If you've installed Ubuntu in the past, you might notice that, unlike its predecessors up to 12.04, Ubuntu 15.10 does not fit on one CD. As of 12.10 onwards, developers also improved the installer, which now provides full encryption and Logical Volume Manager (LVM). The step in 13.10 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 15.10 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 a Windows installation. We'll explain your options and walk you through the steps.

What's New, Vivid?

If you're running Ubuntu 15.04, you can update to version 15.10 directly (Figure 1). However, if you're upgrading from a version of Ubuntu earlier than 15.04, you will have to update in steps to 15.04 first and then to 15.10.

Figure 1: Choose Try Ubuntu to run a Live instance on your computer without installing anything.

If you decide to go with a clean install, try the Live version first to test the programs and get used to the Unity desktop. Then, you can load the distribution via the integrated installer on your computer. Regardless of what you decide, do back up all your important files first so nothing gets lost in the process.

Insert Media

The double-sided DVD that comes with this issue provides two versions of Ubuntu: one for 32-bit and another for 64-bit computers. To boot from the DVD, first have your computer recognize it as bootable.

Often computers do this automatically; starting the PC with a bootable CD or DVD in the drive invokes the corresponding bootloader. If the computer can't find the DVD, change the boot order via the BIOS.

To get to the BIOS, start up the computer and immediately press Esc, Del, F2, or F12, depending on your computer. Then, look for the appropriate option to change the boot order and move the CD/DVD drive to the top of the list. If you're starting Ubuntu from a USB stick, move the USB device to the top of the boot order. In both cases, save the setting and restart the computer.

If your computer is missing a drive, use a USB stick. We will assume that you already have Ubuntu installed. Create the stick by downloading the ISO image for Ubuntu 15.10 for the 32-bit or 64-bit architecture [1] that your installed Ubuntu uses, then load it to the USB stick using the Startup Disk Creator app in Ubuntu (Figure 2).

Figure 2: The Startup Disk Creator in Ubuntu 15.04 copies the Ubuntu 15.10 image onto a USB stick with the required free space. Both Ubuntu versions have to use the same 32-bit or 64-bit architecture.

First, delete all previous files on the stick, leaving at least 4GB of free space. At the top of the Make Startup Disk window select the downloaded ISO image and at the bottom select the USB device to use, then click Make Startup Disk . Booting from the USB stick requires the BIOS setting previously mentioned.

Fresh Install

To do a new installation, insert the DVD included in this issue into the drive with the DVD with the label facing up for 64-bit architecture and facing down for 32-bit architecture, and then turn off the computer. Then, turn it back on and immediately hold down the Shift key, and you will get to the Ubuntu boot menu. Here you can make a language selection using the F keys to set language, keymap, and boot parameters.

Press F6 (Other Options ) on the Ubuntu boot menu so that you do not land on the Ubuntu desktop. The window has a Boot Options line at the bottom (Figure 3). Enter the boot options mentioned here instead of the default ones quiet splash .

Figure 3: If booting doesn't work, you can adjust boot option in the Ubuntu boot menu.

The nomodest , radeon.modeset , nvidia.modeset=0 or nouveau.modeset=0 options help if you have graphics problems and the screen stays black. The acpi=off boot option fixes power management problems on older computers.

Ubuntu on Trial

If you do not want to Install Ubuntu right away, you can Try Ubuntu without installing . In Live mode, Ubuntu copies only the necessary programs into memory and executes them from there. Booting takes noticeably longer than with the installed version, and the system as a whole is a bit slower, but you can test Ubuntu 15.10 with little risk. Also, look at the bundled applications to see whether Ubuntu supports your hardware (printers, scanners, wireless, and graphics cards).

Ubuntu 15.10 loads only the 3D version of the Unity desktop and uses LLVMpipe for slower machines, creating sluggish responses on some older computers (cause for a recommended desktop replacement).

Installer

The Ubuntu installer opens in a window as shown in Figure 4. First, choose a language . The next window checks whether your computer meets the installation requirements, which is at least 5.9GB available drive space, plugged in (important for laptop and netbook installations), and preferably connected to the Internet.

Figure 4: The installer provides options, among other things, to prepare for MP3 support and for downloading updates.

In this window, you can set two check marks. If you mark Download updates while installing , Ubuntu uses the idle time during installation to download patches and security updates from the Internet, but doesn't install them yet.

Checking Install this third-party software loads during Ubuntu installation a few important codecs and plugins for your system. These codecs and plugins will allow you to play MP3 files on your player and see flash content in your browser.

These two options can always be set later, so, for now, Next takes you to the next window.

If a wired connection exists to the network and Ubuntu recognizes your wireless card, the next window displays the discovered access points. Using the correct password, you can connect to the access point. If no choices are available, there may be a problem with your wireless hardware. For now, you can use a wired connection instead.

Choices, Choices

A new window then appears that was introduced in Ubuntu 12.10. If Ubuntu doesn't find another operating system installed, it provides the options, as before, to Erase disk and install Ubuntu or to do Something else (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Choose to erase the entire disk for the Ubuntu install, or make a different selection.

As of 12.10, there are two additional options: Encrypt the new Ubuntu installation for security and Use LVM with the new Ubuntu installation . If you encrypt Ubuntu, the performance is a bit less than optimal, although it secures data against theft. Note that you can always encrypt your home directory later.

If you have another resident operating system, such as Windows 8, the option Install Ubuntu alongside Windows 8 appears on the screen, which you can invoke using Continue . In this case, the options for encryption and LVM are grayed out and not available. If you have an older Ubuntu version, additional options appear in the installer window.

Ubuntu Flying Solo

Installing Ubuntu by itself takes up the entire hard disk and writes all files into the /dev/sda1 primary partition. Also, the Ubuntu install creates the /dev/sda2 extended partition and, within it, creates the /dev/sda5 logical partition that houses the swap area (see the "Hard Drives in Ubuntu" box).

The swap area includes the swap file that takes over when working memory is overloaded, although writing to the swap area is noticeably slower than direct access to main memory.

Ubuntu Neighbors

Windows often takes up the entire hard drive instead. If you want to install Ubuntu alongside Windows, you must shrink the Windows partition and completely defrag it, as described in the "Windows and Ubuntu" box. Ubuntu 15.10 then invokes the GRUB 2 bootloader, which boots both systems and can handle new computers supporting secure boot.

Install Now

If you opted for self-partitioning, click Install Now . To set up complete encryption, Ubuntu asks for a security key. Select the most secure one possible (Figure 6). Ubuntu then asks about your location (Where are you? , to get the time zone), Keyboard layout , name, username, and password (Who are you? ). The latter dialog also asks whether you want to Require my password to log in or Log in automatically , with an additional option to Encrypt my home folder . Ubuntu uses EcryptFS for this.

Figure 6: If you use the complete encryption that Ubuntu provides as an option, be sure to use a secure password (security key) and keep it in a safe place so as not to lose it.

The following screens are for selecting your timezone, keyboard and setting your username and password.

If you have a supported Ubuntu webcams, the installer suggests that you take an image of yourself to complement your profile. Ubuntu 15.10 can also import profiles from other installed operating systems, including not only browser and email files but also screen backgrounds and documents.

During the install process, you can view a slideshow that presents the new features in Ubuntu. Installation can take a while, depending on your system, and it ends with a prompt to Restart Now . Remove the CD/DVD and press Enter so that the computer reboots. If you activated system encryption, enter the password before booting up (Figure 7).

Figure 7: Installation can take a while, but it is painless and can generally be left to its own devices.

Updating Ubuntu

If you have Ubuntu 14.04 installed, first consider whether you want to upgrade at all. Version 14.04 is a LTS version, so it will still be supported until 2019. If you have an earlier version of Ubuntu, you will have to upgrade to the intermediate versions first. Before beginning, turning off the external repositories and PPAs makes sense. Use the Software Center Edit | Software Sources function and remove the checkmarks on the Other Software tab.

Next press Alt+F2 and enter update-manager -d . In the empty window of the update manager, an Upgrade button shows at the top. During the upgrade, the installer asks whether you want to keep or replace a specific configuration file; choose to replace if you haven't made any changes. Because Ubuntu is downloading many packages and replacing them, make sure your computer is plugged in to stay charged.

Bootloader Failures

Occasionally, the bootloader doesn't appear after an Ubuntu installation, or you can boot only one system. Loading Windows after installing Ubuntu often leads to a bootloader failure. Refer to the "Revival" box for commands you will want to enter in a terminal window. These commands install the GRUB 2 bootloader with help from a Live system so that GRUB correctly identifies all systems.

$ sudo mount /dev/sda6 /mnt
$ sudo mount -o bind /dev /mnt/dev
$ sudo mount -o bind /sys /mnt/sys
$ sudo mount -t proc /proc /mnt/proc
$ sudo chroot /mnt
$ grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
$ update-grub2
$ grub-install /dev/sda
$ exit
$ sudo reboot