Showing posts with label wubi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wubi. Show all posts
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Tricking Wubi into installing Xubuntu 12 10
Tricking Wubi into installing Xubuntu 12 10
Xubuntu is no longer available on Wubi from release 12.10 and later - as I mentioned here: Xubuntu option to be removed from Wubi. However, there are some people that will want to try it out with Wubi anyway, so heres a way to do it.
Disclaimer: I dont recommend the technique I describe here, but it works fine if thats what you want to do.
It involves downloading two ISOs, one for Xubuntu and another one supported by Wubi. Ill choose lubuntu since its the smallest.
- Dowload the smallest supported ISO: lubuntu-12.10-desktop-i386.iso
- Download xubuntu-12.10-desktop-amd64.iso (I want 64-bit, but you can use 32-bit too)
- Check the xubuntu md5sum (Wubi will check lubuntu, but you need to check xubuntu).
- Download wubi.exe for release 12.10
- Make sure wubi.exe and the lubuntu ISO are in the same folder. Run Wubi and select lubuntu.
- When it tells you to reboot, select "Reboot later".
- Replace C:ubuntuinstallinstallation.iso with the Xubuntu ISO (renaming to installation.iso)
- Mount the Xubuntu ISO and copy initrd.lz and vmlinuz from the /casper/ directory over the one in C:ubuntuinstall
- Edit the preseed.cfg file in C:ubuntuinstallcustom-installation so that it installs xubuntu-desktop instead of lubuntu-desktop
- Reboot the computer
- Select Lubuntu
- Watch Xubuntu install
- Reboot, select Lubuntu and boot into your new Xubuntu install.
Notes:
I used the C: drive for clarity - if you install to a different drive then modify as required.
If it bugs you, you can rename the Lubuntu menu entry to Xubuntu using bcdedit or easyBCD.
Here are some screenshots for selected steps:
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| Step 3: Check Xubuntu MD5 sum |
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| Step 5: Run wubi.exe with lubuntu in the same folder |
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| Step 6: Select to reboot later |
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| Step 7a: Delete the existing installation.iso |
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| Step 7b: copy the Xubuntu ISO and rename to installation.iso |
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| Step 8: Mount the xubuntu ISO and copy vmlinuz and initrd.lz |
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| Step 9: Set it to install xubuntu-desktop |
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| Step 11: Select Lubuntu |
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| Step 12: Watch it install Xubuntu |
Credit: I got this tip from here ironically to install lubuntu prior to it being supported by Wubi.
Update:
The original post had this line: "This technique will also likely work with other unsupported flavours e.g. ubuntu-studio". It does with one caveat. Ubuntu Studio doesnt include the package required by grub to generate the menu entries that can boot a loop mounted install (lupin-support). So it will install, but you have to manually boot it the first time from the grub prompt and then install lupin-support.
Heres how to manually boot any Wubi install:
search -s -f -n /ubuntu/disks/root.disk
probe --set=diskuuid -u $root
loopback loop0 /ubuntu/disks/root.disk
set root=(loop0)
linux /vmlinuz root=UUID=$diskuuid loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro quiet splash
initrd /initrd.img
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Sunday, August 13, 2017
Ubuntu with WUBI
Ubuntu with WUBI
If youre wondering about trying Ubuntu, but all youve ever known is Windows (and it came preinstalled) - then likely the thought of partitioning and setting up a dual boot is not pleasant.
Fortunately for you, it isnt necessary either... it is possible to install Ubuntu from within Windows and experience it as a dual-boot without any partitioning. If you dont like it, you can simply go to Add/Remove programs and uninstall it (like any other Windows application).
Q. Does it run Ubuntu within windows?
No, only the WUBI installer/uninstaller runs within windows. Ubuntu runs as a proper dual-boot. This means it has full access to all your system resources and can run on as little as 256MB RAM (although Id say a minimum of 512MB is probably a good idea).
Q. Is it slower than Ubuntu?
Yes, but not noticeably so. Its a lot faster (and simpler) than running Ubuntu in a virtual machine under Windows.
Q. How does it work?
In simple terms, WUBI creates a virtual disk that is simply a large file under the Windows file system. It then runs the standard Ubuntu installer, but instructs it to install to the virtual disk. This avoids the need for creating a separate partition.
It also adds a special form of the Grub bootloader into the Windows boot manager, which allows you to select either Windows or Ubuntu when you start up the machine.
Q. Whats the down side?
WUBI is mostly used by newcomers to Ubuntu. That means it doesnt get as thorough testing coverage or support as regular installs. Many Ubuntu community members are dead-set against WUBI and can be very unhelpful e.g. you regularly see advice to uninstall as soon as you ask for help, which makes them feel better but doesnt address any of the issues.
Ill address the sorts of problems that are WUBI-specific in other posts, but what you need to know is that once a WUBI install is booting (once you are past the GRUB menu), any issue you see is likely an issue between Ubuntu and your hardware and is unrelated to WUBI.
Q. How do I safeguard my WUBI install
Do not ever install the Grub bootloader to any devices. Grub updates have a very misleading interface and although you need it for WUBI, you do not need to install its bootloader yourself ever. When you see a screen popup for you to select where to install it, leave all boxes unchecked.
Try and avoid hard shutdowns on your computer. Since WUBI places the entire Ubuntu install on a virtual disk (a single file) it can corrupt if a write is pending and the computer is turned off. If something hangs, then try anything and everything to regain control. The last resort is the following: hold down Alt+SysReq and then slowly press the following keys R-S-U-B.
As for all computer use, backup your data. If you want to be cautious you can back up the entire virtual disk C:ubuntudisks oot.disk (change drive letter if required).
Read the release notes before trying to upgrade to a new Ubuntu release. Take special precautions to backup all c:wubi* files and the c:ubuntu directory before upgrading.
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