A few months ago, I configured my laptop to dual boot into Windows and Ubuntu. This post is dedicated to spreading the Ubuntu love :), and comes at the advice of a friend.
System Configuration
My laptop is a Dell Latitude D620, and came pre-installed with Windows XP Professional (+SP2). I also had a Ubuntu 6.10 CD (Edgy Eft) (I'd previously ordered it). You can alternately download it and burn an ISO. Note: Ubuntu comes with GNOME desktop, if you want KDE, you should download kubuntu.
Create the partitions
Mine was a fresh Windows install (the laptop was new), but if your's isn't, you should run defrag to free up any disk space before creating any partitions.
Using the Windows XP administration tool, I created 4 (roughly equal) partitions on my 80GB HDD: 1 for the Windows OS install, 2 NTFS partitions for my data and Windows programs, and 1 "blank" (unallocated) partition, for Ubuntu.
Install Ubuntu
First, I changed my BIOS boot sequence to boot from the CD drive before the HDD. Then inserted the Ubuntu CD, and booted into Ubuntu. I chose the Install Ubuntu option, and followed the steps in the wizard. At some point, the installation prompted me to create my partitions. I chose to "Manually edit partition table" and found my 4 partitions listed there.
I left the windows partitions as is - they show up as as sda* (*=1,2,3 depending on how many Windows partitions are there). Of the unallocated space, I created two partitions.
1. Linux swap, of 2GB (rule of thumb says that your swap partition should be about twice your RAM)
2. Linux (OS) partition, of all the remaining space.
Note: A lot of people forget to create the swap partition.
Almost done, just Reboot
I just continued and completed the installation process, removed the CD and rebooted, and I was ready-to-go. GRUB installed automatically, and figured out its config based on the partitions. It made Linux the default boot partition, which suited me fine. You can always change the GRUB configuration if you want to change the order.
I configured my network connections, including wireless connections using the network configuration utility, and it all worked fine. Amen.
Troubleshooting
If what I described doesn't happen to you :), this is a good place to look for help. In fact, I read the whole article before I dual boot-ed my laptop just for some perspective.
System Configuration
My laptop is a Dell Latitude D620, and came pre-installed with Windows XP Professional (+SP2). I also had a Ubuntu 6.10 CD (Edgy Eft) (I'd previously ordered it). You can alternately download it and burn an ISO. Note: Ubuntu comes with GNOME desktop, if you want KDE, you should download kubuntu.
Create the partitions
Mine was a fresh Windows install (the laptop was new), but if your's isn't, you should run defrag to free up any disk space before creating any partitions.
Using the Windows XP administration tool, I created 4 (roughly equal) partitions on my 80GB HDD: 1 for the Windows OS install, 2 NTFS partitions for my data and Windows programs, and 1 "blank" (unallocated) partition, for Ubuntu.
Install Ubuntu
First, I changed my BIOS boot sequence to boot from the CD drive before the HDD. Then inserted the Ubuntu CD, and booted into Ubuntu. I chose the Install Ubuntu option, and followed the steps in the wizard. At some point, the installation prompted me to create my partitions. I chose to "Manually edit partition table" and found my 4 partitions listed there.
I left the windows partitions as is - they show up as as sda* (*=1,2,3 depending on how many Windows partitions are there). Of the unallocated space, I created two partitions.
1. Linux swap, of 2GB (rule of thumb says that your swap partition should be about twice your RAM)
2. Linux (OS) partition, of all the remaining space.
Note: A lot of people forget to create the swap partition.
Almost done, just Reboot
I just continued and completed the installation process, removed the CD and rebooted, and I was ready-to-go. GRUB installed automatically, and figured out its config based on the partitions. It made Linux the default boot partition, which suited me fine. You can always change the GRUB configuration if you want to change the order.
I configured my network connections, including wireless connections using the network configuration utility, and it all worked fine. Amen.
Troubleshooting
If what I described doesn't happen to you :), this is a good place to look for help. In fact, I read the whole article before I dual boot-ed my laptop just for some perspective.