Wubi Installer Review

Jeff Weisbein -

There has been a lot of hype over this new way to install Ubuntu by using a piece of software called the Wubi Installer. So I decided to give it a shot and overall I must say, it’s very good. Keep in mind that this is still a beta piece of software.

First off, let me explain exactly what the Wubi Installer does, if you don’t already know. The Wubi Installer is a Windows program that will download and install any version of the latest Ubuntu; so you can have it install Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Edubuntu, and UbuntuStudio.

Wubi doesn’t even need to be installed, it’s just an executable file that you double click and it does its thing. It allows you to choose what drive you install Ubuntu on; so if you have a spare hard drive in your machine, you can use that, or you can install it on your local drive (C:).

The hardest part of using Wubi (if you can even call it hard) is typing in your password (the password you want to use to login). Everything else is just a click of the mouse and sit back and relax, while Wubi does the rest.

Wubi will install Ubuntu in a folder on whatever drive you choose to install it on. It’s that simple. It even uses the Windows boot loader so you don’t have to worry about Grub or Lilo messing up the MBR (Master Boot Record) if you choose to remove Ubuntu.

Removing the installtion is simple as well; you can do it through Windows Add/Remove programs or just run the uninstaller in the Wubi folder.

It worked well on my Vista install – no issues, just installed, and rebooted, chose Ubuntu and let it configure, then it was good to go.

Possible things I would like to see in the final release or later versions:

  • I would like to be able to customize the size of / /usr /var /tmp and my /home directories. Nothing major, but something that I like to have control of.
  • It would definitely help the Linux Community if this program was able to install other distrobutions of Linux as well. If the Linux Community is serious about making Linux more user friendly and easier for the average end user then I think other distro makers should push to get their distributions to be able to be installed via the Wubi Installer.
  • Not much else that I can think of at the moment, it’s an excellent idea and has so far exceeded my expectations. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to give Linux a shot.

Have you tried the Wubi Installer? Did you like it? Did it cause any issues for you? Let me know! Leave a comment!