Dabbled with Linux on a Raspberry Pi and a laptop that I only used from time to time; it wasn’t until the imminent Windows 10 support drop announcement that I finally installed it in my main rig. The words “fuck it” were uttered in my mind too.
Screw it, I’m installing Linux
Submitted 5 months ago by throws_lemy@reddthat.com to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.theverge.com/tech/823337/switching-linux-gaming-desktop-cachyos
Comments
n4ch1sm0@piefed.social 5 months ago
aceshigh@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Are there instructions for the laymen? How difficult is it to install and actually use it?
WizardofFrobozz@lemmy.ca 5 months ago
The ONLY thing that has given me trouble has been managing an array of external drives as a media server running on my main PC. I know that isn’t an ideal setup- but just saying.
The_Picard_Maneuver@piefed.world 5 months ago
People have given you good resources, so I'll just speak to the second part: I switched a few months ago, and it has been surprisingly easy. I'm just... doing normal computer things like I used to on windows. Even gaming.
knobbysideup@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Easier than windows. Most people don’t actually install that, though. It’s just there when they buy their computer.
super_user_do@feddit.it 5 months ago
It Is really easy. The only issues are related to hardware compatibility, especially with laptops. But most of them should be fine
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 months ago
It’s often easier than installing Windows with certain distros.
dil@piefed.zip 5 months ago
Much easier and faster than a windows install
magic_lobster_party@fedia.io 5 months ago
Not any more difficult than doing a fresh Windows install.
artyom@piefed.social 5 months ago
- Download the .iso file of your favorite distro from their website
- Download Fedora Media Writer
- Plug in external media (flash/thumb drive, etc.)
- Select .iso and thumb drive in Fedora Media Writer and let her rip.
- Restart PC.
- While PC is booting, press whatever your BIOS button is (do a web search for “[laptop/motherboard] BIOS button” or watch the display while booting)
- Look for boot priority in the BIOS and set the thumb drive to the highest.
- Restart
- After booting, test WiFi, BT and audio functionality.
- Follow on-screen instructions to install
- Remove install media and reboot
- Install any and all available updates using your package manager (Software, Discover, Pop Shop, etc.)
- Restart one more time
The end.
jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 5 months ago
After booting, test WiFi, BT and audio functionality.
This is an important step. One time I boldly just installed without testing anything in the live session, and discovered that HDMI and Ethernet didn’t work. Woops.
cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 5 months ago
You need to backup any data you want to keep to another drive before installing.
Make sure there’s nothing important on the flash drive too. Writing the iso will erase everything on it.
PancakesCantKillMe@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Download Fedora Media Writer
I’ve been using Balena Etcher, but now I have an alternative, thanks!
markz@suppo.fi 5 months ago
If you avoid complications like trying to dual boot or to use weird distros, it shouldn’t be hard.
grue@lemmy.world 5 months ago
It’s pretty much just like installing Windows, except minus the parts where they force you to create a Microsoft account and badger you to accept spying and such.
someguy3@lemmy.world 5 months ago
The verification stuff is a pain downloading files and programs, but you’ll get through it.
toomanypancakes@piefed.world 5 months ago
I'm super not tech savvy and I had zero problems installing Mint recently. There's instructions online for getting the install media set up (I used a flash drive), and once you have that it's just following an install wizard really. The hardest part is backing up everything important be do you switch.
LostWanderer@fedia.io 5 months ago
This basic tutorial explains the steps to installing a Linux distro (Ubuntu is recommended as it is easy) in detail, and plain language. Read it several times, until you feel comfortable. Ubuntu is the distro I started with, as drivers are easy to deal with and can be installed during the installation process without fuss (unlike some distros, side-eyes Fedora with slanderous intent).
One detail, Balena Etcher is the application this author refers to when mentioning "Etcher" Installing Ubuntu
Phelpssan@lemmy.world 5 months ago
I’ve migrated not too long ago from Win10 to Kubuntu which is very Windows-like, and the adaptation was quite easy.
However, I have to ask: Are you comfortable typing commands on a terminal or editing configuration files? I ask because while it’s gotten much easier to use Linux with just a graphical interface you’ll still bump into some annoyances here and there where you’ll Google how to fix and it will often tell you to ‘run command x in the terminal’
harmbugler@piefed.social 5 months ago
FWIW that’s the same as Windows.
commander@lemmy.world 5 months ago
You may just want to head to YouTube and look for a really dry video instructions. When I first got started on Linux like 15 years ago, videos were a lot less intimidating to me
I’d YouTube installing Ubuntu and use the YouTube filter option set to like 1 month. There’s constantly new videos for intro to Linux YouTube. I say Ubuntu because it’s a part of the most common family of popular Linux distributions
Throbbing_banjo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 months ago
If you want the absolute easiest install possible, don’t need to dual boot, and don’t care to do a ton of gaming, Linux Mint is, in my opinion, honestly easier than installing windows. The most confusing part is typically the partition manager, but Mint has an Easy option that handles that for you as long as you’re okay with wiping your drive and starting fresh. Otherwise you’ll need to read up a bit on the partition manager on order to dual boot, but that’s the only difficult part.
Download Ventoy, use that to put the Mint installer on a thumb drive, and follow the instructions on booting to USB for your motherboard. From there it walks you through everything.
forrgott@lemmy.zip 5 months ago
I think it’s been a year or so now since Microsoft updated Windows to be incompatible with dual boot from the same drive. When Windows boots up, it nukes grub if it’s on the same drive as your windows install. Every time.
If you want to dual boot, you basically need separate drives now. So stupid…
moody@lemmings.world 5 months ago
Honestly, the most complicated part is getting the install media ready to go.
Once the installer starts, you’re just answering prompts like the local username and password you want, language and keyboard layout, and time zone, and it does the rest on its own.
Then the computer reboots, and you end up on the desktop of a fully usable computer. Most distros will have a one-time popup welcoming you and maybe leading you to some Flatpak “store” where you can search for free apps to install.
NanoooK@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
IMO the most complicated prompt would be for the partitions scheme and the filesystem but if you don’t do anything special you could simply accept the default settings.
BananaTrifleViolin@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Yes it’s fairly simple to do, essentially the user needs to download an image of a Linux install disc, flash it onto a USB stick (or a Dvd I guess), and then reboot their PC. They may need to press a key at boot to open the boot menu and select the USB (or the bios to change the boot order).
After that, most distros offer a very easy to follow installer which will install the new OS.
Most Linux installs can be done alongside windows (on the same hard drive or it’s own drive) but windows tends to break the boot loader with updates. It’s gernallt better to only dual boot if you’re good at fixing things - otherwise a full Linux install is better.
The most inportant thing is back up all your important data, and only do this if you genuinely want to leave windows. I’d make sure your windows license is digital before doing this too as that allows using windows again if you want to go back.
I’d say anyone can use Linux, it’s user friendly and robust. In terms of installing Linux, I’d only do it if you are sure you know what you’re doing - installing any OS - including windows - can involved trouble shooting problems.
Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it 5 months ago
I want to add that often installing Linux is ewsier than Windows
atrielienz@lemmy.world 5 months ago
My experience was pretty simple. But you will have to make some decisions.
If you just want to blanket install Linux over whatever you run currently (and wipe out windows or whatever), that’s honestly the easiest way in my opinion.
You don’t need things like gparted or other utilities to partition drives or anything. You burn a bootable USB stick with the Linux distro of your choice, go into bios and select it as the boot media, and go through the prompts to install once it boots.
This has been my experience with bazzite on both a handheld and an older windows desktop PC.
There are so many helpful guides out there.
Your use case will determine a lot of things. If you just need a PC for media watching and web surfing, out of the box, simple immutable Linux distros will likely give you what you want.
If your needs are more complex (video/photo editing, sound production, CAD, or something) you’ll need to research what distro fits your needs.
ag10n@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Remember to do this on a machine you don’t care about, or are prepared for Windows to no longer work. Windows doesn’t play nice with other operating systems.
zdnet.com/…/you-can-try-linux-without-ditching-wi…
Play with this first if you want
dil@piefed.zip 5 months ago
Doing one you actually use helps you commit
stealth_cookies@lemmy.ca 5 months ago
Windows generally works fine alongside Linux, but then randomly one day you could log on and it boots straight into Windows and to fix it you need to learn the “fun” task of fixing your system with arch-chroot.
PancakesCantKillMe@lemmy.world 5 months ago
One could try a Live version for the distros that have that feature. For those unaware, the Live version is merely the bootable cd image (or USB image). Does no harm to the underlying OS. If you like it you can then install it.
thesohoriots@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Not especially hard, depending on your choice. But the choices tho
grue@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Choices which don’t matter nearly as much as people like to pretend they do, no less.
If you’re having trouble deciding, just pick a popular (general-purpose) distro at random. Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Mint, Bazzite, even Arch – whatever, it’ll be fine, don’t worry 'bout it.
PancakesCantKillMe@lemmy.world 5 months ago
shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip 5 months ago
Welcome to the dark side. I’ve been here since about 2011, but I’m absolutely glad to see you’re coming over.
grue@lemmy.world 5 months ago
*from, you mean. Welcome from the dark side.
Goodlucksil@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 months ago
“Welcome to” is gramatically correct and means “please be at home in your new cell”
CaptDust@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
BREAKING: Man decides to install Linux.
More details to come.
wellheh@lemmy.sdf.org 5 months ago
Am I the only one annoyed the article is an article about a future article? Like I didn’t get anything out of their experience into linux because it’s just a pre-article and the user transition experience is what we’re interested in.
Digit@lemmy.wtf 5 months ago
I got annoyed and stopped reading before that became apparent.
Content churn. Pussy-footing. Just get on with it! Heh.
Still, it’s good to see more are jumping ship (to freedom), with how much M$ keeps making it worse (abusiveness).
Screen_Shatter@lemmy.world 5 months ago
I am glad to see articles like this. For too long I have seen articles saying “sick of this windows bullshit??” Only to find advice on workarounds in windows, or suggestions to use a console, or a fucking phone app. For too long Linux has been treated like the evil twin locked in the attic, never to be spoken of or acknowledged.
IT IS TIME! TIME TO ANNOUNCE WE HAVE RELEASED THE LINUX AND IT WAS THE GOOD CHILD ALL ALONG! BART WAS THE EVIL ONE AFTER ALL! LET IT BE KNOWN!
atrielienz@lemmy.world 5 months ago
To be fair (even though I also and both happy and relieved to see articles like this), just because you convert to Linux, that doesn’t mean everyone else will. I have used so many guides to help debloat windows computers, and turn off nonsense I don’t want (mostly so I can use proprietary software for work). My choice to not use windows in my personal life on my personal devices doesn’t really change my situation with needing those guides to help others circumvent windows BS.
I wish we didn’t have to live in interesting times and all that, but the guides are helpful.
over_clox@lemmy.world 5 months ago
BREAKING: Man breaks Linux, installs another distro, and lives happily ever after.
te_abstract_art@lemmy.world 5 months ago
BREAKING: Man announces he runs Arch, btw
henfredemars@lemdro.id 5 months ago
That’s like eating exactly one potato chip.
ieatpwns@lemmy.world 5 months ago
“I deleted the recycling bin folder named /bin/ and it just froze what do I do?”
redlemace@lemmy.world 5 months ago
You need to remark your files !! sudo rm -Rf /
grue@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Freeze? Nah, it’ll keep chugging along 'til you reboot (or otherwise try to run a new program), and then won’t be able to start.
goatinspace@feddit.org 5 months ago
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