Ready to Try Ubuntu Linux?

Loading the Ubuntu Linux live DVD is easy because there is no installation required.

Take your DVD and insert it into your DVD-ROM drive. Shut down Windows, and select Restart. Make sure your PC is set to boot from the DVD. Ubuntu Linux boots up to a nice, graphical screen with a simple menu (see Figure 2-2). Booting from the disk is the first option; just press Enter or wait. After a few seconds, the system will boot automatically. Before you do that, however, notice the menu option labeled Check CD for Defects. This is a very good idea if you plan on installing Ubuntu to your hard drive, and I highly recommend that you run this step.

Figure 2-2. The boot menu provides a means of checking the DVD for defects.

Note

Most modern systems are set to boot directly from the DVD-ROM drive if a bootable DVD is found there. If your system does not, you may have to change the BIOS settings on your PC to allow this. This is generally done by pressing <Delete> or <F2> to enter Setup as the system is booting. (You will usually see such a message before the operating system starts to load.) Because the menus vary, it is impossible for me to cover them all, but look for a menu option that specifies the boot order. You'll see something like A: first, then C: (i.e., your floppy drive, then the hard disk). Change the boot order so that it looks to the DVD first, save your changes, and then restart your system.

The boot process takes a few minutes as Ubuntu identifies devices, disks, network connections, sound cards, and so on. At some point, the screen will go dark as your video card is configured and X, the Linux graphical user interface, is started.

If the screen doesn't respond instantly, don't panic. Give it a few seconds. If nothing has happened even after you've waited awhile, it is possible that your video card is one of the rare ones not included in the distribution. Never fear, most (if not all) modern cards support VESA, and Ubuntu should fall back to this setting.