¶ Overview
This page will guide you through how to replace the current OS on a computer with Ubuntu.
If you would like to install something other than Ubuntu, be sure to follow steps that might be different for your operating system of choice.
¶ What You'll Need
For this, you will need:
- A USB flash drive (16-32GB recommended)
- Another Computer with internet access
- An open USB port on both your computer and the target computer
- An Ethernet connection on the target computer (optional)
¶ Getting the Operating System Image
In this section, you will download the OS image from the software's website.
- The Ubuntu download page can be found here.
The architecture to install for in 99% of cases will be amd64. The file should be a .iso file, and will be a few GB in space. It will most likely take a few minutes to download.
In this tutorial, we will be installing Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS. The LTS (Long Term Support) means it will have security updates for 5 years.
The file should look something like this:
¶ Flashing the Image
In this section, we will put the newly downloaded .iso image on the flash drive to make it bootable.
You will need extra software for this. The two most common programs for this are BalenaEtcher and Rufus. This tutorial will use BalenaEtcher due to its user-friendliness.
After you've downloaded BalenaEtcher, the software doesn't require any setup, and will show a screen similar to this:
If you haven't plugged in your USB drive by this point, do so now.
If you've downloaded the .iso file, you will hit the “Flash from File” button. It should default to your Downloads folder, but if not, navigate to your downloads folder. Choose the .iso file you've downloaded.
Next, hit “Select Target”, and choose your flash drive.
Finally, hit “Flash!”. This process will take some time. You do not have to install the other apps that are advertised.
Once the process is done, you can eject and remove the USB drive.
¶ Booting from the USB Drive
Once the USB drive has been removed from the system, you can plug it into any USB port on the target computer.
- If there is an available USB3 port (the blue variant), plug the drive into that.
Once the USB Drive is plugged in, plug in a keyboard and turn on the system.
You will need to spam/hold a key to get into the boot menu. this key can be different depending on the system. Generally, it will either be F2, F12, or Del.
- On a Dell system, the key is F12.
Once in the boot menu, select the USB drive, and the system should boot into the installer.
¶ Installing the Operating System
Before you proceed, make sure any sensitive info that you may want to keep is backed up, as this section will erase all of the data on the drive.
Once you boot into the installer, you will be met with this screen:
Choose “Try or Install Ubuntu”. This will load you into Ubuntu.
Pick the relevant options during the setup.
Note that even if you have a wireless adapter, it may not show up during the setup process. This can be fixed later.
Updating the installer on the next page is recommended. After it updates, click the “Install Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS” icon in the bottom right and re-pick your options.
Once you reach the “How would you like to install Ubuntu, click the "Interactive Installation” button.
Use the Default Selection of Apps.
On the next screen, install the proprietary software if it applies to you. In this guide, we will be installing it.
Unless you have an advanced setup, select “Erase disk and install Ubuntu”. You do not need to use the advanced options. This will format the disk and install Ubuntu.
On the next screen, enter your credentials. These can be anything you want. The field for “Your Computer's Name” is the hostname for the system. The username and password fields will be used extensively in the future, so make sure you write down your credentials somewhere safe in case you forget.
Select your timezone, review your choices, and select install on the next screen. This will take some time.
Once done, Restart the system.
That's it! You have successfully installed an operating system! Now you can progress to installing applications.