Installing Linux
Why Linux, and how to install it stress-free: from the bootable USB stick to the first boot. We pick Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, the safe bet.
In this guide
Guide checked 3 months ago: some commands may have changed. Let us know if so.
In short
For a mini-machine dedicated to AI and code, install Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS Desktop, supported until April 2031: download the ISO from ubuntu.com, write it to a USB stick of 12 GB or more with Rufus or balenaEtcher, boot from it and choose 'Erase disk and install Ubuntu'. On first boot, run sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y, then install openssh-server so you can drive the machine remotely without a screen.
Do this first: Choosing the hardware
The hardware is here, sitting on the desk. Now we give it a brain. And that brain will be Linux, not out of geek snobbery, but because it’s quite simply the natural home of what we want to do.
Why Linux (and not Windows)
The entire AI and dev ecosystem we’re going to set up in this path was born under Linux and runs best there. Ollama, Docker, coding agents, local servers: it’s their playground. Under Windows, you go through compatibility layers; under Linux, it runs bare, direct, frictionless.
The concrete reasons, no fluff:
- It’s free and it’s yours. No license, no mandatory account, no ads in the Start menu. No telemetry sending your habits back to a headquarters.
- It flies on modest hardware. An entry-level mini-machine runs Ubuntu without flinching, and the RAM Windows 11 would keep for itself stays available for your projects and your models.
- It’s made to run all the time. Linux has been the OS of servers for thirty years. A machine that stays on 24/7, manages itself remotely, and never demands a reboot in the middle of the night: that’s exactly its job.
- The SSH server is built in. Right from install, you can drive the machine from your laptop, screen and keyboard unplugged. It’s the basis of everything that follows.
- You learn skills that come in handy again. The terminal, packages, services: what you touch here, you’ll find everywhere, from the cloud to the Raspberry Pi.
Why Ubuntu 26.04 LTS specifically
There are dozens of Linux distributions. We pick one, and we pick it for good reasons.
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (released in April 2026, with its first point release, 26.04.1, out at the end of August) is the safe choice for starting out:
- Designed for beginners. Guided graphical installation, fully localized, common drivers detected automatically.
- A huge community. It’s the most-used distribution in the world. The practical consequence: any error you hit, someone has already had it and posted the solution. Every error message is googleable.
- LTS = Long Term Support. This version gets security updates until April 2031. You install once, and you’re set for years.
- It just works, period. The Linux 7.0 kernel recognizes recent hardware, packages are fresh, online guides land just right.
The installation, step by step
0 of 6 steps done Your ticks stay in this browser.
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Download the Ubuntu 26.04 LTS ISO
Go to ubuntu.com/download/desktop and grab the Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS Desktop image (a
.isofile of about 6 GB). It needs at least 6 GB of RAM and 25 GB of disk, which every mini-machine in this guide comfortably exceeds.There’s also a Server version, lighter. To start, I recommend the Desktop: you get a real desktop to find your bearings while you settle in. We switch to “headless” mode right after, once SSH is in place.
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(Optional) The Server version, no graphical interface
You can choose the Ubuntu Server image right away: no desktop, no mouse, just a terminal. It’s lighter (it leaves all the RAM for the models rather than for a graphical environment) and it’s what most “real” servers run.
But do it knowingly: with no graphical interface, everything goes through the command line from the very first second, no browser, no window, no visual safety net. If you’re new to Linux, this isn’t the right moment to add that difficulty. Start in Desktop, find your bearings, and you can always disable the graphical interface later (or reinstall in Server) once you’re comfortable. The machine will be no less capable, it’s purely a matter of learning comfort.
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Create a bootable USB stick (12 GB or more)
We’re going to “burn” the ISO onto a USB stick so we can boot from it. Pick your tool based on your current machine:
- On Windows: Rufus, free, lightweight, formidable. Select your stick, the Ubuntu ISO, click “Start.”
- On macOS or Linux: balenaEtcher, cross-platform and dead simple: choose the image, choose the stick, “Flash.”
- For the brave (Linux/macOS, command line):
# ⚠ Double-check the disk name (/dev/sdX) first, a mistake wipes the wrong disk! sudo dd if=ubuntu-26.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress && sync -
Boot the mini-machine from the stick
Plug the stick into the mini-machine, turn it on, and hammer the boot-menu key the moment it powers up to enter the BIOS or the boot menu. The key depends on the brand:
F2, F12, Del or Esc, if you don’t know, tap them all one after another at startup. Once in the menu, choose the USB stick as the boot device.
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Launch the installer
Ubuntu boots onto a temporary desktop and opens the installer. Roll through (the exact labels may vary slightly):
- Language: English.
- Installation type: “Interactive installation”, then the default selection of apps. Tick the third-party software option (graphics and Wi-Fi drivers) if it is offered.
- Connect the network: Wi-Fi or Ethernet (Ethernet is simpler and more reliable for what follows).
- At the disk step, choose “Erase disk and install Ubuntu.” The machine is dedicated to this project, no need for dual boot, we give it all the space. Let the installer handle partitioning automatically.
- Disk encryption lives under the advanced features of this step. Think before ticking it: with a passphrase, the machine waits for it on every reboot, keyboard and screen plugged in, which gets in the way of a machine you drive remotely. Version 26.04 also offers encryption backed by the TPM chip, which unlocks the disk on its own at boot.
- Create your user: name, username, and above all a real password you’ll remember. This account becomes your administrator account (
sudo), it’s the one that will have the right to do everything on the machine.
Then let the installer work (a few minutes) and reboot.
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First boot and first update
On reboot, remove the USB stick (otherwise you reboot into the installer) and log in with your user.
Open a terminal and run the first update. It’s reflex number one on a fresh machine:
# Update the package list, then install all available updates sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -yThen install the SSH server, so you can drive the machine remotely starting from the next step:
# Install the SSH server: it's what lets you connect with no screen sudo apt install -y openssh-server
Linux is installed, up to date, and reachable. The machine is bare but ready. And rather than configuring the rest by hand for hours, we’ll make a smart choice: lay down a few clean settings, then install the coding agent that will handle all the rest for you.
All the commands in this guide
Frequently asked questions
Why install Linux rather than Windows on a machine dedicated to AI?
Ollama, Docker, coding agents and local servers were born on Linux and run there without a compatibility layer. Linux is free, with no mandatory account or telemetry, leaves more memory for your projects and models, and includes an SSH server to control the machine remotely. It has also been the server OS for thirty years, built to run nonstop.
Ubuntu Desktop or Ubuntu Server for a mini-machine?
To start, Desktop: you get a real desktop to find your way around, then switch to headless mode once SSH is in place. Server is lighter and leaves all the memory to models, but everything goes through the command line from the very first second. You can always turn off the graphical interface later.
What if the Ubuntu install USB stick will not boot?
Enter the BIOS or boot menu by hammering F2, F12, Del or Esc depending on the brand, and pick the USB stick. If it still refuses to boot, turn off Secure Boot and Fast Boot in the BIOS and try again: that fixes 90% of boot problems.
Should you encrypt the disk of a remotely managed machine?
Think before ticking the box. With a passphrase, the machine waits for it at every reboot, with keyboard and screen plugged in, which blocks a machine you manage remotely. Ubuntu 26.04 also offers TPM-backed encryption, which unlocks the disk on its own at boot.
Do you need to reinstall a machine already running Ubuntu 24.04?
No. Ubuntu 24.04 is supported until 2029, and the move to 26.04 is an in-place upgrade, with no full reinstall. The upgrade does have its pitfalls, though, which are worth knowing before you start it.
Terms in this guide: LinuxOllamaDockerUbuntuRAMSSHSkillAgent
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