- Microsoft removes guide on converting Microsoft accounts to Local, pushing for Microsoft sign-ins.
- Instructions once available, now missing - likely due to company’s preference for Microsoft accounts.
- People may resist switching to Microsoft accounts for privacy reasons, despite company’s stance.
Microsoft is unable to track local accounts as thoroughly.
I was finally going to attempt installing Linux Mint only to find out it is not as simple as some say. I know less than nothing about computers and then there are mirrors you have to choose from to download. I have no idea what would be a safe secure mirror.
Then you have to install other software I have no knowledge of to make a bootable drive…I am just not intelligent enough I suppose. I was hoping it was a simple download process.
I am just a tad bit frustrated!
Eh, this is the same for windows as well, you always need some sort of installation medium to boot and install from regardless of OS.
The difference is OP probably got their device with Windows already installed and they only needed to go through the setup steps. Setting up the installation media really is the biggest barrier of entry to linux right now. A lot of distros are so easy to set up with a step-by-step gui installer, but a lot of non technical users don’t have the knowledge, skill, or motivation to download an iso and create a bootable drive.
I mean, obviously…but that’s not really something that’s going to change. And today it is a seriously low barrier to pass, I’m not sure how it could go any lower, aside from.maybe buying a pre-made USB stick for installation. It already requires literally no skill other than basic reading comprehension. There is a plethora of step-by-step guides online, the only thing really keeping people from switching is their own inertia.
Have you met people?
Batman: He must have friends.
“Have you met this guy?”
I suppose it is automatic on Windows so it has the illusion of being easy. I can honestly say, I have not had to install anything after I hit the update button. I am also old and don’t use a computer every day.
No it’s not… When you have no OS on a computer you still have to create the bootable USB for windows in the exact same way as with Linux, you still need to boot with it the exact same way and follow the installation instructions. The process is identical with the same level of “complexity”.
My apologies. My laptop had Windows already installed therefore I haven’t had to do anything other than turn it on and follow the onscreen instructions.
It’s similar, but not the same. Most Linux distros require you to download a third-party program that people’ve never heard of. Windows gives you an all-in-one program from their official website, thus it’s easy to trust. Arguably Linux’s solution is better because you can use that program for multiple purposes. That and I think the trust factor is overblown as the distro will recommend the software and it’s not hard to find people vouching for it, so if you trust the distro you may as well trust the program.
The process is actually simple.
It can be a little daunting at first because it’s new, but don’t let that discourage you. You can mostly ignore the whole mirrors thing, just pick one that is geographically close to you to hopefully get a better download speed. Outside of that, all the mirrors lead to the same file just in a different physical location.
Installing another software to make a bootable drive. You can use Rufus, which has a portable version so there’s no need to install it. I put a link below, there’s one in the downloads list that says portable.
https://rufus.ie/en/
There are plenty of step by step tutorials out there, however since Linux is very open, a lot of guides may give different advice and knowing what to/not to do can feel confusing. (For instance, if you have an SSD in your computer, you really shouldn’t use a swap partition unless you absolutely have to due to limited RAM.) In most cases though you can get by with the defaults when installing something like mint.
That being said. You could simply make the boot stick and try out the live version of the OS before committing to wiping any of your drives to install the OS. Just know that running the live version from the boot stick will be slow, it may take a little time for things to boot which is normal since you are running the os off of a USB stick.
If you would like some help I could try to give you some guidance. I would just want to know the specs/model of your computer so I can make sure I lead you in the right direction.
Appreciate the link!
Rufus is what the instructions said to download and then a list of prompts to enter in the command line. I understand none of those prompts, literally a completely different language.
I am using an old laptop that has windows 7 on it. Figured it didn’t matter if I screwed that up since it was old and not in use.
What instructions are you following? Last time I used Rufus on Windows, it had a graphical interface with reasonable default settings and zero messing around on the command line. (I mean, I sometimes did once I was booted into Linux, but I was using distros where that’s not unexpected.)
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I just downloaded rufus and a mint iso, here’s a couple screen grabs.
Launch rufus, and plug in your usb stick, it should show up under device.
From there click select on the right side. Browse to where you have the ISO you got from the linux mint website and select it.
Once you get back to the other screen hit start.
You shouldn’t need to mess with any settings unless you are using secure boot.
Once that’s done, you should restart and boot from the USB stick. Depending on the model of your laptop there are different methods to get into the bios to change the settings to allow booting from usb. If it goes into grub mode it will look like a command prompt with a few selections. Just hit enter on the first option and it will boot into the live usb.
Once you are in the live usb mode, it’s basically all gui to install, test, etc.
Nowadays the terminal stuff is not really needed for basic use, so you should be able to get spun up pretty easy.
Thanks for the screenshots! I have saved this comment for reference. I plan to try again tomorrow. Fingers crossed.
I wanted to add an additional reply thanking you again for the screenshots.
These visuals helped put the worded instructions in context for me so I was successful in creating and installing the bootable drive.
I wanted to add an additional reply thanking you again for the screenshots.
These visuals helped put the worded instructions in context for me so I was successful in creating and installing the bootable drive.
It really seems more complicated than it is. I switched to a dual boot of windows and Linux mint about a year ago and it was super smooth, have basically never used the terminal. if you still want to try and have any questions, feel free to ask. Linux is really a nice feeling of being away from MS bullshit.
I want to figure it out if for no other reason than to prove to myself I am not too old to learn new tricks!
Hope all the other comments and suggestions are helping! Installation is honestly the only “hard” step for Mint. Once you’re done with this, it should be smooth sailing - and if you ever need any help, just ask!
I was hesitant to say anything at first but I am glad I did. Everyone so far has been wonderful and supportive.
Kudos to you all for helping a stranger with no skill or tech savvy. I WILL try again.
You have a whole community backing you! And once you’ve installed the OS, you’ll feel like you can conquer the world.
I am in the process of trying this again!
I know I’m going to eventually switch over. I’m curious how it ends up going with your install.
Slow going but better than my first attempt. I at least made the bootable usb now so this is huge progress for me!
Everyone always says Linux is easy these days. Until you start asking how to actually install it.
For mainstream distros it’s pretty easy
Ubuntu used to send you a CD-ROM ready to use free of charge back in the day.
I’ve done this whole process hundreds of times and it’s straightforward now, but the first times where really confusing, I totally understand you.
you basically want to put the installer file in a USB, but you can’t simply copy and paste it because it needs to be “bootable”, that’s why you use a tool like Etcher or similar.
any link in the official Linux Mint page will point you to reputable sources so just pick the first one. the beauty of open source is that it’s not as centralized as a big corporation’s software, you have choices, confusing at first, I know, but it’s worth it once you get past the learning stage
Download any mirror. Accept any prompt. Where you are going, chaos is your friend, and the beautiful electric sizzling is your orchestra.
Edit: also just watch a vid theres tons out there.