Goodbye Windows Hello Linux
I actually wrote this article in 2020. Today, a friend asked me about changing from Windows to Linux, so I dug out my old WordPress post about doing that, cleaned and updated it a little.
2020, I've finally made it
It all started in late December 2019. Talking to a guy who bought a computer from me, when I wanted to give him the Windows serial number. He replied I don't need it, I only use Linux.
After a long chat about computers and such, and once he'd left. I thought lets try Linux again.
I'd tried at least three or four times in the past with no real success. But that was yonks ago. And as I am now retired, I have more time. Also, I use a lot fewer programs and no longer play games. The main stumbling block the last couple of times was the lack of programs, or rather the Windows programs that I needed but don't or didn't run on Linux.
So what Distro ?
Now I'm throwing weird names around, Distro ....? This is for distribution.
For me, one of the many problems or complications with Linux is that there are hundreds of distros around. All Linux, but all different.
One Windows
One Mac
Many Linuxes make choosing one complicated.
Most Linux sites give you the possibility to download their ISO so that you can test and or install their version.
These days, gone is ripping a CDRom. Now you just flash a USB key with the ISO and just boot your PC from it.
Your PC will start under Linux, and voilà, you will be running Linux (Normally just in 'TRY ME' mode). It's fairly easy. Note that you might need to select the USB in the booting options when booting from the USB. Often F8
Choosing your distro
I used distrowatch https://www.distrowatch.com. This website shows the most popular distros around. Many that I'd never heard of at the time, and so I started downloading a couple of distros to try. MX Linux, Manjaro, CatchyOS, for example. I'd already tried in the past Ubuntu, Mint and others, but I wasn't quite happy with them.
Dual boot or not dual boot?
Now what the hell does that mean? well its fairly easy. A dual boot setup means that you install Linux, whatever the distro/flavour, alongside your Windows on the same disk, and once done, when you boot the computer, it boots asking which OS you want to use.
This is relatively easy. BUT Windows, when updating, loves to wipe the Linux GRUB (Windows uses MBR and Linux often uses GRUB), which totally screws up the Linux installation. I have personally had this a few times. And so you lose your Linux setup; it can be recovered, but it's a real pain in the ass.
I suggest, Use two separate disks
Use two separate disks, SSD or HDD, your old one with Windows and a second one for your Linux installation.
This is useful for several reasons
One: Windows won't touch this second Linux disk. So both installations are safe.
Two: if you don't like the Linux flavour, and before deciding to really start using it, just install another one over it. This still leaves your Windows nice and safe. I must have tried at least five or six 'flavours' before finally using Arch Linux as my main PC
The day you need to switch to the other OS, just change the BIOS startup via the BIOS, again, often F8. Easy and fast, almost as easy as the dual-boot setup, and far safer. When you finally decide what OS you want to use most often, just set up the boot priority in the BIOS options.
TIP:
I would strongly suggest, especially if you're new to all this, unplug the Windows disk physically before you install Linux. Time-consuming, certainly, BUT once I installed Linux, I messed up choosing the disk to install it on and it totally wiped my Windows. Also some Linux installers are as clear as mud, and you never know what disk they are going to install on, and sometimes even install across several disks. I have seen this as well.
When installing Linux, you will need to choose which desktop environment you want to use, WTF ???
In Windows or MAC, there is only one desktop environment. In Linux, there are several, such as XFCE, Gnome, KDE, to name a few.
I use XFCE, it looks and feels like Window, has almost no belles and whistles that Gnome and KDE have and which I don't like, again this is another reason to install on a second disk, you don't like it wipe and start again, after all it takes all of ten minutes to install Linux, far far easier and quicker the Windows
Whatever Linux you try to install, they not only feel and look different, but also work differently.
One of the first things to do after the installation is suss out how to install programs. Now this can be quite complicated, or at least to start with, as you don't just log on to a website and download the 'program.exe' as you do in Windows.
But you will learn all this on the web, chat, forums, or just using ChatGPT, as many or none are not installed by default. Some Linux flavours install many programs at the start, such as Ubuntu, Mint, Manjaro, like Windows, some install almost nothing, Arch Linux, for example.
Some Flavours have installation/update aides built in, like CachyOS, which I play with on another computer. This is rather clever (and a dammed good Linux as well), as it can install programs for you as easily as Windows, and also updates. Very clever and without having to use Terminal, though after a while, using Terminal in Linux becomes second nature. I actually recommend it.
2025, six, seven years on
So there you go, install Linux and hopefully get rid of Windows. I haven't used Windows since 2019, and I certainly don't miss it. It does everything Windows does but better. Just about all Windows programs have a Linux equivalent that does the same job.
There is a harder learning curve using Linux than Windows, but it's not extremely difficult, and that adds to the spice of life.
I run Arch Linux on my main, daily PC.
I have, though I don't really like it, Debian on my server, lots of aid for beginners, so it could be a good distro to start with.
CachyOS on a PC that I play with, I must admit, is very good. I'm impressed. It's Arch-based, so obviously good. Maybe this could be THE Linux to try?
Don't get me wrong, Linux is really very good. Far better than Windows. Take the above precautions to avoid mistakes when starting and setting up, mainly because Windows can and will fuckup your Linux if using a dual boot on the same disk.
After its plain sailing with Linux, and later, I'm sure you'll dump Windows just like I did.
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