I was going to write a quick post about installing Xubuntu 25.04 on my old Dell laptop. It turned into something else entirely.

Originally, I planned to install Lubuntu 25.04. But every time I reached the end of the setup, it failed with a partition creation error. Tried three times. That was enough. First impressions matter, and Lubuntu blew it.

So I moved on to Xubuntu. Downloaded the freshly released 25.04 from their site. Yes, there’s a Long-Term Support (LTS) version, but I usually prefer the latest and greatest. I’ve drifted away from Ubuntu-based distros the past few years—too heavy for older hardware. These days, my go-to is Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE). It’s what I recommend to most people starting out with Linux.

The Setup

First step: make sure I had the latest Balena Etcher. It’s been rock-solid for years when it comes to making bootable USB drives.

Downloaded Xubuntu, ran Etcher, and had a bootable USB in minutes. Powered off the Dell, plugged in the drive, hit F12 to choose the boot device, and launched into the Xubuntu live environment.

First issue: no Wi-Fi. Xubuntu didn’t detect my laptop’s built-in Wi-Fi card. LMDE does. I grabbed a USB Wi-Fi dongle to get online. Not strictly necessary for the install, but useful for pulling in the latest updates during setup.

I went with all the default install options. I don’t bother with a separate /home partition anymore. A clean slate works best for me—I restore from cloud (Filen) and local backups afterward. Keeps things fresh and avoids the ghosts of tweaks from years ago.

Install took about 30 minutes. At the end, I hit “Restart Now.” But instead of asking me to remove the USB stick, the screen just froze on a Xubuntu splash screen. Waited a few minutes. Nothing. Pressed the power button.

Powered back up. Fingers crossed.

It booted fine. Got the Xubuntu login screen, logged in, and I was in. First stop: Synaptic Package Manager. I double-checked the Ubuntu software sources, turned on all the update options, and switched it to check for new Xubuntu versions. In “Additional Drivers,” I installed the proprietary Wi-Fi driver. Then I ran a full reload in Synaptic and applied all updates. For good measure, I also ran the Software Updater—everything was up to date.

Minimal Setup

I don’t bloat the install. Just three essentials:

1. LibreOffice – Installed the metapackage from Synaptic.
2. Filen – For cloud backups and storage.
3. Surfshark – My VPN provider.

Firefox syncs my bookmarks and history, so I’m basically good to go. If I want to customize the desktop later, XFCE makes it easy. But usually I leave it stock or even ditch the wallpaper to shave a little memory usage.

Also: every time I open Firefox on a fresh install, I forget it defaults to Google. Quick switch to DuckDuckGo.

And Then… the Internet Died

Suddenly, Firefox was only showing “Server Not Found” errors. Connection looked fine. I toggled the firewall off—no change. Restarted the system.

After reboot, I got a “Detected Problem” dialog. I sent the report but had no idea what it was about. Tried Firefox again—still nothing. App Center couldn’t connect either. No internet. Dongle in, out. Reboots. Nothing.

If I had more time, maybe I’d dig into it. But I don’t, and honestly, this is bad. Really bad. Lubuntu wouldn’t even install. Xubuntu installs, but I end up with no working internet. And standard Ubuntu? Forget it—way too laggy on this machine the past few years.

Back to LMDE

So I went to the Linux Mint site, grabbed the latest LMDE, flashed it with Balena Etcher, and went through the install process again. As soon as I entered the live environment: Wi-Fi worked. No dongle needed.

Install was smooth. Reboot worked. Logged in and got a helpful welcome screen guiding me through personalization, codecs, updates (776MB), and backups. Restarted once the updates finished. Everything just worked.

Last test: opened Firefox. Internet worked immediately. No drama.

Final Thoughts

I’m really disappointed in Xubuntu. Lubuntu, I barely knew you—so no big loss there. But Xubuntu and I go back a ways. I love XFCE. But today? Felt like slipping into an old pair of slippers and realising they’ve got holes in them.

Maybe I’ll spin up the LTS version of Xubuntu later, just out of curiosity. But let’s be honest: there’s no reason to switch back. Not after today.

Be excellent to each other.