OS - Windows

Kubuntu installation guide

• Data 14/05/2026
• Autor Daniel Ionica
• -1
• 240

1. System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

Recommended Requirements

2. Downloading Kubuntu

Download the latest LTS release from:

Kubuntu Downloads

Recommended Version

Use the latest LTS (Long-Term Support) release unless you specifically need bleeding-edge packages.

Advantages of LTS:

• More stable
• Longer support cycle
• Better driver compatibility
• Recommended for workstations and beginners

3. Creating a Bootable USB

Windows Tools

Recommended:

• Rufus
• balenaEtcher

Linux Tools

You can use:

• dd
• KDE ISO Image Writer
• GNOME Disks
• Ventoy

Using Rufus (Windows)

1. Insert USB drive
2. Open Rufus
3. Select Kubuntu ISO
4. Partition scheme:
   • UEFI systems → GPT
   • Legacy BIOS → MBR
5. Click Start

4. BIOS/UEFI Configuration

Before installation:

Enter BIOS/UEFI

Common keys:

• F2
• DEL
• F12
• ESC

Recommended Settings

Enable:

• UEFI boot mode
• AHCI for SATA

Disable:

• Fast Boot (temporarily)
• Secure Boot (optional but helpful for NVIDIA)

Boot Priority

Set USB drive as first boot device.

5. Installing Kubuntu

Boot Into Live Environment

Select:

“Try or Install Kubuntu”

You can:

• Test hardware first
• Verify Wi-Fi/networking
• Check display scaling

Start Installer

Double-click:

Install Kubuntu

Language & Keyboard

Choose:

• Language
• Keyboard layout
• Time zone

Installation Type

Option A — Erase Disk

Best for dedicated Linux systems.

Option B — Dual Boot

Installs alongside Windows.

Option C — Manual Partitioning

Recommended for advanced users.

Recommended Partition Layout

User Configuration

Create:

• Username
• Password
• Hostname

Recommended:

• Enable automatic login only on trusted personal machines
• Use strong passwords

Installation Process

The installer:

• Copies system files
• Installs bootloader
• Detects operating systems
• Configures locales

Typical installation time:

• SSD: 10–20 minutes
• HDD: 20–40 minutes

6. First Boot Configuration

After reboot:

Verify:

• Internet connection
• Display resolution
• Audio
• Bluetooth
• Touchpad/keyboard

7. Updating the System

Open terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T):

sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade -y

Then reboot:

8. Open Driver Manager

Navigate:

System Settings → Driver Manager

NVIDIA Drivers

Recommended:

• Proprietary NVIDIA drivers

Install via GUI or terminal:

sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall

Reboot afterward.

AMD Drivers

Modern AMD GPUs work well with open-source Mesa drivers already included.

Optional Mesa update:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kisak/kisak-mesa
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

9. Essential Applications

Package Management

Kubuntu includes:

• Discover GUI store
• APT package manager

Recommended Software

Browsers

• Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Brave

Communication

• Discord
• Telegram Desktop

Productivity

• LibreOffice
• OnlyOffice

Media

• VLC media player
• OBS Studio

Development

• Visual Studio Code
• Docker
• Git

Install Common Packages

sudo apt install \
git curl wget htop neofetch \
build-essential vlc flatpak \
timeshift gufw

10. KDE Plasma Customization

System Settings

Main customization hub:

System Settings

Themes

Customize:

• Global themes
• Icons
• Cursors
• Fonts
• Window decorations

Popular themes:

• Breeze
• Sweet
• Fluent
• Nordic

Widgets

Right-click desktop → Add Widgets

Useful widgets:

• System monitor
• Weather
• Clipboard manager
• Network speed monitor

Panels

You can:

• Move taskbar
• Add docks
• Create macOS-style layouts
• Add multiple panels

KDE Store

Install themes and widgets from:

KDE Store

11. Developer Environment Setup

Install Build Tools

sudo apt install build-essential cmake gcc g++

Git Configuration

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

Install VS Code

Visual Studio Code Linux Download

Or:

sudo snap install code --classic

Install Docker

Docker Official Docs

Basic install:

sudo apt install docker.io
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

Add user to docker group:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Install Node.js

Recommended using NodeSource:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_lts.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install nodejs

12. Gaming Setup

Install Steam

sudo apt install steam

Or:

Steam Official Site

Proton Compatibility

Enable:

• Steam Play
• Proton Experimental

This allows many Windows games to run on Linux.

Lutris

Useful for:

• Battle.net
• Epic Games
• Wine management

Lutris

13. Security Hardening

Enable Firewall

sudo ufw enable

Check status:

sudo ufw status

Install Fail2Ban

sudo apt install fail2ban

Automatic Security Updates

sudo apt install unattended-upgrades
sudo dpkg-reconfigure unattended-upgrades

14. Backup Strategy

Timeshift

Excellent for:

• System snapshots
• Recovery after failed updates

Launch:

sudo timeshift-gtk

User File Backups

Recommended:

• External SSD/HDD
• NAS
• Cloud storage

15. Performance Optimization

Reduce Swappiness

Check current value:

cat /proc/sys/vm/swappiness

Temporarily set:

sudo sysctl vm.swappiness=10

Permanent setting:

sudo nano /etc/sysctl.conf

Add:

vm.swappiness=10

Enable TRIM for SSDs

sudo systemctl enable fstrim.timer

Verify:

systemctl status fstrim.timer

Monitor Resources

Useful tools:

• htop
• KDE System Monitor
• iotop
• nvtop

16. Troubleshooting

Broken Packages

sudo apt --fix-broken install

Dependency Issues

sudo dpkg --configure -a

Bootloader Repair

Install Boot Repair:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair
sudo apt update
sudo apt install boot-repair

Launch:

boot-repair

Network Restart

sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

17. Useful Commands

System Information

neofetch

Disk Usage

df -h

Memory Usage

free -h

Running Processes

htop