Lost already

[Lantana]

Hi, I'm trying to create a boot disk so I can install Kubuntu. The computer arrived new today with windows. I tried downloading direct to dvd but after about an hour the thing stopped downloading at the 60% mark. I'm now trying to download to my pc so I can then burn it to disk.

1) Which is the correct way to do it?
2) Does it normally take forever to download it?
3) My internet connection isn't the greatest but its serviceable. If the connection drops out does the download have to start again from scratch?

[claydoh]

The file you download needs to be burned to a dvd in a certain way, not simply copied to it, or (the most most common method) flashed to a usb stick.
For usb flash drive instructions:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In...e_from_Windows
For burning a dvd:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

Sometimes it can be slow to download the file, if there are a lot of folks downloading at the same time. Normally, it is not slow. Using bittorrent helps, usually, but as it is a 1gb file, it might take a while if your internet is slower.

[Lantana]

After five frustrating hours I seem to have created a disk that gives the error message 'cannot download the metalink and therefore the iso.'

[dequire]

Hello, and welcome to the forums! You need to download the iso file to your hard drive 1st (just like you would download a program on Windows via a browser). Then you would use a DVD burning tool to burn the image to DVD, as claydoh pointed out above.

[Lantana]

Thanks. I've got a disk now and it seems to be installing with no error messages but taking a very long time to install. I've read somewhere else that the download can take some time. The time remaining on the time remaining bar seems to be increasing rather than decreasing every time I look at it but I'll give it a few more hours and see what happens.

[SecretCode]

If your internet is slow, it can be useful to de-select the option to download updates during the install. (Which would mean restarting the install.)

Are you re-partitioning the disk to reduce the windows space and make room for Kubuntu? That can easily take hours. (If you've done this don't restart the install!) If you do need to restart, it's possible to do this as a separate step.

[Lantana]

I don't get any of those options. I have two green slider bars telling me of the download progress. The last attempt almost completed but then got an error message. I get nothing that looks like the screenshots on this page: http://docs.kubuntu.org/installation.html

[SecretCode]

But I assume you got this screen:


The option to download updates is on this screen:


If you haven't seen those screens then you have not actually started installing yet. Are you still creating the DVD? Do you have a downloaded .iso file and if so, what is its name and size?

[Lantana]

No, none of those screens. From another source I've found that the file did not download completely due to very slow internet speed. I'll be looking into that.

[SecretCode]

How slow are we talking about? Less than 1 Mb/s?

You should break up the task into these steps:

1. Download the Kubuntu iso file. Check that it's complete - has the right size and the right SHA256 checksum - before going to the next step.
2. Burn the DVD.
3. Boot from the DVD holding down the shift key, and verify its integrity.
4. Partition your drive - you can let the installer do this, or you can get more advice here on doing it before installing.
5. Then install Kubuntu!

For the download step - which page are you downloading from? Are there any servers closer to you?
What download software are you using? The built-in browser download manager?
And are you currently on Windows? I ask because getting file checksums is not built in to windows and would require external software.

[Lantana]

I've finally got Kubuntu installed. Thanks everyone for your support. I had to change the boot order to get it going. So far I've found the Kubuntu experience to be very user unfriendly with nothing being straightforward. The next problem is screen resolution. This looks a little blurry and stretched sideways and is nothing on the crisp lines and graphics I was getting on windows. I guess that's a whole other thread though.

[Qqmike]

So far I've found the Kubuntu experience to be very user unfriendly with nothing being straightforward.

Hi and welcome Lantana. It gets better . Actually, it sounds (to me) like so far, your main "problem" has been downloading the large file and then making a bootable installation medium (burning to DVD or making a bootable USB thumb drive). And that whole process is more of a general, generic issue, not specific to Kubuntu, but a more general computing issue in Windows and in Linux, right? I recall having learning issues (about downloading/burning ISOs) when I was using Windows, InCD, Nero, ... not remembering it all. Anyway, I was an independent consultant (and in small business) using Windows up through XP but switched to Kubuntu around 2006-7 and have been happy with it. And many people here have similar stories. I think you'll do fine.

[SecretCode]

Re the screen resolution, do you know what graphics hardware you have? Does the "Driver Manager" (in the menus) offer a proprietary driver?

It sounds like the wrong resolution is set and the system is scaling things.