Needed help for Ubuntu download and installation

Question

I want to download and install Ubuntu on an old Gateway Computer. It has Windows ME on it now. Will Ubuntu run on this machine properly? It took ~2 hours to download. I have also downloaded the installer which doesn't open up when clicked. Can anyone suggest what exactly I did wrong?

Answer 1

The Ubuntu installer through Windows does not work on such old operating systems such as ME.

If you have not already, burn the iso file you downloaded. Boot the CD. Click install Ubuntu on the first screen you see, be a bit patient for this to load from the CD. If you would like to dual boot them, you should have no less than 9 GB of space on your system. It will say to have 4.4. GB of space, but if you install such a small partition, you will have almost absolutely no space for doing anything on your computer. It will also say to be plugged in to a power source, and to connect to the internet. This is not mentioned, but you need 512 MB of RAM to run Ubuntu. You can use WiFi or Ethernet to connect to the internet, but WiFi may not work depending on your wireless card. Make sure the boxes talking about 3rd party software and updates are checked, and click continue. Then, MAKE SURE you choose Something Else, and click continue. If you mess up this step, you could erase windows. If you would like to completely erase Windows from your system, click here anyway.

If you want to keep Windows, double click your partition, and subtract 9,216 MB from the windows partition if you want to have an 8 GB installation. If you want more, multiply the number of GB you want by 1024. Make sure you have enough free space on the Windows partition. If you do not, please follow the instructions I am about to tell you for erasing Windows from your system. If you have a lot of content on your system which is taking up too much room, back it up and delete it from your Windows partition while booted on Windows. Make a new partition table with most of the free space except 1024 MB. The format should be ext 4. With the remaining 1024 MB of free space, click add and use it as Linux Swap. Click Install now and ignore any warnings, and set it up while Ubuntu installs.

Now, if you want to completely erase Windows and install Ubuntu, or you have no choice, select your Windows Partition and delete it. DO NOT erase recovery partitions if there are any. Now click add, and use most of the free space except 1024 MB. Use it as an ext 4 partition as well. Now add a partition from the remaining free space and use it as Linux Swap. Then click install now and ignore and other warnings. Hope this works out!

Answer 2

According to the Ubuntu Wubi Guide wiki Windows ME is not supported for installing Ubuntu inside Windows using Wubi. See the section of the Ubuntu Wubi Guide wiki called Which Operating Systems are supported.

Because you are running Windows ME on it, it is likely that your computer is more than ten years old, but it might be able to run Xubuntu in a dual boot setup with Windows ME if it has at least 512MB RAM and at least 5GB of free hard disk space. Otherwise you can't install any *buntu flavor except for Lubuntu, assuming that your computer has at least 128MB RAM and at least 5GB of free hard disk space. Because your computer is old, you should download the 32-bit version of whatever *buntu flavor you want to install, NOT the 64-bit version.

This answer by Mitch will take you through the process of installing Lubuntu step-by-step with screenshots illustrating what to do at each step.