An ISO
file is a CD (or DVD) image file. It is a snapshot of the data on
the disc including the full directory (folder) structure but all
contained in just one file. The CD/DVD burning program uses this
to write the complete file system structure onto the disc and browsing
the CD will show the file system, with many files and folders
rather than one file. To make the burner program do this rather
than just copy the file, you usually need to select the right function
- more of this later.
Here we
will be dealing with downloading the ISO file and burning a CD (or DVD
if your computer supports them - DVDs are much faster than CDs).
Newcomers to Ubuntu will probably be using MS Windows to do this
though it can be done with other operating systems.
Getting Ubuntu with MS WindowsIf you are already running Ubuntu and wish to upgrade (or get a different version for other reasons) it's easy to download the new version ISO file and check for errors see :-
Downloading a different version of UbuntuThis provides a user tailored system which can be minimised to work on low spec PCs or provide a more specialised system
The
procedure is to download the mini.iso (just 9.5MB) and burn to CD using
the appropriate instructions for either Windows or Ubuntu/Linux
environment as above. Installation is similar to the normal
installation (most like the Alternate CD install, it uses a text based
installer). All desktops are covered by choosing the software to
install - other software options are available here too. For
really low spec PCs and those well versed in the command line, there is
even an option to install a command line only version. Whatever
desktop, applications etc. wanted can then be installed from the
command line to form the most minimal system.
For full instructions see the
Minimal Install page.