If you don't spot it the first time, don't worry about it. Likely candidates are a function key or the "Esc" or "Delete" keys. You can also look for a message as the machine starts up that tells which key or keys you'll need to press in order to get to the BIOS or UEFI.
Google for "UEFI BIOS settings" for your PC model to find which one will work for you. How you do this varies according to the system. Stop the boot-up process and get to your PC's UEFI or BIOS settings during the reboot. Next, you place your disc or USB stick into your PC and reboot. I've found this to be very handy, and there's always at least one live Linux stick in my laptop bag. This way, you can carry Linux and use it as a walk-around operating system for hotel, conference, and library PCs. You can store your programs and files on the stick. With persistent storage, you essentially have a computer on a USB stick. You can also set Mint up with a USB stick with persistent storage. Over the years, I've had more problems with running Linux and installing Linux from DVDs from bad discs than all other causes combined. Check your newly burned disc for errors if you're using a DVD.
Once you've installed the burner program and have the latest Linux Mint ISO file in hand, use the burner to put the ISO image to your disc or USB stick. So, if you have a computer collecting dust in the closet that you want to get some use from, go for it. But, I might add, Linux Mint will run on pretty much any PC that hasn't turned 10 yet.
You can run Linux from a DVD, but it's very slow. Unless you're using an older PC that won't boot from a USB stick, I strongly recommend using a USB flash drive for your test drive. Other good choices are LinuxLive USB Creator and UNetbootin. I recommend freeware programs ImgBurn for optical drives and Yumi for Windows for USB sticks. If you don't have an ISO burner program, download one. Fortunately, unlike other operating systems, Linux distros like Mint make it easy to give them a test run before committing to it. Once you've downloaded Mint, you should try the Linux distro before installing it. If it turns out you really want to get deep into Linux, you'll have plenty of opportunities to explore the various Linux interfaces. I recommend you go with Cinnamon, for starters. These are MATE, Xfce, and its default desktop, Cinnamon. Mint comes with three different desktop interfaces. At about 1.5GB, depending on your internet speed, this may take a while. As I write this, that's Mint 20.2, but Linux Mint 20.3 will be out in early 2022. Download Linux Mintįirst, download the newest version of Linux Mint. But, the basic instructions work with any desktop Linux both for newcomers and for experienced pros.
In this article, I'm going to tell you how to install Linux Mint.
Or, you can do what I usually do and just install Linux on an existing PC. Companies such as PC giants Dell and Lenovo and Linux specialty OEMs such as System76 all offer good machines ready to run. So how do you do it? Well, for starters, you can just buy a PC with Linux already installed.
Get the picture? Other than habit, there's no good reason to put up with Windows any longer. Heck, with Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 Cloud PC, you can run Windows itself remotely on a Linux PC. For example, you can now run Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator on Linux. But, with the rise of Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Windows programs, there are fewer and fewer such programs. The only one that still holds water is that not all Windows applications will run on Linux. They were bogus, to begin with, and they're nonsense now. Should you do it?įor years there have been lame excuses about why you couldn't switch to Linux.
In all cases, it's just common sense.Īlso: Your Windows 11 upgrade is ready. Now, I've been telling you this for years, just like I've been telling you not to use "password" for your passwords and to use virtual private networks.