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Recently I've grown an interest about Ubuntu and all its new characteristics, but one thing that concerns me is that in windows vista I currently run my itunes library, and programs such as Microsoft Office, and if I installed Ubuntu I would lose these files.

Is it possible to install Ubuntu 12.04 without uninstalling Windows vista, and run the both OS's in the same computer?

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4 Answers 4

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You can dual boot using Wubi Installer.

Here, go to this website and click "Start Download": - http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/windows-installer

When you are finished downloading, click on the Ubuntu icon. It should install like a normal application. When it's finished reboot and let it prepare Ubuntu, then you can dual boot Ubuntu and Window. If you do not like it, you can always boot back to Windows and uninstall it like a normal application.

(I recommend making a backup of you files first, in case something goes wrong.(which does not happen often))

(Treat it like a program that lets you dual boot)

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Guillermo, the simple answer is YES!

There is a bit of things you should do for an optimal dual-boot install tho.

  1. Highly recommended is first to make a backup of your whole drive or at least all your documents.

  2. Then, for safety's sake, I've always partitioned my HD (assuming there's only one) to isolate the operating system (Vista in your case) from the data. The best tool to do that is GParted which is included in the Ubuntu Live CD.

  3. The time and $ invested in a Live USB memory instead of a CD is worth every minute and penny. Follow the instructions given in the download page. A 4Gb stick is more than enough.

  4. Last but not least make your Ubuntu partition large enough for growth, I've soon discovered that 30Gb are miserly and 50 barely sufficient. If your disk allows go for 100. When installing Ubuntu, always allow a swap partition twice the size as your RAM. You will eventually need it.

  5. If you are installing in a Laptop with just one HD, let the auto-installer handle the details. It's quite straightforward really. Don't forget to make your data partition and external backup if at all possible.

Good luck. Unjoy Ubuntu; 12.04 is terrific!

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Yes,

When you boot off of the ubuntu live cd to install ubuntu choose "install side by side with windows vista"

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You can also try Ubuntu by booting from the Ubuntu Live CD and give it a test drive. It won't mess with your hard disk unless you tell it to install Ubuntu.

So you see from this and the other answers that there are several choices to get your feet wet with Ubuntu.

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