14 DAY TRIAL // You've probably heard some rumors about a new Ubuntu Windows installer for Windows-based systems but wait, now there is also a Debian Windows installer. Well, it's true and you can install Ubuntu or Debian from Windows with the help of an .exe installer.
The Ubuntu Windows Installer provides many interesting features, and the most revolutionary one is that you can choose to install, besides Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Xubuntu. While Kubuntu is an Ubuntu-based Linux distribution which comes pre-installed with the KDE window manager, Xubuntu comes with XFCE desktop manager pre-installed. The aim of this installer is to provide an easier way for a Windows user to install Ubuntu Linux without having to know how to repartition the disks or to set up a multiboot system.
"The installer works by creating a disk image of a pre-installed ubuntu system on the hard disk (downloaded with a bittorrent downloader integrated into the installer, or a standard http download when we find mirrors), and then installing GRUB for windows, which can be chain loaded by the existing boot loader, and which then loads the linux kerner and initrd from the ntfs partition. The initrd is modified to support mounting the image file mentioned above as a root file system, and then continuing the boot process like a normal installation. " - says the Ubuntu Windows Installer team.
Highlights of Ubuntu Windows Installer:
￭ Very simple to use; ￭ Provides a no-risk installation; ￭ No repartitioning the hard disk; ￭ No changing the windows boot loader; ￭ Easy uninstallation; ￭ Low risk; ￭ Doesn't use a virtual machine; ￭ Doesn't significantly reduce performance of the resulting installation; ￭ Resulting installation supports everything a normal install does; ￭ Fast install.
As for the brand new Debian Windows Installer and how to use it, please visit this website. And you can also take a look at some screenshots made during installation, here.