by axu565

Running UbuntuMATE 16.04 on RPI3

This is a step by step guide to bring up UbuntuMATE on RPI3 with the basic starter Canakit.

*From steps 1-7, you will need a computer with Windows OS, as you need another computer to obtain and write the file, and because Win32 Disk Imager is a Windows application. You will need a keyboard, mouse, and a (hdmi) monitor after step 8. If you don’t have a monitor with a hdmi port, you will need an adapter of hdmi to whichever port (dvi, vga) your monitor accepts.

  1. Go here to download the UbuntuMATE 16.0.4.1 LTS for RPI2/3 release on your computer: https://ubuntu-mate.org/download/
  2. Unzip to extract the image file.
  3. Insert the pre- packaged microSD into the USB microSD Card Reader and plug that into your computer.
  4. The pre-packaged microSD already has NOOBS and Rasbian installed, but we need UbuntuMATE transferred onto the microSD. Go here to install Win32 Disk Imager: https://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/
  5. Run Win32 Disk Imager (which requires admin privileges). A small window will appear. Under “Device”, check if the drive letter matches that of your microSD (open up File Explorer to check. To be safe, unplug any USB drives or external hard drives.)
  6. Next to the drive letter box, click on the folder icon and navigate to the folder containing the UbuntuMATE Disc Image File and double click on the file.
  7. Press “Write”. A warning message will appear, click yes. The process may take ~10 minutes.
  8. Take out the microSD and insert it into the Rasberry Pi 3. The microSD slot is underneath the board, on the opposite edge of the USB ports.
  9. Insert the keyboard and mouse USBs into the board’s ports and connect the board to the monitor. Power up the system, and a boot screen will appear, though you may have to reset it several times.
  10. Make an user account on the device. Congratulations! You now have UbuntuMate 16.04 on your Rasberry Pi 3

Note: There is a known bug with the WiFi connection. If it doesnt work properly, reset the device. Also, remember to resize the microSD as the default partition will only be a portion of the entire storage. Luckily, UbuntuMATE provides an easy solution for resizing. When the Welcome window appears after logging in, click on the Rasberry Pi Information button. Then, there will be a resize button. Click it and reboot the system.