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I downloaded Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS three times, checked them all, and they are all bigger than a single DVD (4.7GB). All files are larger than advertised, 4.9GB x 4.6GB.

All downloads have always been from the official address.

So, how can I burn a DVD with this file? What am I missing?

Thanks in advance.

EJSJr
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    optical media such as DVD hasn't been the intended installation media since Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. A number of changes started occurring with 20.10 & later (boot media varies on release so all architectures work the same way for that release, plus automatic media validation) that don't suit optical media. – guiverc May 07 '23 at 03:06
  • Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS is 4.6G in size, which is 4927586304 bytes in size.. GB & GiB are different sizes... ie. binary vs decimal numbers (1000 decimal vs 1024 binary; which at next level is 1000x1000 vs 1024x1024 etc...) – guiverc May 07 '23 at 03:27
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    You can either burn it to a dual layer DVD or to a larger USB drive. Or you can try different flavors like Xubuntu that is only 2.9GB download. – Terrance May 07 '23 at 03:29
  • I understand @guiverc, but even the Installation Guide shows that you are able to install from a DVD ("Installing Ubuntu from a DVD It’s also possible to install Ubuntu from a DVD instead of USB. Follow these guides to burn an Ubuntu installation DVD on Windows, MacOS or Ubuntu, then select the CD drive instead of USB device on the boot options screen in the following step.") – EJSJr May 07 '23 at 03:30
  • A dual layer DVD is 8.6GB, single layer only 4.7 GB ; what installation guide? as https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/tutorial-install-ubuntu-desktop#1-overview refers only to USB media (12GB is recommended if you read!) – guiverc May 07 '23 at 03:33
  • @guiverc You are - maybe - correct. The image is 4.9 GB in size - which is equivalent to 4.6 GiB. A DVD can hold 4.7 GB - again equivalent to 4.4 GiB. Your comment seemed to leave out the important detail that no matter which unit you use, the image will still not fit a single layer DVD. – Artur Meinild May 07 '23 at 05:43
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    I vaguely recall a discussion between member of Ubuntu Desktop team & Ubuntu Release team (on lp bug report if I recall correctly) where as I understood consensus was the optical media wasn't the expected install media... stats of 20.04 installs showed almost no-one used it (and it had been dropping consistently each release) & changes being made (in groovy & upcoming cycles) made it problematic to make it a priority.. QA-testing is still done on optical; but issues are known & not actively worked on. @ArturMeinild – guiverc May 07 '23 at 05:53
  • It seems that you are both correct. It is a unit problem. The file has 4.9GB, that is equal to 4.6GiB. Greater than a single DVD, 4.7GB. So, why they mention that the file has 4.6GB? It is the same as write KM for km. – EJSJr May 10 '23 at 06:07
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    @guiverc you asked where I read that the installation guide suggests a DVD? Here, https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/install-ubuntu-desktop#3-create-a-bootable-usb-stick at the end of the item. – EJSJr May 10 '23 at 06:10
  • But WHY did the image grow by 1.2 GB compared to the initial release of 22.04 (3.4 GB) and 1 GB compared to 22.04.1 (3.6 GB)??? – TJJ May 27 '23 at 11:10

4 Answers4

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The advertised size of Ubuntu 22.04.2 might have been 4.6 Gibibytes, which is equivalent to 4.9 Gigabytes (4927586304 bytes).

A DVD is advertised as holding 4.7 Gigabytes (4707319808 bytes), which is equivalent to 4.4 Gibibytes.

This may be another case of unit confusion, which admittedly isn't too logical either to the average user.

As others have stated, the intended installation media for Ubuntu is a bootable USB stick.

While optical discs have indeed had their glorious period in history (in the form of both CDs and DVDs etc.), they have now largely been superseded by flash storage.

Artur Meinild
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  • Thanks for your time. Probably you are correct. An unit mistake. The file size is 4.6GiB=4.9GB. – EJSJr May 10 '23 at 06:13
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You'll have to download Ubuntu 20.04

https://releases.ubuntu.com/focal/ and then make sure you are all up to date

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Then I prefer to run unattended upgrade from 20.04 to 22.04 using

do-release-upgrade -f DistUpgradeViewNonInteractive

As pointed out by @guiverc DVD burning no longer supported. Could also try another distro like Linux Mint 2.5 to 2.6GB, or Pop!_OS 2.5 to 3GB. Just to name a few other popular ones.

Czar
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  • Thanks for your time. I am running the 20.04.2 LTS version, always updated and looking for a fresh new install. That is why I am looking for 22.04 to start the OS from zero. – EJSJr May 10 '23 at 06:16
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    Try 22.04.1, it's only 3.6 GB. After that you can update all components. 22.04.2 is just a point release. You'll end up at the same state if updating everything from 22.04.1. – TJJ May 27 '23 at 11:11
  • I'll add I didn't say supported or unsupported, as effort is & was still made at 22.04 & later to make modern & fast DVDs drives install successfully, but it is no longer the intended or expected media to be used. Issues will mostly be experienced by users using older drives (esp. >10 years old due timing); let alone most people want to use only have single-layer 4.7GB DVD media (not 8.4GB dual-layer DVD). – guiverc Sep 20 '23 at 22:53
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Dual layer DVDs go to above 8GB. The plastic discs are widely available, and the drive is a one time expense. Admittedly not as convenient as using an old drive. I have not yet tried out that size, and this release may be the reason for me to get one. Windows is that size too by now.

A DVD is valuable because it presumably is more immune against modification than a USB stick, hence a better fit for recovery after a catastrophic event, cybersecurity, or solar flares.

Having the latest LTS on DVD is valuable for machines from recent production. Old versions LTS may not support recent hardware.

codelion
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1

there is a related question here Ubuntu 22.04 iso too big for DVD

one of the answers is helpful: https://askubuntu.com/a/1506856/1149378

You could download the ISO, mount it using squash-fs and then remove packages, recreate the ISO. It is a lot of work and there are better options. 2 of them:

1 use the server ISO and use sudo apt install ubuntu-desktop to install Ubuntu. There are more DE's you can install if you do not want gnome3.

2 download the ISO and boot from it from GRUB. You can add the ISO to the GRUB boot options and pick it from there. Here is an example

menuentry 'UbuntuCustom3' {   
set root='hd0,5'   
set isofile=/ubuntu.iso   
loopback loop $isofile  
linux (loop)/install/vmlinuz boot=install iso-scan/filename="${isofile}" noprompt noeject   
initrd (loop)/install/initrd.gz 
}

I hit the same bummer and choose to do (1) use the server ISO and use sudo apt install ubuntu-desktop. The 22.04.4 server image is apparently about 2GB.

That is a viable path to get the install done with less fuss. But I do hope that Ubuntu would distribute multi-volume 4.3 GB DVDs ISOs, there are older machines around that are not 'blessed' with USB boot. e.g. that Ubuntu can distribute the 'server' iso and that the 'desktop' part be on the 2nd DVD after all.

user4433437
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