Get Started — Setup Guide

Fibernetics AI Academy · installing Claude Code on Windows

Follow these seven steps in order. 🪜

The whole thing takes about 30–40 minutes — but most of that is just waiting for downloads, not doing. You only ever do this once. After that, starting Claude is a single word.

Go at your own pace. If anything looks different or gets stuck, jump to “If something goes wrong” at the bottom — and it's always OK to ask Zoe.

Windows 10 or 11 ~30–40 min (mostly waiting) One-time setup
1

Open PowerShell as Administrator

~1 min

PowerShell is a command window that comes with Windows. We need the “Administrator” version so it's allowed to install things.

  1. Click the Start button (the Windows logo, bottom-left of your screen).
  2. Type the word PowerShell.
  3. On the right (or by right-clicking Windows PowerShell), click “Run as administrator.”
  4. A popup asks “Do you want to allow this app to make changes?” — click Yes.
What you'll see

A dark blue window with white text. The last line ends with something like PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and a blinking cursor. That's it waiting for you.

2

Install Ubuntu (a free Linux)

~5–10 min

You don't need anything installed beforehand. This one command switches on WSL (the Linux system that's built into Windows but usually turned off) and downloads Ubuntu — both together, in a single step.

  1. In the blue window, type this exactly and press Enter:
Windows PowerShell (Administrator)
PS> wsl --install
Installing: Virtual Machine Platform …
Installing: Windows Subsystem for Linux …
Installing: Ubuntu …

Now wait while it downloads. You'll see lines of text and percentages. When it's done it says something like “The requested operation is successful. Changes will not be effective until the system is rebooted.”

This downloads Ubuntu for you. That one command installs both WSL and the Ubuntu Linux itself — you do not fetch Ubuntu separately.

But if it just printed a wall of “help” text instead of installing — that means WSL was already on your PC, but with no Linux yet. Install Ubuntu directly:

Windows PowerShell (Administrator)
PS> wsl --install -d Ubuntu
# to see every option first:   wsl --list --online
# if it stalls at 0%, add:      --web-download
Prefer point-and-click? Use the Store

Open the Microsoft Store, search Ubuntu, click Get / Install, then open it from Start — exactly the same result, just no typing. (If your work PC blocks the Store, ask Zoe / IT.)

Tip

Download speed depends on your internet — 5 minutes is normal, sometimes more. Let it finish; don't close the window.

3

Restart your PC

~3–5 min
  1. Save any open work.
  2. Restart Windows: Start → Power → Restart.
  3. After it comes back on, a black window titled “Ubuntu” opens by itself and says “Installing, this may take a few minutes…” — let it finish.
If the Ubuntu window doesn't open on its own: click Start, type Ubuntu, and open the Ubuntu app. Same thing.
4

Create your Ubuntu username & password

~2 min

The first time Ubuntu opens, it asks you to make a login for Ubuntu itself (separate from your Windows or Claude logins).

Ubuntu
Enter new UNIX username: yourname
New password:
Retype new password:
  1. Type a simple username (lowercase, no spaces), press Enter.
  2. Type a password, press Enter. Type it again to confirm.
Don't panic — this is the #1 thing that confuses people: when you type the password, nothing shows on screen. No dots, no stars, nothing. That is completely normal. Just type it carefully and press Enter.
Do this now

Write your Ubuntu username & password somewhere safe. You'll rarely need the password — but you will need it occasionally (it's your “admin” password inside Ubuntu).

Success looks like: a coloured prompt ending in a $. You're now inside Ubuntu! 🎉
5

Create your Claude account

~3 min

Claude Code needs a Claude account to sign in to. You make your own.

  1. Open your web browser and go to claude.ai.
  2. Click Sign up and use your Fibernetics email. Verify it (check your inbox for a code or link).
  3. Get on a paid plan — click Upgrade and choose Pro or Max (whichever Zoe tells you).
The free plan will not run Claude Code. You need Pro or Max. Check with Zoe about which plan — and whether Fibernetics covers it — before you enter a card.
6

Install Claude Code (inside Ubuntu)

~2 min
  1. Go back to your Ubuntu window (Start → type Ubuntu → open, if you closed it).
  2. Type — or paste — this line and press Enter:
Ubuntu
$ curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
Downloading Claude Code …
✓ Claude Code installed.
Pasting tip

To paste into the Ubuntu window, right-click inside it (the usual Ctrl+V often doesn't work in a terminal). It'll paste the line — then press Enter.

It's ready in a minute or two. It also keeps itself up to date from now on — you never reinstall.

7

Launch Claude & log in

~2 min
  1. In the Ubuntu window, type claude and press Enter.
  2. The first time, it may ask you to pick a colour theme — use the ↑ ↓ arrows and Enter.
  3. Your browser opens to sign in — log in with the claude.ai account from Step 5 and click Allow.
WSL quirk (normal): if the browser shows a short code instead of finishing on its own, copy that code and paste it back into the Ubuntu window (right-click), then press Enter.
You did it! 🎉 You'll see “Login successful” and then a prompt. Type a sentence and press Enter. Next time, just open Ubuntu and type claude — no login needed.

Every day after this

Starting a session (10 seconds)

1. Open Ubuntu (Start → Ubuntu).

2. Go to your project folder — make one with mkdir ~/my-project then cd ~/my-project, or return to an old one with cd ~/my-project.

3. Type claude and start talking. That's it.

If something goes wrong

✗ Ubuntu is frozen, stuck, or won't open
The #1 fix: open normal PowerShell (not Ubuntu) and run wsl --shutdown. Wait about 10 seconds, then open Ubuntu again — it restarts fresh.
✗ “wsl is not recognized”
Your Windows may be out of date. Run Windows Update, restart, and try again — or ask Zoe / IT.
✗ No Ubuntu — it only printed “help” text
WSL was already on your PC. Install Ubuntu directly: wsl --install -d Ubuntu. To list choices first: wsl --list --online.
✗ The download is frozen / stuck at 0%
Give it time — it's big. Stuck at 0%? Run wsl --install -d Ubuntu --web-download (downloads directly). Still stuck 20+ min? Close PowerShell, reopen as administrator, try again.
✗ Ubuntu didn't open after restart
Click Start, type Ubuntu, open the app. It'll pick up where it left off.
✗ “I typed the password but nothing appears”
That's normal — the password is invisible as you type. Type it carefully and press Enter anyway.
✗ Forgot to “Run as administrator”
Close PowerShell, reopen it via right-click → Run as administrator, and try the command again.
✗ Login says “not allowed / not supported”
Almost always the plan — you need Pro or Max, not free. Check your claude.ai plan with Zoe.
✗ Browser didn't open for login
Look in the Ubuntu window for a code or link — paste the code back in. Or type /login to try again.
😕 Still stuck?
Message Zoe. Snap a screenshot of the window first (⊞ Win + Shift + S) so it's quick to help.