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Is Ubuntu safe to install? Will my existing operating system be deleted? Or will Ubuntu be installed alongside Mac OS X?

Does the installer automatically start when I reboot? I read on another website that a user's PC didn't run when he rebooted.

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3 Answers

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Yes, Ubuntu is safe to install. When you put your installation media in, you may have to choose to boot from that drive. Since I don't use a mac, I am not entirely sure how to do that on a mac, but here is a link that should show you how to do that.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1948

this link might provide an even simpler solution (I think all you have to do is hold down "C" during startup):

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1533

Once you successfully boot from your Ubuntu installation media, the installation process is very easy. You can choose to install Ubuntu on a separate partition from your OS X partition. That way you will still have Mac OS on your computer, but you will also have Ubuntu. Just follow the on-screen instructions during installation and you will easily be able to set this up.

After you successfully install Ubuntu, every time you boot up, the GRUB boot loader will come up first. From this screen, you will be able to choose which operating system to load. If you don't choose one within 10 seconds or so, the default option will be chosen. This option will most likely be Ubuntu, so every time you want to boot into OS X, you will have to arrow down to it.

Ubuntu is a very safe operating system, and it is very easy to work with. I'm sure you will find the installation process to be simple. I hope you enjoy your experience with it. Best of luck!

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It's worth mentioning that even though it's pretty safe to install, computers are very complicated and there's always a chance that something will go wrong. It's the unfortunate truth when it comes to playing around with operating systems. But it's still well worth installing and you're bound to learn a lot from it. Just make sure you back up any essential files before you do anything. – eltommo Sep 29 '12 at 4:14
I would definitely agree that anything you do with a computer has the possibility of going wrong. Making a backup of files is a good idea. – nicktrip Sep 30 '12 at 19:55
up vote 3 down vote

Ubuntu will boil your dog and skin your cat, so I would suggest you throw the CD as far away as you can and hide in a locked closet!!!

All jokes aside, Ubuntu is completely safe to install, will install alongside any detected Operating System including Mac OS X, and will start when you reboot the computer (on most systems). You will need to choose to boot from the CD on Mac systems.

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up vote 0 down vote

Sometimes, whenever you install Ubuntu along another operating system, the bootloader can get a little funny. However, this is uncommon and there IS a fix. It is absolutely safe to install Ubuntu on your computer. Be sure to look for a guide on dual booting OS X and Ubuntu 12.04 in your case. As I said before, if it does mess up, which is unlikely, you can fix it, no problem. We are here to help! :)

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