Installing Linux (Mint) as a Non-Techy Person
I’ve wanted Linux for various reasons since college. I tried it once when I no longer had to worry about having specific programs for school, but it did not go well. It was a dedicated PC that was, I believe, poorly made. Anyway.
In the process of deGoogling and deWindows365'ing, I started to think about Linux again. Here is my experience.
Pre-Work: Take Stock
List out the programs you use regularly and those you need. Look up whether or not they work on Linux. For those that don’t, look up alternatives.
If the alternative works on Windows/Mac, try it out first.
Make sure you have your files backed up somewhere.
Also, pick up a 5GB minimum USB drive.
Oh and make a system restore point (look it up in your Start menu) and back-up your files.
Step One: Choose a Distro
Dear god do Linux people like to talk about distros. Basically, from what all I’ve read, if you don’t want to fuss a lot with your OS, you’ve got two options: Ubuntu and Linux Mint. Ubuntu is better known and run by a company called Canonical. Linux Mint is run by a small team and paid for via donations.
I chose Linux Mint. Some of the stuff I read about Ubuntu reminded me too much of my reasons for wanting to leave Windows, basically. Did I second-guess this a half-dozen times? Yes, yes I did.
The rest of this is true for Linux Mint Cinnamon only.
Step Two: Make your Flash Drive
Linux Mint has great instructions. For the most part they work.
Start here:
Choose the right edition — Linux Mint Installation Guide documentation
The trickiest part of creating the flash drive is verifying and authenticating it.
On the same page that you download the Linux .iso file there are two links. Right click+save as both of those files to your computer. I saved them and the .iso file all to my Downloads folder.
Then, once you get to the ‘Verify your ISO image’ page in their guide and you’re on Windows like me, skip down to this link about verifying on Windows.
Once it is verified, you can go back to the Linux Mint guide. They’ll direct you to download Etchr and use that to create your flash drive.
If this step is too tricky, then please reconsider Linux. Subsequent steps are both easier and trickier.
Step Three: Restart from your Flash Drive
This is the step where I nearly gave up. The guide is still great, except it doesn’t mention certain security features that make installing Linux Mint impossible without extra steps.
(1) Look up your Bitlocker recovery key and have it handy.
Find your BitLocker recovery key - Microsoft Support
I don’t know if you’ll need it like I did (I did not turn off Bitlocker at first), but better to be safe.
(2) Turn off Bitlocker.
(3) Restart. When on the title screen, press your Bios key. There might be more than one. On a Lenovo, pressing F1 several times gets you to the relevant menu. This is not the menu you’ll need to install, though. Turn off “Secure Boot.”
(4) Restart. This time press F12 (on a Lenovo). The HDD option, iirc, is your USB. Look it up on your phone to be sure.
Now you can return to the Linux Mint instructions.
Figuring this out via trial-and-error was not fun.
Step Four: Install Mint
Just follow the prompts. I chose to do the dual boot.
You will have to click through some scary messages about irrevocable changes. This is your last chance to change your mind.
I chose the dual boot because I may not have anticipated everything I’ll need from Windows. My goal is to work primarily in Linux. Then, in a few months, if it is working, I’ll look up the steps for making my machine Linux only.
Some Notes on Linux Mint
Some of the minor things I looked up ahead of time and other miscellany:
(1) HP Printers supposedly play nice with Linux. I have not tested this yet.
(2) Linux Mint can easily access your Windows files. I’ve read that this does not go both ways. I’ve not tested it yet.
(3) You can move the taskbar (panel in LM) to the left side of your screen.
(4) You are going to have to download your key programs again.
(5) The LM software manager has most programs, but not all. Some you’ll have to download from websites. Follow instructions. If a file leads to a scary wall of strange text, close it and just do the Terminal instructions instead.
(6) The software manager also has fonts. I was able to get Fanwood (my favorite serif) and JetBrains (my favorite mono) easily.
In the end, be prepared for something to go wrong. Just trust that you are not the first person to ever experience the issue and look it up. If that doesn’t help, you can always ask. The forums and reddit community both look active.
👀
Can confirm that HP plays nice with Linux. I’m able to both print and scan wirelessly with ease and relatively little hassle to set up.
Little tip for the scanning: if your scanner has airscan then you can use that with a special sane plugin. I highly recommend