We’ve discussed Google’s Android operating system a few posts ago. Now we’ll tell you how you can try out the OS yourself. This works best if you have a laptop or netbook or desktop lying around with some extra space and without an OS. Perhaps you went for the bargain netbook with no pre-installed OEM Windows. Maybe you want to do away with the clutter and install something light for your computer to run on. Perhaps you really just want to tinker with the OS.
Well, be our guest. Here is the step-by-step guide through which you can install Android on your computer.
Here’s what you’ll need for Operation Android: a Netbook or laptop or PC, a USB flash drive or memory card with at least 256 Megabytes free or a blank CD/DVD (most netbooks aren’t equipped with CD or DVD drives, so you’ll need flash drives for those. Even if your lappy or PC has one, why waste a perfectly good blank disc?), and a fairly-fast Internet connection. You might also want to sniff around the Web and see if your machine’s processor is supported.
To start, you’ll need to download Android. Go to http://www.android-x86.org/download and download the latest stable release in image file format. In this case, it’s just version 1.6 Donut. Sadly, if you’re looking for 2.2 Froyo or even 2.1 Eclair, you won’t be able to test drive those versions just yet.
Download the .img file if you’re going to go the USB route, and the .iso file for discs. You can also use the .iso file with the Unetbootin application and it will extract the .iso to your USB stick.
With the Android OS loaded on your flash drive or burned to your CD or DVD, you can now reboot your laptop or PC. Enter the BIOS screen by pressing the respective key on your computer. There will usually be a prompt that shows what key you should press.
Once in BIOS, change the boot order of your computer to boot your USB stick or CD/DVD drive first. After booting, choose the option Live CD – Run Android x86 without Installion. There will be a short loading time that shows an MS-DOS-like prompt typing “Android” and then the Android boot screen should appear. After that, you can now see your new desktop in all its Android glory!
Bear in mind that you’re only running the Live CD version, so any new apps you install in a session won’t be there once you log out and log back in. Depending on your computer, some pieces of hardware might not be supported, like the camera or Wi-Fi. Still, this should be an excellent opportunity to see what’s with all the hype and judge for yourself how fast and responsive this mobile OS really is.
If you’re bolder, you can try installing it (though we don’t really recommend it) or using the Java-powered Android Emulator. That said, enjoy your Android experience!
