Ubuntu Noble's likely last point release lands, then loses its desktop download

The useful part

Ubuntu 26.04.1 is coming August 28, 2026 Ubuntu 24.04's likely final scheduled point release barely made it out the door before an installer bug sent its x86-64 desktop image back to the workshop. 24.04.5 was released on September 10, but its x86-64 desktop installation image was withdrawn after a bug caused the installer to crash when users selected the extended installation option. For the time being, if you try to download the graphical desktop version, the "Noble Numbat" download page is serving the 24.04.4 ISO image instead.

How it works

• A successful installation doesn't establish that every device or feature works correctly, or that later updates offer no benefit.
• The following version is already at RC-2 stage and the final version 7.3 should be out right around the same time as Stonking.
• Kernel upgrades depend on which kernel track the installation follows.
• The other versions on that page – Server, WSL2 image, and the Netboot version – are not affected.
• REG AD The issue only affects fresh installations: if you already have 24.04 installed, a full system update will result in 24.04.5 in the usual way.

What to take from it

REG AD Version 24.04.5 is very likely to be the last point release of the 2024 Ubuntu LTS. As we reported when Resolute Raccoon launched in April, it uses Linux kernel 7.0, and that means that a new install of 24.04.5 comes with kernel 7.0 as well. This is part of Canonical's system of LTS Enablement stacks, also called Hardware Enablement or HWE, as we described back when 24.04.3 appeared in August 2025.

Example or evidence

• Both a standard x86-64 installation image and a build optimized for processors supporting x86-64-v3 are on the download page.
• HWE updates bring newer kernels and graphics support to an existing LTS release.
• As we wrote in January 2025, we have a couple of laptops with onboard Nvidia GPUs that need kernel 5.x to run the Nvidia binary drivers, so we downgraded them to Ubuntu 22.04's original 5.15 kernel.
• Alongside the newer kernel, the release includes a graphics stack based on Mesa 26.2.

Details worth keeping

Meanwhile, October's interim release is approaching. Other images and official flavors are unaffected. Ubuntu 26.04 is the latest LTS release, but 24.04 remains supported.

Related coverage

• Omgubuntu: The fifth (and final planned) point release of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is now available to download.
• Omgubuntu: Canonical has pulled the Ubuntu 24.04.5 desktop ISO because of a bug that crashes the installer when users select the extended install options.
• Phoronix: Ubuntu 26.10 beta is now available for the official Ubuntu editions as well as the various community flavors...
• Theregister: Users on Ubuntu 24.04 will begin to get nagged to update to 26.04.1. Here's how to proceed