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After failing to update my desktop to Ubuntu 20.04.1 LTS (unable to boot, kernel 5 not working etc) I am going to replace my disk with a new disk and install Ubuntu fresh. I have a few question that I would appreciate advice:

  1. Do I need to reformat the disk? I was planning to do it, but then I read that in the process of installation this can be done automatically.("You can wipe the hard drive clean prior to installing Ubuntu by clicking Erase disk and install Ubuntu.

  2. Do I really need a USB memory? or can I use another medium? perhaps the size of the image is too large and that is why I need a USB?

  3. I am not planning on partitioning the disk. Should I?

  4. My original problem was that apart from not booting, the Nvidia drivers were not correctly loaded and the GPU was not recognized. Any advice on how to avoid this problem?

Any other advice will be appreciated. First time I am doing this

KansaiRobot
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  • You don't need to re-format the disk. You don't need to use USB thumb-drives, any media your machine can boot can be used (I have a *groovy* DVD test media here). Partitioning disk will depend on how you use it (use-case will dictate, so we can't help with detail provided). There is a safe-graphics install option for difficult graphics. – guiverc Oct 21 '20 at 02:17
  • If it's a brand new drive you don't have to format it. If it's got *anything* on it you might want to though... It takes all of 10 seconds to quick format a disk using Disks or gparted and ensures that there's nothing on the drive to intefere with your installation. Don't manually partition ahead of time unless you have a specific reason and you feel comfortable that you know what you're doing. USB is fast, consistent, and well documented. USB drives are as common as convenience store candy. It's unclear why you want to avoid using a USB unless you want installation to be more difficult... – Nmath Oct 21 '20 at 03:55
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    Does this answer your question? [What is the proper way of creating installation media from Ubuntu iso?](https://askubuntu.com/questions/674441/what-is-the-proper-way-of-creating-installation-media-from-ubuntu-iso) and [How to download all required Ubuntu drivers](https://askubuntu.com/q/543325/) and [Does Ubuntu 20.04 installer skip creating a swap partition?](https://askubuntu.com/q/1243247/) – karel Oct 21 '20 at 04:37
  • @user3140225 mmm no – KansaiRobot Oct 21 '20 at 07:01

2 Answers2

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installing Ubuntu to New Disk

Assuming you want to boot 20.04 in UEFI mode and that there are no other OS on the computer

  • Start with Rufus set up as shown below.

enter image description here

  • Proceed with install Ubuntu until you get to Installation Type.

  • If you want a typical setup select Erase disk and install Ubuntu and then select Install Now.

  • If you want an encrypted installation, select the options shown below and then select Install Now:

enter image description here

  • Proceed with installation until complete.

In answer to your original questions: 1) No, 2) No, 3) No, 4) Open Software & Updates/Additional Drivers and select the Nvidia driver that best matches numerically, the latest driver for your GPU on the Nvidia driver site.

C.S.Cameron
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  • You can also use Etcher – NinePlusTenEqualsTwentyOne Oct 21 '20 at 05:05
  • @NinePlusTenEqualsTwentyOne In this case I have selected Rufus because it has the UEFI only option shown in the picture. If you boot the Etcher made USB in BIOS mode and do your install you will end up with a BIOS mode Ubuntu install. For example, This would not be good if you ever decide to install Windows to another disk on the computer. GRUB would not be able to boot it. – C.S.Cameron Oct 21 '20 at 05:13
  • that makes sense – NinePlusTenEqualsTwentyOne Oct 21 '20 at 05:23
  • @NinePlusTenEqualsTwentyOne: Etcher can do things other installers can't do, such as flash an OS to multiple USB drives at the same time. – C.S.Cameron Oct 21 '20 at 05:28
  • Thanks. I have completed the rufus part. I was hoping to get https://phoenixnap.com/kb/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/try-ubuntu-20.04.png but instead I got grub... (I have changed the precedence of booting to boot from USB).... mmmm now just a black screen – KansaiRobot Oct 21 '20 at 06:58
  • If you want to boot your installed Ubuntu in UEFI mode, you need to install in UEFI mode, which for 20.04 means a GRUB boot. If you want your installed Ubuntu to boot in BIOS mode you can switch Rufus from GPT to MBR and boot the installer USB in BIOS mode using the Syslinux bootloader as shown in your link. UEFI boot mode is a more modern way to go. Black screen? Is there a blinking cursor? – C.S.Cameron Oct 21 '20 at 08:18
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  1. You don't need to re-format the disk.

  2. You don't need to use USB thumb-drives, any media your machine can boot can be used (I have groovy DVD test media here too).

  3. Partitioning disk will depend on how you use it (use-case will dictate, so we can't help with detail provided). If you don't have reasons to partition it though, you're probably best not to (it's generally simpler without multiple partitions).

  4. There is a safe-graphics install option for difficult graphics. Once installed you can see help at sites such as this, searching for like questions on same release & with same hardware, or if you ask questions please provide details of your hardware, release details etc. (more detail is usually better than none; you mentioned 20.04.1 but didn't specifically mention desktop for example)

guiverc
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