• Table of Contents
  • Navigatrix home
  • Installing Navigatrix

    *** NOTE: the instructions and screenshots below refer to Navigatrix version 0.5 (ISO downloaded in or after July 2013). For instructions on how to install the earlier 0.4 version of Navigatrix please see here. ***

    This section explains how to install Navigatrix from a bootable USB stick, SD card or DVD as well as configuring Navigatrix for different languages.

    Installing Navigatrix onto the Hard Disk

    Once you have a bootable USB stick/SD card or DVD with Navigatrix (see “Getting Navigatrix”), installing it to your harddisk is straight forward. You can install Navigatrix alongside your current operating system, choosing between Navigatrix and your current system when you boot your computer.

    First, boot Navigatrix from your USB stick/SD card. You may have to press some function key while the computer starts up in order to tell it to boot from a USB device rather than the hard disk. Most computers will display something like “Press <F2> to enter setup” for a few seconds on the bottom of the screen before the operating system starts booting. Once Navigatrix is up and running you will a screen that looks like this:

    Navigatrix Desktop

    You can use the system as is, running from the USB device. The interface logic is similar to Windows XP or later: You launch applications by clicking on the little Manta symbol in the bottom-left of the screen (see “The Applications” for details on what you will find under the Manta Menu).

    Once you decide to install Navigatrix to your harddisk (it will run and boot much faster compared to the USB stick), double-click on the “Harddisk install option” in the top-left of the desktop:

    Harddisk install option on desktop

    This will launch a set-up program that will take you through the installation process.

    1. The first screen will ask you about the language in which you want to run the installation. Note: this is not the language that Navigatrix will run in once it is installed but simply the langauge for the installation dialogue.
    1. Next comes a check whether the pre-requisites for an installation are met on your system.
      1. Now we get into the thick of things, defining how and where Navigatrix is to be installed.
      1. Next, you will be asked about your keyboard layout. Test that your choice works correctly by typing a few special characters in the box at the bottom of the screen. This is important as you will later be asked to choose a password. If you enter your choice of password with the installer assuming a different keyboard layout, you may not be able re-create the password later.
      1. A question about your location is next in order to set time zone and number/date formats correctly (you can change these later under Manta -> Preferences -> Time and Date and Manta -> Preferences -> Language Support).
      1. Next, you will be asked to choose a user name and password.
      1. That's all. Once you clicked “Continue” on the previous form the installer will do it's magic - which may take a moment or two. Once it's done you'll see a confirmation message.

      The next time you boot from your harddisk you should see the boot loader displaying a selection menu that allows you to choose which operating system you want to boot (Navigatrix or whatever you were running up to now). See here if the boot loader fails to display your old operating system as a choice.

      Enjoy!

      Changing the Default Language for Navigatrix

      After you have installed Navigatrix on your hard disk you can change the default language for the user interface by following the instructions in this post on the Navigatrix Support Discussion Board. Version 0.5 of Navigatrix already comes complete with English, Spanish, French and -as of September 2013- German language packs. For these languages you won't have to download any additional packages and can simply re-arrange the preference order for the languages as described in the Discussion Board post. For other languages you will have to download the relevant langauge packages (dictionaries, thesaurus, ...) first (also decribed in the Discussion Board post).

      Notes on Special Cases

      Installer does not offer "side by side" installation of Navigatrix alongside an existing operating system

      Depending on how your harddisk has been partitioned prior to isntalling Navigatrix you may not see the "Install them side by side" option in step 4 above. On "traditional" harddisks used for Windows-equipped computers, the partition scheme only allows a maximum of four so called “primary partitions”. If your harddisk already has four partitions then the Navigatrix installer will be unable to create another partition for Navigatrix. In this case the dialogue above would look like this (note that the screenshot below is still from the 0.4 version of Navigatrix but the essence hasn't changed with version 0.5):

      Step 4/7 with four existing primary partitions

      If you select “Specify partitions manually (advanced)” in the window above you can actually see the four partitions listed as in the example below:

      Step 5/8 with four existing primary partitions

      In this case quit the installation process. You will have to re-shuffle your partitions prior to installing Navigatrix in order to get around the four partition limitation. The way to do this is to first delete the last of the existing primary partitions (after backing up all the data from that partition to restore it later). In its place you then create what is called an "extended partition". This extended partition is simply a container in which you can fit additional partitions as needed. From "the outside" it still looks like four partitions - in line with the maximum - but with one of them (the "extended" one) being able to house additional partitions, you can in effect get around the four-partition limit.

      This may sound complicated but is in fact pretty straight forward if you work carefully and make sure you have backed up the data from any partitions you change during this process. Navigatrix comes with a tool that allows you to delete, resize, move and create partitions on you harddisk. You can find it in the Manta Menu under Preferences->Partition Editor:

      GParted in Manta Menu

      Also check out this post on the Navigatrix Support Discussion Board for more info and some practical pointers.

      Running Navigatrix on newer hardware (2011+)

      Starting in 2011, an increasing portion of new computers are shipped with a “next generation BIOS” called “UEFI”, the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface. Originally introduced by Intel as EFI, UEFI is simply a newer version of EFI and you see the two abbreviations used interchangeably. Among other things, the boot process under EFI is different from traditional BIOS booting. While Navigatrix version 0.5 will run on (U)EFI machines, you may have trouble installing it in "Dual Boot" mode alongside another operating system. See this post on the Navigatrix discussion board for further details.

      GRUB Boot Manager does not show Windows option in boot selection menu

      When you install Navigatrix alongside Windows (choosing option 1, “Install Navigatrix alongside” in step 3 above) it will also install “GRUB” the “Grand Unified Boot Loader/Manager”. GRUB installs itself into your systems “Master Boot Record” (or it's UEFI/GPT equivalent if you have a new computer that shipped with Windows 8). When your computer now boots it launches GRUB rather than an operating system. GRUB then asks you which operating system you actually want to boot (Windows or Navigatrix) and launches the operating system of your choice.

      There have been cases where - once you reboot your computer after installing Navigatrix - GRUB only shows a single entry for Navigatrix as a boot option and entry for Windows. Should you encounter this issue it can easily be fixed via the GRUB Customizer which is available (with installation instructions) here: http://navigatrix.net/viewtopic.php?p=1200#p1200. Download the package, install it under Navigatrix on your harddrive, and then launch it from the Manta Menu under Preferences->Grub Customizer.

      GRUB Customizer in Manta Menu

      To launch the GRUB Customizer you will have to enter the password which you set up during the installation. Once the GRUB Customizer is up, it will automatically scan your harddisk for bootable operating systems. When that is completed it should show entries for Navigatrix and Windows (plus some other stuff like “memtest” which you can ignore at this point). Simply press “Save” and exit the GRUB Customizer. The next time you boot, the GRUB selection menu should give you a choice between Navigatrix and Windows.