All it takes to run Wubi is a recommended 1GHz CPU, 128MB RAM, and 3GB of disk space for the initial Ubuntu installation. Wubi is a front-end installer for the loop installer Lupin. Wubi requires a system with a processor of at least 1GHz, at least 256MB of RAM, Windows 98 or newer (although Windows 2000 and above is recommended), and a minimum of 4GB of free disk space. For my test, I used an Acer Aspire 5315 laptop equipped with an Intel Celeron M 540 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and Windows Vista Home Basic.
How-To Geek Forums / Linux
(Solved) - Will Wubi install other Linux OS's or just Ubuntu?
(15 posts)I'm thinking of Using WUBI to install Linux on my new laptop. I haven't decided what Linux distro i want to install yet. Will Wubi install Linux Mint, Fedora Core, etc. ...or is it only for Ubuntu?
Hi InDiSent, only Ubuntu or variations thereof I'm afraid.
Other distro's may have there own installers though.
Other distro's may have there own installers though.
Mike
Just found these
Mint comments
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?p=125858
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?p=125858
And I came across this
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/
Just out of interest will the distro just be Linux?
Mike
Thanks Mike. Not sure what you mean by 'Just out of interest will the distro just be Linux?'.
I'm currently running Windows 7 Pro X64 on the laptop.
I run Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora and Opensuse as VMS on my desktop. However, i wanted to do a dual boot on the laptop since there are some limitations with the VM. I'm considering the WUBI route cause it seems like a real dual boot situation just setup from within windows. Is that correct? Is using WUBI noting more than the same as a VM or will it be a true dual boot scenario?
I'm currently running Windows 7 Pro X64 on the laptop.
I run Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora and Opensuse as VMS on my desktop. However, i wanted to do a dual boot on the laptop since there are some limitations with the VM. I'm considering the WUBI route cause it seems like a real dual boot situation just setup from within windows. Is that correct? Is using WUBI noting more than the same as a VM or will it be a true dual boot scenario?
Now that I'm thinking about it, i was only considering WUBI since it makes it easy to dump Linux if i ever decide to. However, even with a traditional dual boot it's easy enough to dump Linux if i wanted to anyway.
Decisions, decisions...
Ok, I wondered if you were not running windows, just Linux.
I run Ubuntu 10.04 from wubi and it works fine. The reason being is that you can uninstall it like any other software. Ubuntu support is better than the rest with upgrades every 6 months and very few problems with drivers. It is dual boot but not from a separate partition.
There are problems with VM installs, speed, and saving docs etc.
Give wubi a try
http://wubi-installer.org/
I run Ubuntu 10.04 from wubi and it works fine. The reason being is that you can uninstall it like any other software. Ubuntu support is better than the rest with upgrades every 6 months and very few problems with drivers. It is dual boot but not from a separate partition.
There are problems with VM installs, speed, and saving docs etc.
Give wubi a try
http://wubi-installer.org/
Mike
One Mike mentioned,
https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/13379/create-a-bootable-ubuntu-9.10-usb-flash-drive/
(the UNetbootin thingy)
https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/13379/create-a-bootable-ubuntu-9.10-usb-flash-drive/
(the UNetbootin thingy)
Thanks Mike.
So here's the deal. I have a 60GB partition on the laptop just doing nothing right now. It's not formatted or anything. Can i tell WUBI to install Ubuntu there? Do i need to format it first?
That's the part that's confusing me. How can it run from the windows partition if Linux doesn't use NTFS? From what i'm gathering it sounds like i creates a folder that all the linux files are kept in ...OS and all. Sounds just like a VM. Can you clarify that for me? Not trying to be a pain, just trying to understand it. Thanks.
So here's the deal. I have a 60GB partition on the laptop just doing nothing right now. It's not formatted or anything. Can i tell WUBI to install Ubuntu there? Do i need to format it first?
That's the part that's confusing me. How can it run from the windows partition if Linux doesn't use NTFS? From what i'm gathering it sounds like i creates a folder that all the linux files are kept in ...OS and all. Sounds just like a VM. Can you clarify that for me? Not trying to be a pain, just trying to understand it. Thanks.
Not a pain!
I used my D drive successfully (20Gig) and the rest for data.. if it needs formatting wubi will ask you but I doubt it.
I think its only Ultimate Edition has a problem with NTFS. It is I suppose a VM install!
I used my D drive successfully (20Gig) and the rest for data.. if it needs formatting wubi will ask you but I doubt it.
I think its only Ultimate Edition has a problem with NTFS. It is I suppose a VM install!
Mike
OK, so that's what I'm trying to understand. If it's really just saving files in folder within windows then how is it different from a VM? What's the benefits of using WUBI as opposed to a VM? Why does it give you the dual boot option?
I know with the VM i can not do the advanced graphics stuff. If i use WUBI will i be able to use compiz cube and other advanced 3D stuff that you can't do in the VM?
Yes you can use compiz and 3D in wubi but not in VM, never had much success with Linux in VM.
Mike
Just out of interest, have you seen this? Based on the 10.04 lucid lynx but with plenty more to blow your mind. No wubi install yet for this.
You want 3D! APPS! Games etc......
You want 3D! APPS! Games etc......
http://ultimateedition.info/
Mike
hi guys, to back mike up not that he needs it,lol. nice runs lovely effects WOW! and as mike says 'blow your mind' it will ask to format again mine did.. :)
when installing put ethernet cable in #update at same time#.. as pointed out to me by mike :) ps @ inDisent # thats for 'ubuntu ultimate' update tip#
its great !!!@ mike will e,mail asap. sorted that dongle thing out had to restore:( all well now.
also i find it real, real, fast on line.... trust!
when installing put ethernet cable in #update at same time#.. as pointed out to me by mike :) ps @ inDisent # thats for 'ubuntu ultimate' update tip#
its great !!!@ mike will e,mail asap. sorted that dongle thing out had to restore:( all well now.
also i find it real, real, fast on line.... trust!
@Mike - yeah, i've played with that in the past. I love all the eye candy.
So i finally did it after reading Matts, write up the other day. Works great!!! I can do all the eye-candy stuff and everything just as if it was a stand alone install. Thanks guys.
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Introduction
Wubiuefi is a Windows Installer for Ubuntu and it is a fork of official Wubi. There has been a growing number of users who have not been able to install Ubuntu with official versions. In the past the issues of official versions only affected newer UEFI systems but meanwhile the issues affect older systems with legacy BIOS, too.
As a result, a lot of users use
- Windows only,
- old Wubi versions with outdated Ubuntu versions (as a workaround for older systems where old Wubi versions work),
- or other Linux distros (because of missing their personal main advantage of Ubuntu comparing it with other distros)
All these workarounds are not recommended by Ubuntu fans but some things happen even Ubuntu fans do not want it. So, it was time to create Wubiuefi.
Releases
Wubirelease | Ubunturelease | Additional supported features for newer Windows versions | Additional supported distros in comparison with offical development |
---|---|---|---|
14045r310 | 14.04.5 LTS | UEFI, UEFI32, Secure Boot, Fast Startup and Hibernate | Xubuntu, Ubuntu GNOME, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Kylin, various distros/versions |
16046r333 | 16.04.6 LTS | UEFI, UEFI32, Secure Boot, Fast Startup and Hibernate, Parted 3.2, eMMC, NVMe, Lupin-support, 30GB+ | Xubuntu, Ubuntu GNOME, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Kylin, various distros/versions incl. Budgie-Remix |
18042r333 | 18.04.2 LTS | UEFI, UEFI32, Secure Boot, Fast Startup and Hibernate, Parted 3.2, eMMC, NVMe, Lupin-support, 30GB+ | Xubuntu, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Kylin, Ubuntu Budgie, various distros/versions |
If you use these new Wubi versions you can still follow official Wubi Guide. But there are some new features which are described in our frequently asked questions and in the following chapters. In these chapters we use Wubiuefi as a synonym for the new Wubi versions of this project.
UEFI
Newer Windows systems are installed in UEFI mode by default. Unfortunately, in UEFI mode Microsoft has blocked some boot loader running it from Windows boot menu. A typical Windows error for this issue is
So if your Windows is installed in UEFI mode, Wubiuefi does not use this Windows boot menu and it does not use old boot loader for legacy BIOS.
The new location for the Ubuntu entry is the UEFI boot menu. This menu is part of the UEFI firmware, a replacement for legacy BIOS. The new EFI boot loader files are located in EFI/ubuntu/wubildr on EFI partition.
Wubiuefi uses like a standard Ubuntu installation shimx64.efi and grubx64.efi. shimx64.efi is the one from a standard Ubuntu installation. It loads grubx64.efi if there is no Secure Boot problem. grubx64.efi is a customized GRUB 2 loader which is similar to ubuntuwinbootwubildr of the old boot loader for legacy BIOS.
Secure Boot
Ubuntu supports Secure Boot and Wubiuefi uses shimx64.efi which is signed by Microsoft and allows loading of files signed by Canonical. Unfortunately, it is not possible to use grubx64.efi signed by Canonical because it does not contain NTFS module which is needed for access of a NTFS formatted Windows partition during boot.
So Wubiuefi signs a customized grubx64.efi by a MOK (Machine Owner Key). If you import the MOK located in EFIubuntuwubildr (.cer file) you can use grubx64.efi with Secure Boot.
For importing of a MOK, you can use MokManager.efi or mmx64.efi which should be loaded by default, if shimx64.efi finds a grubx64.efi with no matching key in UEFI firmware. If you see that blue screen of the MokManager
you can follow the chapter 'Import a MOK'
Note: Some UEFI firmware also provides a built-in function for importing a MOK Key. This is an alternate method if disabling of Secure Boot is not possible.
UEFI32
Some tablets and notebooks use a 32 bit UEFI with a 64 bit CPU. Wubiuefi detects a 32 bit UEFI and installs a 32 bit EFI boot loader named grubia32.efi. It is also signed by a MOK key but currently, Wubiuefi has no signed 32 bit MokManager for importing this key.
Fast Startup and Hibernate
Wubiuefi disables Fast Startup and Hibernate in UEFI mode by using the following Windows command:
During uninstall it enables it with
Parted 3.2
Ubuntu has used Parted 3.2 since Ubuntu 14.10. Parted 3.2 has lot of bug fixes and also some changes in behaviour. Unfortunately, one of these changes in behaviour affects Wubi installations.Typical error messages of this issue are:
Failed to partition the selected disk
This probably happened because there are too many (primary) partitions in the partition table.
No root file system is defined
Wubiuefi has two different solutions for this issue. The first solution is a workaround which uses an old version of Parted from Ubuntu 14.04 (=Parted 2.3). The second solution is to consider the new behaviour of Parted 3.2. All versions which use the second solution are marked with Parted 3.2.
Note: Parted is not a Windows program and does not use Windows driver. So it is still possible that the view of Parted 3.2 differs from the Windows view of your partitions and this may cause problems.
eMMC
Some tablets and notebooks use eMMCs(=embedded Multimedia Cards) instead of HDs or SSDs. Wubiuefi supports special MMC device names like /dev/mmcblk0 to avoid
No root file system is defined
error.
NVMe
Some devices - especially SSDs - use NVMe (=Non-Volatile Memory Express). Wubiuefi also supports special names for NVMe devices like /dev/nvme0n1 to avoid
No root file system is defined
error.
Lupin-support
Some distros/versions do not provide package lupin-support on ISO. The package is mainly needed to redirect the boot loader to the Wubi disk(s). So Wubiuefi adds that package if it is not available on ISO to avoid problems for offline installations.
30GB+
Wubiuefi provides an installation size greater than 30GB. Installation sizes are selectable in 1GB steps up to 32GB.Sizes over 32GB are 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. But it is possible to create other sizes with parameter
--size
. e.g.wubi1704r322.exe --size=120000
sets an installation size of 120GB for wubi1704r322.exe
Various distros/versions
In a lot of cases it is very helpful to select desktop environments for a specific distro and a specific version.So it is possible to check an existing local ISO or DVD and to download the matching distro and version if needed.
But on the other hand, it is also helpful to have general Wubiuefi configurations for the latest development release,older supported LTS releases or a customized Ubuntu based distro.
Therefore, Wubiuefi provides Wubi desktop environments which do not check a specific distro name or version number.But they still check required files as shown in the following table:
Wubi | Wubi lz | Wubi EFI | Wubi MD5 | Wubi gz | Wubi SHA256 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
.disk/info | .disk/info | .disk/info | .disk/info | .disk/info | .disk/info |
casper/vmlinuz | casper/vmlinuz | casper/vmlinuz.efi | casper/vmlinuz | casper/vmlinuz | casper/vmlinuz |
casper/initrd, casper/initrd.lz | casper/initrd.lz | casper/initrd.lz | casper/initrd.lz | casper/initrd.gz | casper/initrd.lz |
casper/filesystem.squashfs | casper/filesystem.squashfs | casper/filesystem.squashfs | casper/filesystem.squashfs | casper/filesystem.squashfs | casper/filesystem.squashfs |
md5sum.txt | md5sum.txt | md5sum.txt | MD5SUMS | md5sum.txt | SHA256SUMS |
Additionaly, Wubiuefi needs compatible versions of some packages to work. Mainly, that relates to ubiquity.