Select an image
Ubuntu is distributed on five types of images described below.
Desktop CD
The desktop CD allows you to try Ubuntu without changing your computer at all, and at your option to install it permanently later. This type of CD is what most people will want to use. You will need at least 256MiB of RAM to install from this CD.
There are two images available, each for a different type of computer:
- PC (Intel x86) desktop CD
- For almost all PCs. This includes most machines with Intel/AMD/etc type processors and almost all computers that run Microsoft Windows, as well as newer Apple Macintosh systems based on Intel processors. Choose this if you are at all unsure.
- 64-bit PC (AMD64) desktop CD
- Choose this to take full advantage of computers based on the AMD64 or EM64T architecture (e.g., Athlon64, Opteron, EM64T Xeon, Core 2). If you have a non-64-bit processor made by AMD, or if you need full support for 32-bit code, use the Intel x86 images instead.
Desktop image
The desktop image allows you to try Ubuntu without changing your computer at all, and at your option to install it permanently later. You will need at least 256MiB of RAM to install from this image.
There are two images available, each for a different type of computer:
- Marvell Dove desktop image
- For Dove boards.
- Freescale i.MX51 desktop image
- For i.MX51 boards.
Server install CD
The server install CD allows you to install Ubuntu permanently on a computer for use as a server. It will not install a graphical user interface.
There are two images available, each for a different type of computer:
- PC (Intel x86) server install CD
- For almost all PCs. This includes most machines with Intel/AMD/etc type processors and almost all computers that run Microsoft Windows, as well as newer Apple Macintosh systems based on Intel processors. Choose this if you are at all unsure.
- 64-bit PC (AMD64) server install CD
- Choose this to take full advantage of computers based on the AMD64 or EM64T architecture (e.g., Athlon64, Opteron, EM64T Xeon, Core 2). If you have a non-64-bit processor made by AMD, or if you need full support for 32-bit code, use the Intel x86 images instead.
Alternate install CD
The alternate install CD allows you to perform certain specialist installations of Ubuntu. It provides for the following situations:
- setting up automated deployments;
- upgrading from older installations without network access;
- LVM and/or RAID partitioning;
- installs on systems with less than about 256MiB of RAM (although note that low-memory systems may not be able to run a full desktop environment reasonably).
In the event that you encounter a bug using the alternate installer, please file a bug on the debian-installer package.
There are two images available, each for a different type of computer:
- PC (Intel x86) alternate install CD
- For almost all PCs. This includes most machines with Intel/AMD/etc type processors and almost all computers that run Microsoft Windows, as well as newer Apple Macintosh systems based on Intel processors. Choose this if you are at all unsure.
- 64-bit PC (AMD64) alternate install CD
- Choose this to take full advantage of computers based on the AMD64 or EM64T architecture (e.g., Athlon64, Opteron, EM64T Xeon, Core 2). If you have a non-64-bit processor made by AMD, or if you need full support for 32-bit code, use the Intel x86 images instead.
UNR live CD
The live CD allows you to try Ubuntu Netbook Remix (UNR) without changing your computer at all, and at your option to install it permanently later. This live CD is optimized for netbooks with screens up to 10". You will need at least 256MB of RAM to install from this CD.
There is one image available:
- PC (Intel x86) UNR live CD
- For almost all PCs. This includes most machines with Intel/AMD/etc type processors and almost all computers that run Microsoft Windows, as well as newer Apple Macintosh systems based on Intel processors. Choose this if you are at all unsure.
A full list of available files, including BitTorrent files, can be found below.
If you need help burning these images to disk, see the CD Burning Guide or the USB Image Writing Guide.
![[ICO]](/icons/blank.gif){kind=icon}
![[PARENTDIR]](/icons/back.gif){kind=icon}
![[TXT]](/icons/text.gif){kind=icon}
![[ ]](/icons/unknown.gif){kind=icon}
![[ ]](/icons/binary.gif){kind=icon}