How do I install additional kernels in Ubuntu

I want to be able to boot either i686 or AMD64
Thanks.

Hi Hoogie, welcome to Linux.co.uk

I'm assuming that you're using Ubuntu Edgy? Edgy has a "generic" kernel, which tests your possessor on boot, and only used those commands that it can.

Firstly, open synaptic (Click on System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager).

Click on the search button, and when the box comes up, set it to search "Name". Then type "generic", and click search.

Now scroll down the list. You need to look for something along the lines of a package named:
linux-image-generic

Right click on it, and click "mark for install"

Also find, and mark for install a package named "linux-headers-generic"

Reboot your machine... you should now have the latest kernel. It should automatically adapt itself to your processor.

HTH,
Johnathon

Thanks Johnathon. With a 64 bit processor, would it be able to run 64 bit apps?, or would the whole distro have to be set up for 64 bit?

I *think* that you should be able to run 64bit applications with this kernel.

I found out that the generic kernel is i686.

"Upgrading" from an i686 install to a 64 bit install is not easy (or recommended). Once you have one or the other on your box, *all* programs on the machine will be in that format.

Although you can load compatibility modules such that your 64 bit install will run 32bit apps, if you try and boot a 64 bit kernel using a 32 bit environment, you're sort of playing with fire. (expect bad things to happen)

Solution:
a. Ensure you have at least 4 partitions to play with
b. Install x86 (32 bit) ubuntu using
partition #1, /boot (100M)
partition #2, swap (2G)
partition #3, root (30G+ recommended)
c. Now install x86_64 (64 bit) ubuntu using;
partition #1, /boot (100M)
partition #2, swap (2G)
partition #4, root (30G+ recommended)

Be sure when running the partitioner for (c) that you do not instruct it to reformat partition #1, as a result, it will "add" the 64bit kernel to GRUB and when you boot the machine you will have a choice of booting 64 bit (the default using the above method) or 32 bit.

If you don't have appropriately sized partitions on your box, a reinstall is probably the easy way out ... and you might be as well to go for feisty at this stage .. I've 32bit and 64bit boxes running here and they seem fairly stable ...

hth