If you've installed Ubuntu in the past, you might notice that, unlike its predecessors up to 12.04, Ubuntu 14.10 does not fit on one CD. From release 12.10 onwards, developers have also improved the installer, which now provides full encryption and Logical Volume Manager (LVM). The step in 13.1a0 that allowed access to or set up of an UbuntuOne account was removed in 14.04. Other than these updates, not much has changed with the Ubuntu installation process.

Installing Ubuntu 14.10 on your computer or virtual machine can be done in several ways. Although Ubuntu is geared toward novice Linux users, installing the system is different from doing a Windows installation. In this article, we'll explain your options and walk you through the steps.

What's New, Utopic?

If you're running Ubuntu 14.04, you can update to version 14.10 directly. However, if you are upgrading from a version of Ubuntu earlier than 14.04, you will have to update in steps to 14.04 first and then to 14.10. If you decide to go with a clean install, you might want to try the Live version first to test the programs and get used to the Unity desktop (Figure 1).

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