. Definitely safest to unplug any important drives when installing (partitioning too) – Xen2050 Dec 28 '14 at 01:51
  • Thank you @Xen2050! Mostly I've had extremely good luck with Ubuntu in terms of DWIM (Do What I Mean), but I also have a very very long history of operating systems and software which cannot be trusted so I have developed a great deal of caution as well. I'm the guy with the reputation of showing up at people's homes with a 2TB hard drive and other accessories to ensure that nothing dangerous is performed without a backup. – gyropyge Dec 28 '14 at 01:55
  • Let us continue this discussion in chat. – gyropyge Dec 28 '14 at 02:36
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1GB should be enough for at least Xubuntu (or Linux Mint XFCE), but there are "lighter" option distros if you're interested. One using LXDE like Lubuntu or Lubuntu-LTS based LXLE (oddly only 64-bit in the new version). CrunchBang was great last time I saw it, or for very very tiny options there's Puppy or TinyCore (not as "friendly" as the Ubuntu-Debian-based ones). Browse/search @ http://distrowatch.com/

If you or your friend's still running Windows, you can use the Universal USB Installer from http://www.pendrivelinux.com/ it worked great for getting a bootable USB working when other tools failed.

Or if you're already running linux you could make a multi-bootable USB yourself. Basically install grub onto the USB, copy one (or a few) iso's onto it, then edit a grub.cfg file to boot an iso. See this answer for more instructions, or this page for even more instructions.

Community
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Xen2050
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I would suggest you Try Xubuntu or Lubuntu as they are better for 1GB RAM. You can read this Link to see the differences in the *buntus http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/whichbuntu .I would then also suggest you create a persistance Bootable flash drive using the Universal USB installer found at http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/ after you create your bootable drive play around with the OS and check everything works smoothly. If all works 100% then install it.Note performance while Booting from a USB drive can be slower after you install the OS you will get better performance

William
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