trying linux mint rather than windows10

[way 2 go]

link to linux mint 17.2

I have installed it to a usb 3.0 64gb thumb drive on one computer
and on hard drive on another computer

it launches from a dvd or usb kinda like a trial
and if you like it you can choose to install it from the desktop

some thing's are still command line
has a built in updater once it is installed which is easy to use
software manager for installing apps 72,000 available

handles two monitors , I have nvida cards

sound needed tweaking to turn on , easy

so far its OK

 

[Desert Reign]

Can you give a comparison with Windows? Advantages, disadvantages, etc.

 

[Delmar]

I use Linux Lite to breath new life into old XP machines that people just want to get rid of. I may never need to buy another PC. I love Linux!

 

[Delmar]

Can you give a comparison with Windows? Advantages, disadvantages, etc.

There is a bit of a learning curve when switching to Linux and it does not run all Windows software. Though there is a lot of free Linux software that can replace the function of Windows software. Linux is far more secure than Windows and it's free!

 

[Desert Reign]

There is a bit of a learning curve when switching to Linux and it does not run all Windows software. Though there is a lot of free Linux software that can replace the function of Windows software. Linux is far more secure than Windows and it's free!

Many thanks. I have a laptop that runs XP. Unfortunately it is protected by disk encryption software and I don't have the password. It is so slow that it is near useless. Is it possibe to wipe the OS and leave the other stuff there and replace with Linux?

 

[way 2 go]

Many thanks. I have a laptop that runs XP. Unfortunately it is protected by disk encryption software and I don't have the password. It is so slow that it is near useless. Is it possibe to wipe the OS and leave the other stuff there and replace with Linux?

you can't just wipe the OS
you have to wipe everything

A program called wine can install some windows programs ,
e-sword is the only one I have tried so far

linux mint has a lot of programs and addons 1.6 gig download
you can download it and
a. burn the .iso to a blank DVD then run it off that disk (cant save any settings)
b. use unebootin to put it to usb drive and run it off of the usb

if you like it , while running it there is an icon on the desktop to install it to the hard drive

advantage ,virus free . as Delmar mentioned its free

I like LM more than windows 8 or 10
but still undecided on windows 7 vs LM

 

[Delmar]

you can't just wipe the OS
you have to wipe everything

A program called wine can install some windows programs ,
e-sword is the only one I have tried so far

linux mint has a lot of programs and addons 1.6 gig download
you can download it and
a. burn the .iso to a blank DVD then run it off that disk (cant save any settings)
b. use unebootin to put it to usb drive and run it off of the usb

if you like it , while running it there is an icon on the desktop to install it to the hard drive

advantage ,virus free . as Delmar mentioned its free

I like LM more than windows 8 or 10
but still undecided on windows 7 vs LM

Have you tried any other distros? I tried Mint out a little bit but decided that a slimmer version of linux would work better on the outdated machines that I mess with. I can see that mint would be more attractive on a more powerful, more modern machine.

 

[Delmar]

Many thanks. I have a laptop that runs XP. Unfortunately it is protected by disk encryption software and I don't have the password. It is so slow that it is near useless. Is it possibe to wipe the OS and leave the other stuff there and replace with Linux?

You could leave everything there, sort of. You could load Linux in a dual boot configuration along side XP. I don't know as much about Mint but linux lite gives you the option, by default, to partition the hard drive and put Windows and Linux in separate partitions, Though if XP in near useless you may well end up getting rid of it.

 

[Lighthouse]

What do I click on to download it? And will it download to an external hard drive?

 

[way 2 go]

What do I click on to download it? And will it download to an external hard drive?

link

first mirrors you will see are 32bit version
most people should choose those

yes it will download to external drive but needs to be burned to a dvd
or can try the usb thing

usa: nexcess
download link32 bit

you need to tell you bios to boot from what ever you choose as your media

 

[way 2 go]

Have you tried any other distros? I tried Mint out a little bit but decided that a slimmer version of linux would work better on the outdated machines that I mess with. I can see that mint would be more attractive on a more powerful, more modern machine.

so far linux mint 17.2 on modern machine

tried openSUSE 13.2 could not get it to run off of dvd ( problem with the user ) :think:

downloaded ubuntu 14.04.3 have not tried yet (1.03 gigs)

 

[Delmar]

link

first mirrors you will see are 32bit version
most people should choose those

yes it will download to external drive but needs to be burned to a dvd
or can try the usb thing

usa: nexcess
download link32 bit

you need to tell you bios to boot from what ever you choose as your media

A lot of computers will boot from the DVD drive by default if there is a bootable disk in the drive. I really like not needing to mess with the bios, Some versions of Linux will fit on a CDR.

 

[Lighthouse]

link

first mirrors you will see are 32bit version
most people should choose those

yes it will download to external drive but needs to be burned to a dvd
or can try the usb thing

usa: nexcess
download link32 bit

you need to tell you bios to boot from what ever you choose as your media

OK

 

[way 2 go]

A lot of computers will boot from the DVD drive by default if there is a bootable disk in the drive. I really like not needing to mess with the bios,

I have my dvd drive usually 2nd to speed up boot time

next thing for me is dual boot win7 and Linux mint

Some versions of Linux will fit on a CDR.

yes

there are a lot of versions
i went with some of the ones in that kept showing up
in top 10 lists

 

[Delmar]

I have my dvd drive usually 2nd to speed up boot time

next thing for me is dual boot win7 and Linux mint


yes

there are a lot of versions
i went with some of the ones in that kept showing up
in top 10 lists

Dual boot is a good thing, at least while you are deciding if you can do everything in Linux.

 

[Delmar]

link

first mirrors you will see are 32bit version
most people should choose those

That is not necessarily the case. You should check in your system properties. If your computer is capable of 64 bit it will run better with the 64 bit version.

 

[way 2 go]

Dual boot is a good thing, at least while you are deciding if you can do everything in Linux.

I am reading up on how to undo dual booting before proceeding :sherlock:

 

[Delmar]

I am reading up on how to undo dual booting before proceeding :sherlock:

I think the only way to undo it is to reformat the hard drive and start over.

 

[way 2 go]

That is not necessarily the case. You should check in your system properties. If your computer is capable of 64 bit it will run better with the 64 bit version.

I am running 64bit
but if you are going from xp or less and\or only running 4gb of ram or less 32bit

64bit is not backwards compatible
you can run 32bit OS on a 64bit processor
but not 64bit OS on a 32bit processor
just what i have read don't shoot me

 

[way 2 go]

I think the only way to undo it is to reformat the hard drive and start over.

again what I have read is
format the Linux drive in windows
then repair the master boot record with your windows install disk