Installing Ubuntu Netbook Remix from a USB stick

By David M Williams
Monday, 04 May 2009 07:15

Opinion and Analysis

Most netbooks do not ship with an optical drive. Here is how you can make your own bootable USB memory stick with Ubuntu Netbook Remix - the special netbook-optimised version of Canonical's Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope and try out the newest and hottest operating system available today.

Yesterday I explained how to make your own bootable Windows 7 USB stick and today I’ll be covering Ubuntu.

Windows 7 is not yet complete; tomorrow – May 5 – the first release candidate of Windows 7 will be available for public download from Microsoft’s web site, but there may be bug fixes, features added – even features removed – by the time it is properly launched in its final form.

By contrast, Ubuntu 9.04 is a thoroughly modern and thoroughly tested operating system. It was launched at the end of April and is, at this time, the newest complete operating system available today.

Windows 7 is getting attention as being a successor to Microsoft’s aging Windows XP operating system for the netbook market because Windows Vista was far too resource hungry for such diminutive equipment.

Yet, Windows isn’t the only operating system in town. In fact, Microsoft’s strategy for netbooks is still very limited. It appears that Windows 7 still requires a certain amount of beef in a netbook and the netbook-specific edition will be limited to just three concurrent applications.

Consequently, netbook owners really ought to consider their options. It’s disappointing that prominent netbook manufacturers like ASUS and Dell are largely choosing not to pre-install Linux on their systems but stick with me here and you’ll be able to replace whatever shipped with your netbook and give it a brand spanking new Ubuntu facelift – without any artificial restrictions on how many apps you run and most likely with better performance too!

Ubuntu Netbook Remix is a version of Ubuntu that is just like Ubuntu in every single way except it sports a different looking desktop. This desktop is specifically designed to suit small screens and to lay out menus and icons and shortcuts in a way that make them easily accessible.

Unlike Windows 7: Starter Edition, Ubuntu Netbook Remix is not a crippled variation of the parent version; it is genuinely the full version of Ubuntu just with a different desktop layout – which can be removed if desired anyway.

If you have any doubts you can even try out Ubuntu Netbook Remix without actually harming your current netbook setup in any way. Ubuntu – like any Linux distribution – can boot and run off the USB stick without actually affecting your netbook’s hard disk. Once you’re done, remove the USB stick and reboot and you are back exactly as you were. It’s a totally risk free option.

Begin by downloading the slightly under 1GB image file from the Ubuntu Netbook Remix download site. There are several files listed there; the only one you need to worry about is the big one.

Once you have downloaded this, the rest is straightforward! Let’s go!