Ubuntu Halts Downloads of 24.04.5 Due to Critical Installer Bug

Canonical has taken the step of removing the Ubuntu 24.04.5 desktop ISO from downloads due to a critical bug causing the installer to crash when users select extended installation options. This release, which became available on September 10, included fresh installation media powered by the Linux 7.0 kernel. However, some users reported that they could not complete their OS installation because of this issue.

The root cause appears to be references to Ubuntu’s TPM-backed full-disk encryption, which were mistakenly included in the ISO, leading to confusion in the subiquity installer, even though the necessary components had been removed.

Currently, only the standard amd64 Ubuntu desktop image is impacted, while alternative Ubuntu 24.04.5 images for Arm64 and various flavors remain unaffected and available for download.

Canonical’s Matthieu Clemenceau provided an update indicating that the release team is aware of the problem and is actively working on a fix. A new desktop image is expected to be ready for release early next week. Users are advised to monitor the release server for updates.

In the meantime, those in need of a desktop installation can still use the previous Ubuntu 24.04.4 ISO available on the release page and update to version 24.04.5 by installing the latest software updates afterward.

For those who already downloaded the problematic ISO, there is no need to discard it. A simple zsync command can be used to update the image, allowing users to download only the changed parts rather than the full ISO file.