Ceci est une ancienne révision du document !
We have now arrived at that scary moment when it’s time to install Linux onto our computer’s hard drive. However, there is absolutely no need to be anxious about this process. I have performed such installations many times without incident. Furthermore, our method for installing Linux will retain the option to use Windows, and is easily reversible if at any point in the future you decide that Linux isn’t right for you after all. We will go through the installation process step-by-step. and for those who may need even more comprehensive instructions, a complete, fully-illustrated guide is available at https://linuxnorth.wordpress.com/installing-linux-mint-as-a-dual-boot-system/ Notwithstanding the above reassurance of the ease and safety of installing Linux, we will be making significant changes to the hard drive, notably by modifying the partition structure. Consequently, our first step should be to make a full disk image backup of our system so that we can restore the disk to our starting point in the unlikely event that the installation process goes south. In any case, it’s always a good idea to have a recent system backup so the process of installing Linux provides a good excuse for doing so now.
Nous sommes maintenant arrivés au moment angoissant quand nous devons installer Linux sur le disque dur de notre ordinateur. Cependant, il n'y a aucune raison pour laquelle ce processus doit nous angoisser. J'ai fait de telles installations maintes fois sans incident. De plus, notre méthode dinstaller Linux gardera l'option d'utiliser Windows. C'est également facilement réversible si à l'avenir vous décidez que, après tout, Linux n'est pas ce qu'il vous faut. Nous allons suivre le processus d'installation étape par étape. Et pour ceux qui auront besoin d'instructions encore plus compréhensives, un guide complet et complètement illustré est disponible à https://linuxnorth.wordpress.com/installing-linux-mint-as-a-dual-boot-system/
Malgré le réconfort concernant la facilité et la sécurité de l'installation de Linux, Nous allons faire des modifications significatives au disque dur, notamment en modifiant la structure des partitions. Par conséquent, la première étape devrait être de faire une sauvegard complète de notre système (une image de sauvegarde) afin de pouvoir restorer le disque tel qu'il était au point de départ, au cas où le processus d'installation s'échoue. De toute façon, c'est toujours une bonne idée d'avoir un sauvegarde récent de votre système ; ainsi, l'installation de Linux fournit une bonne raison de le faire maintenant.
If you are not employing a specific backup strategy and want to use a conventional Windows-based backup system, try EaseUS Todo Backup (see: Finding a Backup Program https://opcug.ca/Reviews/BackupPrograms.htm.) An alternative, since we now have some experience using live-USBs and the Linux OS, might be Foxclone (see: Exploring Linux – Part 33 – A Backup Solution for Linux Systems. https://opcug.ca/Reviews/Foxclone.pdf). Either of these programs will readily create a disk image of the entire system as a backup. So, with our backup in hand, our first step in the installation process is to reboot the computer into the Linux desktop using our Linux Mint live-USB. But, this time, instead of exploring the menu options and trying the available applications, we will focus our attention on the top-left corner of the desktop where we will find an icon labelled ‘Install Linux Mint’. Not surprisingly, we are going to double-click on this icon and launch the installation process.
Si vous n'utilisez pas une stratégie spécifique de sauvegarde et veux utiliser un système de sauvegarde conventionnel basé sur Windows, essayez EaseUS Todo Backup (voir : Finding a Backup Program (Trouver un programme de sauvegarde) https://opcug.ca/Reviews/BackupPrograms.htm.) Une alternative, puisque nous avons un peu d'expérience dans utilisation d'USB Live et l'OS Linux, pourrait être Foxclone (voir : Exploring Linux - Part 33 - A Backup Soution for Linux Systems (Une solution de sauvegardes pour les systèmes Linux). https://opcug.ca/Reviews/Foxclone.pdf). L'un ou l'autre de ces deux logiciels créera aisément une image disque de le système en entier comme sauvegarde.
Ainsi, en tenant notre sauvegarde, la première étape dans le processus d'installation est de redémarrer l'ordinateur sur un bureau Linux en se servant du live -USB Linux Mint. Mais, cette fois-ci, au lieu d'explorer les options du menu et d'essayer les applications disponibles, nous allons nous concentrer sur le coin en haut à gauche du bureau où nous trouverons une icône étiquettée « Install Linux Mint ». Sans surprise, nous allons faire un double-clic sur cette icône et lancer le processus d'installation.
What follows is a series of screens in the form of an installation wizard that will guide us through the process. Most of the inputs required by the dialogue boxes will be self-explanatory. Where this might not be the case, you should find detailed explanations and screenshots in the following text. So, take a deep breath, and let’s get started. The very first screen is straightforward. It is seeking the language that is to be used by the wizard. The default selection is English, and to accept this option it is merely necessary to press the Continue button in the lower-right corner of the window. The next screen is similarly easy to deal with. It presents the default option for the keyboard layout as English (US) which is the most likely scenario for users across North America. So, once again, we can simply press Continue.
Ce qui suit est une série d'écrans sous forme d'un assistant d'installation qui nous guidera au cours du processus. La plupart des entrées nécessitées par les cases de dialogue seront explicites. Où cela n'est peut-être pas le cas, vous devriez trouver des explications et des captures d'écran détaillées dans le texte qui suit. Bon, inspirez et commençons.
Le tout premier écran est simple. Il recherche la langue que l'assistant devra utiliser. La sélection par défaut est l'anglais et, pour accepter cette option, vous n'avez qu'à appuyer sur le bouton Continuer dans le coin droit en bas de la fenêtre. L'écran suivant est également facile à traiter. Il présente l'option par défaut pour la disposition du clavier comme anglais (US), ce qui est le scénario le plus de probable pour les utilisateurs de l'Amérique du nord. Ainsi, à nouveau, nous pouvons tout simplement appuyer sur Continue.
Now, we come to our first real choice. The screen entitled Wireless (Figure 1 - previous page) gives us an option to connect to our local W-Fi network. My strong recommendation is to select the entry for your specific network (as I have done for Duckpond). Click on the radio button labelled Connect to this network, and press the button labelled Connect. A pop-up dialogue box now requests your Wi-Fi password and activates a second Connect button. Pressing this button returns us to the initial screen where we can finally press the Continue button. This process establishes Wi-Fi connectivity that can be accessed as part of the installation process but, more importantly, provides the information that enables the installed version of Linux to automatically connect to the local Wi-Fi network on each subsequent bootup. Now that we have established Wi-Fi access, we can select the option on the next screen to Install multimedia codecs. This will allow our Linux system to play audio and video files that require encoding systems that are not in open formats. Most of us will not have any reservations about using software that is not solely open-source (we have been Windows users after all!) and will be happy to simply press Continue.
Nous arrivons maintenant à notre premier vrai choix. L'écran intitulé Wireless (page précédente) nous donne l'option de nous connecter à notre réseau WiFi local. Ma forte recommandationest de sélectionner l'entrée pour votre réseau spécifique (comme je l'ai fait pour Duckpond). Cliquez sur le bouton radio étiquetté Connect to this network et appuyez sur le bouton étiquetté Connect. Une boîte de dialogue s'affiche, demande le mot de passe pour votre WiFi et déclenche un second bouton Connect. Ayant appuyé sur ce bouton, nous sommes de retour à l'écran initial où nous pouvons enfin apppuyer sur le bouton Continue. Ce processus établit la connectivité WiFi auquel on peut accéder pendant le processus de l'Installation mais, plus important, fournit l'information qui autorise la version de Linux qui est installée de se connecter de façon automatique au réseau WiFi local à chaque nouveau démarrage.
Matinenant que nous avons établi un accés au Wi-Fi, nous pouvons sélectionner l'options sur l'écran suivant d'Installer multimedia codecs. Cela permettra à notre système Linux de lire des fichiers audio et vidéos qui nécessite des systèmes d'encodage qui ne sont pas sous format open. La plupart d'entre nous n'auront aucune réservation sur l'utilisation d'un logiciel qui n'est pas uniquement de l'open-source (après tout, nous avions été des utilisateurs de Windows !) et nous serons heureux d'appuyer tout simplement sur Continue.
Now, an information screen pops up that asks if we want the Linux installer to try to unmount disk partitions that are in use and will probably indicate that the disk is something like /dev/sdc. It won’t be obvious to those currently unfamiliar with Linux that this is actually referring to our live-USB drive. On my system, the devices (dev) in use are sda (my main hard drive), sdb (an SDcard used for backup), and sdc (the USB flash drive with the Linux software). The displayed text is noting that, if the USB drive is left mounted, we may be able to create additional partitions on the drive. Since we have no need to do this, the simple option is to press the Yes button and have the installer unmount the drive. The software required to complete the installation has already been read into memory so we have no need for the live-USB drive to remain mounted. The next screen (Figure 2 - shown left) determines how Linux will be installed on our hard drive. The default entry is to Install Linux Mint alongside Windows Boot Manager. This is the option that we wish to use as it will automatically shrink the Windows partition, create a new partition in the free space, and install Linux in this new partition.
Maintenant, un écran d'information s'affiche et demande si nous voulons que l'installeur Linux essaie de démonter les partitions du disqueq qui sont utilisées et indiquera probablement qu'il s'agit de quelque chose comme /dev/sdc. Ce ne sera pas évident à ceux qui ne connaissent pas encore Linux qu'il se réfère en fait à notre disque USB Live. Sur mon système, les devices (dev - dispositifs utilisés sont sda (mon disque dur principal), sdb (une carte SD utilisée pour les sauvegardes) et sdc (la clé USB contenant les logiciels de Linux). Le texte qui s'affiche note que, si le disque USB n'est pas démonté, on pourra éventuellement y créer des partitions supplementaires. Puisqu'on n'en a pas besoin, la simple option est d'appuyer sur le bouton Yes et laisser l'installeur démonter le disque. Puisque les logiciels nécessaires de terminer l'installation sont déjà en mémoire, nous n'avons plus besoin du disque USB Live.
L'écran suivant (à gauche) détermine la façon dont Linux sera installé sur le disque dur. L'entrée par défaut est t'Installer Linux Mint à côté du Gestionnaire de démarrage Windows C'est l'option que nous voulons utiliser, car il va automatiquement réduire la partition Windows, créer une nouvelle partition dans l'espace libre et installer Linux sur cette nouvelle partition.
As a note of caution, do not select the second option to Erase disk and install Linux Mint since, as the warning note indicates, this will delete Windows and all your files on the hard drive. You definitely do not want to do this!
So, press the Install Now button. This will result in a new screen (Figure 3) with a graphical representation of how the Windows and Linux disk partitions are going to be sized. The installer will make a choice of how to split the existing Windows partition but this may be changed by simply sliding the divider between the two partitions, to the left to create a larger Linux partition, or to the right to maintain more space for Windows.
Note that if the partitioning scheme on your hard drive is more complex than that for a simple installation of Windows, you may not have the option to split the partitions as shown. In this case you may need to partition the drive manually. See Manual partitioning revisited (https://linuxnorth.wordpress.com/manual-partitioning-revisited/) for a description of this process.
Linux Mint will run easily in a 20 GB partition and, in my case, the installer has chosen to make the new partition almost twice as large at 38 GB. Note also that the Windows partition will be shrunk to about 210 GB. The used space on this partition is currently about 176 GB so there will still be 34 GB of free space available for use in Windows. As a first option this all sounds quite reasonable and, in any case, the partition sizes can always be adjusted should this become necessary at some point in the future.
Next, we see two further warnings. Firstly, the installer reminds us that the changes to the disk partitions must be made and that this cannot be undone. Clearly we need to allow the new partition scheme to be established in order to create our dual-boot, Windows-Linux system. This process cannot be undone by the installer but we have our disk image backup that we can use to restore our original setup should anything go wrong (which it won’t!). Pressing the Continue button pops-up a second reminder informing us that changes will be written to the disk. In this case, the bottom line will be something to the effect that “The following partitions are going to be formatted: partition#6 of SCSI2 (0,0,0)(sda) as ext4”. This is simply telling us that the new Linux partition (Partition No. 6) on our hard drive (designated as sda) will be formatted using the Linux ext4 file system. Once again, this is something that needs to happen, so press Continue to allow the changes to the partitions to take place.
A map of the world is now displayed asking Where are you? The highlighted zone is likely to be labelled as a city near you and there is normally no need to change this location. For example, even though I am located in Ottawa, my computer displays Toronto (and there is no option to select Ottawa!) The installer doesn’t want to know the actual geographical location; it’s just going to use this to set the appropriate time zone. The highlighted area of the world is the Eastern Time Zone which, for me, is correct. So, if your situation is similar, no changes are necessary, and you can simply press Continue.
The next screen (Figure 4), labelled Who are you?, has several blank text boxes that we need to complete. Enter your name (first name, full name, or a pseudonym is perfectly fine), and the installer will populate the next field with a suggested computer name. The entries to all of the data fields are totally flexible so make these names whatever you prefer.
Next, we need to enter a username and password to use as our login credentials. Note that the username must begin with a lower-case letter, otherwise an error message will pop up indicating “Must start with a lower-case letter.” Choose a username and password that make sense to you, and make a note of the parameters selected. The password, in particular, will be required both for logging in to Linux and also for any command that needs authorization (in much the same way as required by the Account User Control system in Windows).
The final options on this screen are radio buttons for the login method and a checkbox to encrypt the home folder in the Linux filesystem. My recommendation, and my practice, is to accept the default entry to Require my password to login and to leave the box labelled Encrypt my home folder unchecked.
That completes the data entry process. Press the final Continue button and a series of information screens is displayed as the installation proceeds. There are also a series of messages and a progress bar displayed along the bottom of the window. You can scroll through the information screens, using the left and right arrows at the edges of the window, or simply let the installer run to completion.
On my computer, this part of the installation process took about ten minutes. I was then presented with a pop-up dialogue box indicating that the installation had finished with control buttons to either Continue Testing or Restart Now.
We have already used the live-USB to test Linux on our computer, so now it’s time to take the final step and press Restart Now. The computer will reboot, but now will display the GRUB (GRand Unified Bootloader) menu, essentially offering the choice to boot into either Linux or Windows. The default boot sequence is Linux; however, there is a 10-second delay before the computer boots into the default OS. At any time during the countdown, the arrow keys can be used to select another menu option. The other option of choice is likely to be to boot into Windows which, for my computer, means selecting the option for Windows Boot Manager (on /dev/sda1).
We have now installed Linux in a new partition on the hard drive of our computer, while maintaining the Windows operating system and its associated files in the original partition albeit with a somewhat reduced size. The grub menu allows us to easily boot into either of the two operating systems so we have successfully created a dual-boot environment. The next step will be to update the Linux software and start to customize the OS to suit our requirements. But, that will have to wait for the next installment in the present series of articles.