Quote:
Originally Posted by mapuc
Have no clue about this Linux operating system-So I just do as said before-Keep my Win10 as long as possible.
(To be honest I'm scared, that I would do more damage to my computers softwares and perhaps hardwares)
Markus
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Linux Mint Cinnamon is designed to make the migration very easy especially for former windows users, it reminds of it and is designed with Windows users in mind, the ways of handling they are used to.
It gets installed by downloading an ISO file and put it onto a bootable USB stick, for exmaple. And then you boot in Linux from that stick (or disc, you may need to reset your BIOS so that the medium you use is first in the booting sequence). What you then have is your computer booting this time - in Linux. A fully working Linux.
Which is temporary only of course. If you unplug the stick and boot new, the normal Windows boot will take place.
This is great to do for two reasons:
1. you can check out Linux, go into its functions, see how it looks, what it offers, you can thoroughly check it out without compromising your existing Windows installation. You can see how driver support is, whether your attached hardware would work. And so forth. Simply: thoroughly check it out. Get a taste. A first rendezvous to find out whether you could imagine to meet the other again.
2. if you want to fully adapt to it and install it, you simply hit a button in the above temporary installation, and then it gets written to your HD and becomes your lasting standard-installed OS. Thats how it gets installed. Pressing a button in the temporary installation from a disc or stick.
It comes with a full and complete set of free software, for example Open Office (full), Gimp graphics editor, Firebird, Thunderbird (I think), media players, and more. Its however many new names and tiltes of tools, you must check out what tool does what.
The temporary installation by booting with an external medium is a very good and simple way to meet Linux, and if your copy working files on external media, you can even fully work from here. On any PC and laptop, that is.
You could also consider to install a dual boot, I used that in 2016 and 2017. When you then switch on your computer, it will ask you to select whether to boot in Windows or Linux, you press 1 or 2, and then it is business as usual from there on. The negative thing is you could not run both installations at the same time, if that may be opportune. Also, installing a dual boot is a bit more comp0licated. But I did it 2015 or 2016, so it can be done even by apes like me, and it works.
Before installing in full, i would nevertheless recommend to search and read an little video or text instruction for it all, or have a simple beginners book for Mint 22 and go over it. If Linux is your first time, then some reading first indeed helps. Last but not least it reduces your prejudices you maybe have and your fears and worries, and gives you confidence in what you are doing. You must not fear that you would need to learn text editor commands like with MSDOS 30, 35 years ago. That interface is also still there, and the nerds pray to it, but Mint Cinnamon is designed to make it even more unneeded than it already was in the last Mint version I freshly installed, which was 20.3 .
I do not consider myself a Linux expert, I am still a noob in it and do not care to learn more about it, nevertheless I deal with it now since almost 7 years. Like I press a button in a lift without studying engineering to understand how lifts are constructed. Mint has nicely matured over the years, and it does everything that Windows does, just in practically all cases: faster and better. The only issue with it is compatability with Windows software, and sometimes drivers, namely for printers and exotic gaming hardware. But even these issues got healed over time. Most hardware producers refuse to released dedicated Linux drivers, so the community then has to code them, you often find open source drivers, but they may need some time to get delivered when some new printer came out that does not get supported natively in Linux. For printers it does not hurt to have an Epson, Epson is one of the two printer manufacturers who sometimes do Linux drivers, often actually, the other was I think Brother, I'm not sure. For other brands however there is an open source library for drivers.
Make a bootable USB stick with Linux Mint Cinnamon on it, and then have a look yourself. No risk, no costs, and even much less work than you maybe think. Youtube has many guides, so have according forums.
P.S.
If oyu ahve a very old laptop, you coudl install a less hardware demanding version of Linux. Mint Cinnamon is all Wndows bells and whistkes, and works nice, and I alos had it on a laptop more than 15 years old, however. If using an old laptop you must however chekcd whetehr you ned a 32 or 64 bit Linux. More recent Linux distributions are all 64 bit only.