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

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.

Meanwhile, October's interim release is approaching.

24.04.5 was released on September 10, but its x86-64 desktop installation image was withdrawn after a bug caused the installer to crash when users selected the extended installation option.

Other images and official flavors are unaffected.

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.

The other versions on that page – Server, WSL2 image, and the Netboot version – are not affected.

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.

Version 24.04.5 is very likely to be the last point release of the 2024 Ubuntu LTS.

Ubuntu 26.04 is the latest LTS release, but 24.04 remains supported.

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.

The same applies if you upgrade an existing copy of 24.04.

We upgraded one of our test laptops and it too got the new kernel version automatically.

Kernel upgrades depend on which kernel track the installation follows.