Abhigyan Chakraborty

Installing WSL2, Ubuntu, and Miniconda

Phase 1: The Local Workbench — Part 1

(Part 1 of series Blueprint for a Modern Research Computing Environment)

Follow me :

LinkedIn    Website    Website

Quick Summary

Objective

In this article, we’ll build the foundation of our Python development environment.

By the end, you’ll have:

Content

💡 Getting Unstuck (Expand for AI Troubleshooting Prompts)

AI tools (like Claude, Grok, Gemini, or ChatGPT) give the best troubleshooting advice when they have the exact text of the tutorial. To ensure the AI understands what you are trying to build, we will give it the actual file.

1. Download the tutorial file

2. Upload it to your AI

3. Ask for Help Copy and paste this exact prompt into the chat along with your file:

I have attached the markdown file for the tutorial I am following. Please read it so you understand the specific environment I am trying to build.

I need help with the following:

Step [X]: [paste exact step text from the blog]

Command I ran: [paste exact command]

What happened: [paste full output/error — if the terminal was truly blank, say so explicitly]

Please help me troubleshoot and fix this error. You can use your general knowledge to solve the problem, but your solution MUST align with the architecture and tools taught in the attached file. Do not suggest alternative setups that contradict the tutorial. Once fixed, tell me what to do next in the article.

To go deeper on a step before you run a command:

I have attached the Part1.md file. Look at Step [X] and explain exactly what the command does and why we are doing it before I run it.

Think of this series as the roadmap and your AI assistant as your learning companion.

Prerequisites

Install WSL with Ubuntu

💡 Expand for details

Step 1 — Open Windows Terminal

  1. Open the Start Menu.
  2. Search for Windows Terminal.
  3. Right-click Windows Terminal.
  4. Select Run as administrator.
  5. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click Yes.

A Windows Terminal window should now open.

Step 2 — View Available Linux Distributions

Run:

  wsl --list --online

Choose the Ubuntu version you’d like to install.

For this series, we’ll use: Ubuntu-24.04

Step 3 — Install Ubuntu

Run:

  wsl --install -d Ubuntu-24.04

Windows will:

Restart your computer if prompted.

Step 4 — Launch Ubuntu

Open Ubuntu from the Start Menu.

If you don’t see it yet, open Windows Terminal and run:

  wsl -d Ubuntu-24.04

The first launch may take a minute.

Step 5 — Create Your Linux User

Ubuntu will ask you to create:

Choose any username you’d like.

While typing your password, nothing will appear on the screen. This is normal.

Press Enter after typing the password.

Step 6 — Update Ubuntu

Run:

  sudo apt update

Then:

  sudo apt upgrade -y

Ubuntu may ask for the password you created.

Step 7 — Install Basic Utilities

Run:

  sudo apt install -y wget curl git build-essential ca-certificates

These utilities are commonly required by development tools.

Install Miniconda (Same process for both WSL2 user and Native Linux user)

💡 Expand for details

Step 8 — Download Miniconda

Move to your home directory:

  cd ~

Download Miniconda:

  wget [https://repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda3-latest-Linux-x86_64.sh](https://repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda3-latest-Linux-x86_64.sh)

Step 9 — Install Miniconda

Run:

  bash Miniconda3-latest-Linux-x86_64.sh

During installation:

  1. Press Enter to read the license.
  2. Type yes to accept it.
  3. Press Enter to use the default installation location.
  4. When asked to initialize Miniconda, type yes.

Step 10 — Restart Ubuntu

Close Ubuntu. Open it again.

You should now see (base) at the beginning of the terminal prompt.

Step 11 — Verify the Installation

Run:

  conda --version

Then:

  python --version

Then:

  pip --version

Each command should display a version number.

Understanding Where Everything Lives

💡 Expand for details

Before moving on, let’s understand where your files are stored.

Your Home Directory

Your Linux home directory is:

  /home/<your-username>

or simply ~.

To return here at any time:

  cd ~

To see your current location:

  pwd

Windows Drives

Inside Ubuntu, your Windows drives appear under /mnt:

Windows Drive WSL Path
C:\ /mnt/c
D:\ /mnt/d
E:\ /mnt/e

Where Is Miniconda?

By default, Miniconda is installed in:

  ~/miniconda3

Where Should You Keep Projects?

Although you can work inside /mnt/c or /mnt/d, it’s generally recommended to keep Python projects inside your Linux home directory.

For example:

  /home/<your-username>/
  └── projects/

Don’t worry — the projects directory doesn’t exist yet. We’ll create it properly in a later article on Linux essentials for Python developers.

For now, simply remember that your home directory (~) is the recommended place for your future projects.

What’s Next

You now have WSL2, Ubuntu, and Miniconda installed and ready to use.

Next: Part 2 — Terminal Basics and File Navigation | Previous: Preface — Blueprint for a Modern Research Computing Environment

All Blogs

This site is open source. Improve this page.