How do I install KDE or XFCE or LXDE to an Ubuntu 12.04 system with no internet connection?

Question

How do you install a desktop environment such as KDE without an Internet connection in Ubuntu / Linux Mint?

I want to install KDE 4.8.3 in Ubuntu 12.04 LTS without an Internet connection?

Answer 1

Offline installation of LXDE, XFCE or KDE on Ubuntu 12.04

• You can install one of the supported variant desktop environments for Ubuntu 12.04 (LXDE, XFCE or KDE) by downloading the alternate CD for that variant -- Lubuntu, Xubuntu and Kubuntu respectively. Please be sure to get 32-bit or 64-bit depending on your existing installation!

Direct links to alternate CD ISOs:

• Kubuntu 12.04 (KDE): 32-bit | 64-bit
• Lubuntu 12.04 (LXDE): 32-bit | 64-bit
• Xubuntu 12.04 (XFCE): 32-bit | 64-bit

The Alternate CD is required because it actually contains the deb packages needed to install these onto a running system with apt-get versus the regular Desktop Live CDs which contain a compressed filesystem.

• Once you download the Alternate CD ISO (32-bit or 64-bit, depending on your Ubuntu installation), burn it to a CD-R. Insert the CD into the target system.

• Open a terminal with Ctrl-Alt-T, and type ls /media. You will see something in there like Kubuntu 12.04 LTS i386.

• Then type sudo apt-cdrom add /media/Kubuntu (the first few letters), and press Tab to autocomplete the full name and press enter. apt will scan the CD for packages.

• Now type sudo apt-get update, and then sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop to install the full KDE desktop environment. (Or xubuntu-desktop or lubuntu-desktop, respectively, for XFCE or LXDE).

• If you have an internet connection on the machine, please disconnect the Ethernet cable (or disable networking/wireless), because even after you add the CD repositories, apt-get may still try to fetch the latest packages over the internet if it detects a connection!