Installing Ubuntu on Windows 10
Written on Fri, 16 September 2016No, this is not about virtualbox running on windows 10. This is about running ubuntu directly under windows 10 as a powershell. Yes, that's right. You run linux commands on windows filesystems and other stuffs you would expect.
So let's get started. First, you need to be registered under Windows Insider Program. If you are already registered, you can skip ahead to installing Windows Subsystem for Linux.
Registering for Windows Insider Program
Please be warned, programmes under Windows Insider Program are not declared stable yet. It may cause your system to crash. Take caution when you register for Windows Insider Program.
The Ubuntu version in the Windows Store is only 14.04 at the time of writing. The current latest distribution version from Canonical is 16.04. Expect that the version of Ubuntu from Windows Store to be of much earlier versions.
Go to Windows Settings -> Update &s; Security
Select Advanced options
Let's Get Started.
Register your account for Windows Insider Program, or switch to an account that is already registered with Windows Insider Program.
You will be directed to Windows Insider Program Webpage. Let's Get Started. If it prompts you to login, proceed to login with the acount associated with your windows account.
You will be greeted warmly by Microsoft as an insider
Go back to Windows Settings -> Update &s; Security -> Advanced options. Let's get started with the insider program. You will be warned that you will be getting pre-released programmes that may cause instability in your computer. It's not too late to turn back now.
You are given one more warning before confirming that you want to install pre-released programmes on your computer. The only way to remove pre-released programmes completely is to reinstall Windows 10. There is no turning back after this.
So you decided to be part of the Windows Insider Program? Welcome to the edge of the knife, tip of the spear. You will need to restart your computer and it will take quite a while for Windows to reboot. Meantime, grab a cup of coffee.
Installing Windows Subsystem for Linux
You must first enable Developer mode.
Next, go to your control page and select Programs and Features.
Let's Turn Windows features on.
The feature you need to turn on is Windows Subsystem for Linux(Beta). As the beta implies, it's not a complete product yet. Proceed with caution. Select OK and it will install this feature on your computer.
Next, open up PowerShell in administrator mode. Not to be confused with CMD. Powershell is more feature-rich and meant to replace CMD. More information can be found here.
Enter the following commands in Powershell
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux
bash
You will be asked if you want to continue to install Ubuntu. Type 'y' to proceed with installation.
You will also be asked to enter a username and a password. This can be different from your Windows Login username and password.
That's it! You have successfully installed Ubuntu on Windows 10.
Now, how about removing it?
This time round, open CMD in administrator mode and type the following commands:
lxrun /uninstall
Your ubuntu home folder will not be removed though. If you want to remove the home folder too, type the following instead:
lxrun /uninstall /full
To reinstall Ubuntu, type the following:
lxrun /install
