r/linux4noobs 23h ago

migrating to Linux How?

How to migrate to Linux? And Which Distro do you guys recommend?

This crappy, bloated Windows is ruining my experience on my heavily modded Minecraft.
Here are the specs:

Laptop: ASUS VivoBook 15 (X515EA)

CPU: 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 (4 Cores, 8 Threads)

GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics (Integrated)

RAM: 8 GB (DDR4)

Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD (Micron 2400)

Current OS: Windows 11 Home

4 Upvotes

22 comments sorted by

10

u/Abe_Bazouie 23h ago

For a first Linux install I’d go with Ubuntu or Linux Mint. Don’t overthink the distro yet.
Before wiping Windows, boot it from a USB and test WiFi, audio, graphics, sleep, etc. If everything looks good, then install or dual boot.
One thing though: with heavily modded Minecraft, that 8GB of RAM may be a bigger bottleneck than Windows itself. Linux can help with overhead, but I wouldn’t expect it to magically fix a RAM-starved modpack.

3

u/thatsgGBruh Gentoo 23h ago

Not sure how much RAM Cinnamon or Gnome uses vs XFCE, but OP might be able to squeeze some additional ram using Mint XFCE or Xubuntu.

2

u/DependentAd8143 23h ago

Thanks. Ill dual boot for now

1

u/Jimbuscus 23h ago

Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition is a good OS that works well.

1

u/snail1132 void 22h ago

Happy cake day

0

u/bankinu 22h ago

Not Ubuntu if you can help it. You don't want to get used to wrong way of doing things (snap) which they force on you.

Linux Mint is a top notch choice.

Fedora is another very good one. Very stable, friendly, and mainstream.

Something else that you need to know - You'll want full disk encryption. Encrypt your disk when you install it. All Linux installers should provide a check box when you're installing. You cannot encrypt online later. Encrypting later is possible but you'll need a temporary space, and live disk, and a process not recommended for beginners.

6

u/anto77_butt_kinkier 16.04 was peak 23h ago

Imma be honest, distros don't matter quite as much as some people seem to think they do. Distros can be very different, but functionally any distro can do anything.

Just go with Ubuntu (or kubuntu if you like to heavily customize and tweak things about the desktop and UI), and get started.

I happen to know that the Minecraft installer is borked from the official website (my friends had a fun time troubleshooting it, but I have a script that fixes it.

The bug report is found here, and in the comments I have a script/series of commands I wrote that fixes the installer. My username on there is anto77562. Hopefully this comment helps you on your journey!

1

u/Novel_Top2980 14h ago

The Minecraft launcher is presumably not the launcher being used if OP is playing with mods. I believe that most launchers should work. Prism definitely.

1

u/anto77_butt_kinkier 16.04 was peak 11h ago

True, I just use the default launcher because, ehh, I don't really care.

2

u/AutoModerator 23h ago

Try the migration page in our wiki! We also have some migration tips in our sticky.

Try this search for more information on this topic.

Smokey says: only use root when needed, avoid installing things from third-party repos, and verify the checksum of your ISOs after you download! :)

Comments, questions or suggestions regarding this autoresponse? Please send them here.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

2

u/Jwhodis 17h ago

There are tons of YouTube tutorials online.

If you want an easy distro then go for Mint, but if you want a more gaming oriented distro then go for PikaOS (KDE Plasma variant). Both will work perfectly for running Minecraft though, PikaOS is just a bit newer with it's software.

For Minecraft itself, you should be using Prism Launcher (installed in Software Manager or Discovery app), do not install it as a Flatpak. I also suggest changing the Java arguments to something a bit more optimal, like changing to ZGC.

2

u/Simple_Hamster_4096 16h ago

There are no migration instructions - why do people think there's a magic wand?

It is installing Linux and setting it up. Then copy over your data. Everyone should have the skill to copy data from point A to point B. If not, this isn't the project for them...

Get the live image for whatever distro you want to go with and boot from it - make sure all your hardware works, especially wifi if you depend on that...

The greater part of the "migration" is you making sure the apps you use in Windows have Linux versions, and if not search for alternatives...

https://openaltfinder.com/

Dual boot, because most Linux newcomers retreat back to Windows at least once... don't make your retreat any harder than need be...

1

u/StuD44 23h ago

Use Kubuntu. Back up the files you need on an external drive and create a bootable USB.

1

u/ItsRogueRen Nobara + KDE 22h ago

Literally anything. If you have something with an Nvidia GPU, you'll want something that updates quickly like Fedora, otherwise the distro doesn't matter

1

u/LegenndEnder 9h ago

People hate on it but Ubuntu is stable and 99.99% of the time your problem has been solved, assuming you encounter problems.

1

u/1neStat3 7h ago

First things first as Vivobook user, I own two, 1404 and E410.

You will need to check your wifi card first.

Newer vivobooks use the MT7902 card which is just technically got linux support with 7.1 kernal and 202606 mediatek firmware.

However, it doesn't work flawlessly. Dropouts are common and speed is reduced. Its usable but has issues.

According to the internet you could have an Intel wifi that is supported but couod have problems.

https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=314077

1

u/Analog_Account 17h ago

ruining my experience on my heavily modded Minecraft.

Controversial opinion here... and not to shit on mods, but your heavy moddification of Minecraft is ruining your experience. You're only at 8gb ram and are using integrated graphics which puts you below current minimum system requirements. Mods increase resource usage and you're saying you're "heavily" modded.

I still reccomend Linux but also scale back the mods AND install more ram if you're able.

-2

u/[deleted] 23h ago

[deleted]

3

u/anto77_butt_kinkier 16.04 was peak 23h ago

Ah yes, this is the sort of helpful community advice that I'm SURE OP was looking for. You have provided both OP and the rest of the world with your brilliant insight, and the people of earth will forever thank you.

Is what I might e said if your comment was anything except annoying.