Install Ubuntu 12.04 in Dell XPS 13

Question

I just got a Dell XPS13 (i5, 4GB ram, 128GB solid state drive). My other computers have a dual-boot partition with Ubuntu12.04/Win7. I'd like to install Ubuntu only in this machine to force myself to work with Linux better.

Has anyone seen a description of the installation process? I've found many threads on fine-tuning the system, but very little on installation step-by-step.

Some issues I'd like to get feedback on include:

(1) Installing from a USB pen drive (I've always installed from a cd-rom, this machine has none)

(2) Partition recommendations for optimal performance (size for swap, for system, for data)

(3) How can the machine be recovered to its original state if so wished? (no recovery cds in this generation of machines)

Thanks in advance,

--emagar

Answer 1

Ubuntu has a great walk-through on how to create a bootable USB drive to install Ubuntu. I just did the install on my XPS 13 and it looks like it was working pretty well. The touch-pad isn't working too good though and it tends to overheat. Still working out the kinks on those items.