Ok, the first time i tried it, i used the Startup Disk Creator under Ubuntu.  I tried it twice and it failed both times. The next time i tried gnome-disk-utility (which is gnome-disks from the command line).  I burnt the image using "Restore Disk Image" option.  It worked and was recognized by my inspiron!  Crisis averted 
I want to install LInux on my new Inspiron 3000.  However, it doesn't have a legacy-mode for booting, only UEFI.  (The BIOS is different than the documentation.)  But the ISO image i burned of ubuntu doesn't get recognized (I guess it's not UEFI). Is there a way around this, or do i have to return this laptop?
booting from usb stick