A dualboot system, where you install Ubuntu alongside your Windows system, is a snap. However, Ubuntu assumes that you want to put the Linux distribution on the same drive as Windows. What if you have two drives in your computer? Then you must know what you are doing.
01 Boot Order in BIOS
First, we determine the correct boot order of your disks in the BIOS. First the optical drive or USB stick from which you are installing Ubuntu, then the hard drive you want to install Ubuntu on, and thirdly the hard drive that contains Windows. This ensures that not only does the installation start smoothly, but also that after the installation you will see the boot menu of Ubuntu with the choice between Ubuntu and Windows. If you use a USB stick, insert it into the computer first before adjusting the boot order in your BIOS.
02 Booting Ubuntu
We need a medium (bootable CD or USB stick) with the installation files of Ubuntu. You make a CD by downloading and burning the ISO file from www.ubuntu.com. Here's how to make a bootable USB stick. Now boot from the media you just created. You get the desktop of Ubuntu. Choose links as language Dutch. Then click Install Ubuntu. At the bottom you can see from the dots how far you are in the installation. If you're not sure if Ubuntu is for you, click Try Ubuntu.
03 Preparation
In the next step, the installer checks whether your computer meets some basic requirements to complete the installation: you need enough free disk space, your computer must be connected to a power supply (otherwise you will be left with an incomplete installation if the battery of your laptop runs out) and you need to be connected to the internet. Tick both Download updates during installation on if Install these third-party programs. The last check allows you to play MP3s and Flash videos immediately after installation. Then click Further.
C:, D:, E:, Z:
In Windows, the partitions of your hard drives and other storage media are named C:, D:, E: and so on through Z:. The drive letters A: and B: have historically been reserved for floppy drives and are therefore no longer used. The partition of the Windows system you are running is always called C:. D: and E: are often assigned to any DVD or CD-DROM drives, but they don't have to be. Network drives often have drive letters at the end of the alphabet.
sda1, sdb5, mmcblk0p1, sr0
In Linux, partitions are not given consecutive letters, but more complex names. Modern drives, including SATA drives, SSDs, and USB sticks, are named sda, sdb, sdc, and so on. An SD card that you insert into a card reader is given a name like mmcblk0. For a partition, you add a number to the disk, for example sda1, and for SD cards there is another p, such as mmcblk0p1. An optical drive is given another name, for example sr0.
04 Installation type
The next screen is a bit misleading. Ubuntu notices that there is Windows on one of your hard drives and suggests installing Ubuntu next to it. If you choose that default option, however, Ubuntu will end up on the same drive as Windows. The next option is to replace Windows with Ubuntu, but we don't want that either. Both options assume that you only have one hard drive in your computer. So choose this Something else and click Further. This gives you complete freedom over the disks and partitions you want to use for Ubuntu.
