An Ubuntu installation checklist that starts before the installer

Write down what the installation must preserve

Choose the outcome in one sentence: replace the current operating system on a spare computer, keep Windows alongside Ubuntu, or only try Ubuntu for now. These are different projects. A spare machine with no needed files is a simpler learning environment than the only laptop holding this term’s assignments.

List the things that must survive: documents, photos, browser data, project exports and any files on other partitions. Record which applications you need afterwards. An installer finishing successfully does not prove that a particular course application, printer or game will work on the new system.

Make the backup useful before making it urgent

Copy important files to a separate physical device or another recoverable destination. Open several copied files there. Include something recently edited and a file from a less obvious location, such as a project outside Documents. Cloud synchronisation deserves a check too: confirm the files are actually available, rather than merely listed as placeholders.

Keep recovery information available without this computer. That can include an existing operating system’s recovery key, account recovery methods and the password for an encrypted backup. For example, if 42 GB of coursework and 118 GB of photos matter, verify those 160 GB before spending time choosing a desktop wallpaper.

Get the right image and verify its origin

Start at Ubuntu’s official Desktop download page. Select the architecture appropriate to the computer; a familiar laptop brand alone does not identify its processor architecture. The page listed 26.04.1 LTS when this guide was reviewed. Use the currently offered image for the intended release, rather than searching for a download from an unfamiliar mirror.

Ubuntu publishes signed checksum information. Follow its image-verification instructions to authenticate the signing key, verify the checksum signature and compare the ISO’s SHA-256 value. The browser checksum tool is limited to 100 MiB, so a Desktop ISO needs the on-device commands in Ubuntu’s instructions. The browser tool also cannot perform a signing-key trust check. A match against an untrusted reference is an incomplete verification.

Prepare a USB you can afford to erase

Choose a USB stick with nothing you need on it and identify it by both name and capacity in the image-writing application. Ubuntu’s guide recommends a stick of at least 8 GB. Follow its instructions for your current operating system; simply placing an ISO file in an ordinary folder does not create the intended bootable installer.

Image writing replaces the selected USB’s contents. Disconnect unrelated removable drives while preparing it, particularly a backup drive with a similar label. Keep the installation USB and the backup destination clearly distinguishable. Let writing and any offered verification finish, then eject the stick through the operating system.

Try the live desktop with your actual equipment

Boot from the USB using the computer manufacturer’s documented boot-selection method, then choose the Ubuntu trial session. Trying Ubuntu does not itself install it. Treat the session carefully nevertheless: a live environment can access other drives when you deliberately open or modify them.

Test the things you rely on: join your Wi-Fi, play sound, record a microphone sample, use the keyboard and touchpad, connect an external display and try a normal suspend and wake. A live test is useful evidence, not a promise that every installed-driver or application situation will behave identically.

• Write down any hardware that does not work satisfactorily.
• Check accessibility and readable display scaling before proceeding.
• Keep a way to read official help on a second device.

Treat disk choices as the point that needs certainty

Ubuntu can offer guided installation choices, including replacing a system or installing alongside one when supported. Read the exact description on your machine. An erase option applies to the selected drive; an alongside option is not permission to skip your backup. Manual partitioning belongs outside a first installation when the layout is unfamiliar.

Compare the installer’s drive model and capacity with your notes. A 512 GB internal drive and a 2 TB backup drive should not be interchangeable in that decision. Free space also needs a practical allowance for your projects, updates and future applications; a documented installation minimum is not a comfortable long-term storage plan.

Stop when an existing security or storage setup intervenes

If the installer reports BitLocker or Intel RST, pause and use the linked Ubuntu instructions for that situation. Changes to encryption or storage-controller settings can affect access to the existing operating system. Preserve recovery keys first, and do not switch firmware settings repeatedly while hoping a missing disk will appear.

Consider Ubuntu’s offered disk-encryption options before committing. Read the requirements for the option shown on your hardware and keep the recovery material somewhere accessible without that machine. The right choice depends on your recovery needs as well as convenience; a forgotten secret can make a healthy drive unusable to you.

Read the final summary, then check the result

Before the final installation action, review the target drive and proposed changes against the outcome you wrote down. If anything is unclear, stop there. There is no benefit to guessing about a partition that contains the only copy of work. Follow the installer’s restart and USB-removal prompts after completion.

After booting the installed system, check network access, install updates through the supported Ubuntu tools and confirm the files you intended to keep are recoverable. Keep the original backup while you settle in. A useful finish is a working desktop, a recoverable document and a clear note of what was installed.