David's Ubuntu Ops Console

Identify the correct drive (Ubuntu Live)

Boot into “Try Ubuntu” from your USB. Before you touch anything, confirm which drive is your old D:.

sudo lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,TYPE,FSTYPE,MOUNTPOINT

Look for the drive by size. Example: if it’s /dev/sdb with a partition /dev/sdb1, use those in all commands below.

SMART health & diagnostics

Update package lists first:

sudo apt update

Install SMART tools

Install smartmontools and gsmartcontrol:

sudo apt install smartmontools gsmartcontrol

Quick SMART check (terminal)

Replace sdX with your drive (e.g. sdb):

sudo smartctl -a /dev/sdX

Scroll and look for PASSED or warnings like reallocated sectors, pending sectors, or uncorrectable errors.

Optional GUI SMART check

Launch GSmartControl:

gsmartcontrol

Select the drive → run a Short or Extended test. If it screams at you in red, that drive is on thin ice.

Non-destructive bad block scan

This can take a long time. Triple-check you’re scanning the correct drive.

Non-destructive read–write test (tries not to destroy data):

sudo badblocks -nsv /dev/sdX

• -n = non-destructive read–write test
• -s = show progress
• -v = verbose

If you see many bad blocks, the drive is physically failing. That’s a “do not install Ubuntu here” situation.

TestDisk & NTFS repair

Install TestDisk

sudo apt install testdisk

Run TestDisk

sudo testdisk

Inside TestDisk:

• [Create] to create a new log.
• Select the correct drive (/dev/sdX).
• Accept the detected partition table type.
• Use [Analyse] → [Quick Search] to find partitions.
• Use [Deeper Search] if needed.
• Mark the correct partition(s) and write the new partition table if it finds them.

NTFS filesystem repair (after TestDisk)

Only do this after you’re sure you’ve got the right partition.

First, unmount the partition:

sudo umount /dev/sdXN

Then run ntfsfix (for typical Windows D: NTFS partitions):

sudo ntfsfix /dev/sdXN

ntfsfix is not a full replacement for Windows chkdsk, but it can fix common NTFS issues and mark the filesystem for a deeper check next time Windows sees it.

Mount the drive read-only (for copying data)

If the drive is unstable but you want to grab important files before retiring it:

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/recover
sudo mount -o ro /dev/sdXN /mnt/recover

Then browse /mnt/recover and copy your files to a safer drive. Think of this as “exfiltrating assets from a compromised node.”

First boot: update everything

Once Ubuntu is installed on a healthy drive, first thing: patch the system.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt autoremove -y

This pulls in bug fixes, security updates, and driver improvements. Basically: “apt, make this less cursed.”

Graphics drivers (NVIDIA vs AMD/Intel)

NVIDIA (proprietary driver)

Run:

sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall

Then reboot:

sudo reboot

This installs the recommended NVIDIA driver. If games or GPU workloads feel smoother after, that’s why.

AMD / Intel

Good news: you don’t need to do anything.

Ubuntu already ships solid open-source drivers for AMD and Intel GPUs. You’re good out of the box.

Install VS Code (official Microsoft build)

Skip the snap version; use the official repo for better performance.

1. Install prerequisites

sudo apt install wget gpg -y

2. Add Microsoft’s GPG key & repo

wget -qO- https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor > packages.microsoft.gpg
sudo install -o root -g root -m 644 packages.microsoft.gpg /usr/share/keyrings/
sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/packages.microsoft.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/code stable main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.list'
sudo apt update

3. Install VS Code

sudo apt install code -y

After install, open VS Code, go to Extensions → search for “Copilot” → install. That’s how you get me sitting inside your editor.

Core dev tools: Git, Python, Node

Git & build tools

sudo apt install git build-essential curl -y

Python & pip

sudo apt install python3-pip python3-venv python3-dev -y

Node.js via nvm (recommended)

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/master/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
nvm install --lts

Git identity

git config --global user.name "David"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

QoL: firewall, Timeshift, GNOME Tweaks

Enable firewall

sudo ufw enable

Install Timeshift (system snapshots)

sudo apt install timeshift -y

Use RSYNC mode, set weekly snapshots, keep 3–5. This is your “undo” button when experiments go sideways.

Install GNOME Tweaks

sudo apt install gnome-tweaks -y

Use it to enable minimize-on-click, tweak fonts, and generally make GNOME feel like “your” desktop instead of “a rental.”

Optional: terminal upgrades (Zsh + Oh My Zsh)

Install Zsh

sudo apt install zsh -y

Install Oh My Zsh

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

This gives you autocomplete, syntax highlighting, and a nicer prompt. It’s like giving your terminal a leather jacket and sunglasses.

Optional: disable GNOME animations

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface enable-animations false

Optional: enable fractional scaling

gsettings set org.gnome.mutter experimental-features "['scale-monitor-framebuffer']"