Here is an important startup issue for newbies like myself who are microsoft centric.
The Ubuntu iso file is easily downloaded off the internet, a CD/DVD burned, and used to dual boot your PC. It makes little sense to run Ubuntu just off a CD and not many would be prepared to go cold turkey and run on Ubuntu only.
I am still having problems with video drivers, but the system basically operates with Ubuntu. My experiments though can and have screwed up Ubuntu. The installed back up and restore facility also was not sufficient to keep Ubuntu operating either. The start up loader (grub) resides somewhere in the MBR and when that gets corrupted the system will not boot at all. The average microsoft user is then left scraching their heads as re initializing grub takes abilities not yet attained.
A complete image restore from a back up system like Acronis works of course but that program is not Linux friendly. Back up and restore operations can be time consuming to say the least. A useful trick is to make an image before and after Ubuntu is installed, omitting the Linux partitions. Switching back to the Windows boot loader (only) can be achieved by just restoring the MBR only which works fine. It only takes 30 seconds or so to restore that.
Making images and restoring Linux partitions (without knowing much Linux) can be reliably achieved using Paragon Back up and Recovery. Its free and an excellent product in many senses for this purpose.
paragon-software.com
Dont forget to make a recovery disk and test it.
It is (click on the "advanced view" to see the set up properly) smooth and efficient. It will restore Linux partitions no matter how much of a mess you have gotten yourself into and much faster then installing everything from scratch. There is only one fly in the ointment as far as the Linux challenged newby is concerned. At the end of the restore operation a message comes up "operation completed, you will now have to re initialise grub". (or something like it). ARRRRGGGGHHHH I cant do that, my brain will melt !!!.
However help is at hand. No need to panic. Before you do anything wild on Ubuntu, besides installing Paragon Backup and Recovery on your Microsoft Windows installation, make a recovery disk, and ALSO get this and burn it onto a disk too. You can do it from inside MS windows as well.
sourceforge.net
After making the CD, just follow the default screens, it will almost certainly rebuild your boot loader, and if it doesnt you can contact someone who can help.
And now I can proceed with confidence. The manual quoted in prev msg is a good book to read through from start to finish, in that order. I am still at the beginning of course. |
