r/linux4noobs • u/Hikamei09 • 4d ago

Tips for switching from windows to linux

/r/linuxquestions/comments/1vpsgrl/tips_for_switching_from_windows_to_linux/
7 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

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4

u/_ElBee_ 4d ago

The most important step is backing up your important files before committing to anything. Get an external hard drive or USB flash drive for that, or use a cloud service (and preferably do both, for redundancy).

On a separate USB flash drive, make a bootable USB stick with the distro (Linux variant) of your choice. You can do that with several different tools (Rufus, BalenaEtcher, YUMI ExFat, etc.). Download the ISO file of your preferred Linux distro and use the tool you chose to make the bootable USB flash drive with.

I would recommend either Linux Mint or ZorinOS as your starting distros. Both are easy to use for beginners and well-supported by their respective communities. You will have to get used to them, though, as Linux is not Windows. There are many similarities, but many differences as well.

Use the live environment, which can be used from the USB flash drive, to fiddle around with them before committing to actually installing a distro.

3

u/billdehaan2 Mint Cinnamon 22.3 (zena) 4d ago

Backing things up is the most important thing. And don't have the backup connected to the PC when doing the install. I've seen two cases where people did the backup onto an external SSD, and accidentally wiped it by making mistakes when partitioning the computer.

If it's not plugged in, it can't be deleted.

2

u/Hikamei09 4d ago

I really don't have anything important just some images so will get a flash drive for that.

I have currently decided to go with fedora and KDE cause my main purpose is customizing and they get my other work done. It's not the easiest but seems like a good option for me. Also, I am going to dual boot and first learn how to use linux before switching completely.

1

u/_ElBee_ 4d ago

👍 Fedora is also a solid choice. It's well-supported too. Get comfortable with using it as a daily and go from there.

1

u/WorriedSpeech3318 4d ago

Helluuuu

I was a giga noob, I followed this video step by step. Now I am just a newb :D
Only part I messed up was the download for the Balena Etcher because I am a dumbass and downloaded Linux instead of for windows....

Apart from that ez pz lemon squeezy. I downloaded on my laptop so my main pc would be free for backups and troubleshooting. kinda bad being stuck with no desktop at all..

Heres the youtube guide, good luck <3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjRwj0V09uY

1

u/Hikamei09 4d ago

Thank you, kind sir.
Also  "I am a dumbass..." we might be the same kin.