Which Linux Mint Distro to completely replace Windows?

[ZakGordon]

Don't force things.... Take your time. A dual boot is ideal for getting used to Linux gradually.

100% agree, and Pjotr was the guy that helped get me setup with Mint on my laptop (that has exclusively been in Linux since!), here is the thread i started to help me setup my dual boot system:

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=191970

I would also add you are best creating a live usb/cd before installing anything so you can test your systems general compatability first. My old laptop worked prefectly fine with Cinnamon, but sometimes the hardware on laptops works better with the 'lighter' versions of Mint like KDE etc. So maybe try out a live usb/cd of Cinnamon first, then work your way down if you have performance/compatability issues.

My aim over the new year is to switch the whole household to dual-boot Mint/Windows (7 was the last version of Windows we wil use), keeping internet use for Linux only (just way safer and secure) and Windows for games and other windows only software (like Photoshop etc).

[Madz]

I hate DUAL BOOT, if I wanted that, I'd create a persistent or live stick or SD Card, like I did a couple years back in Backtrack and ubuntu.. Also, my laptop is quite famous for having UEFI issues and even brick with dual boot linux.. No, thanks.

Instead, I decided to invest in a new SSD, leave the ExpressCache iSSD for Windows HDD, make a fresh linux install on the new SSD and go from there.

[richmorehave]

I hate DUAL BOOT, if I wanted that, I'd create a persistent or live stick or SD Card, like I did a couple years back in Backtrack and ubuntu.. Also, my laptop is quite famous for having UEFI issues and even brick with dual boot linux.. No, thanks.

Instead, I decided to invest in a new SSD, leave the ExpressCache iSSD for Windows HDD, make a fresh linux install on the new SSD and go from there.

In a way you are doing a form of dual booting, since you will have Linux on your SSD and the windows on other iSSD. I've done that type install, if it boots from one hard drive it has windows and if from other it boots linux. The dual boot was just to cover yourself, which you are already doing.

Let us know how it works for you. Have you done it yet or are you still researching?

Another reason some of us recommending dual booting the regular way is the way it formats the whole drive, so in future you could have a windows type OS on it and Linux too if you needed to (not in the case of your laptop) . If Linux takes over the whole drive, you can't put windows OS on it in future. Another way to do it, is to have 2 windows type partitions on first 2 partitions of drive, and let Linux install on space after it. This is future knowledge for other PC's , not for your laptop. I have 8 PC's,... laptops, desktops, netbooks, all dual boot windows and linux, for those times when windows has to do something I can't do in linux. Also, others can use my windows partition for game or something else.

Good luck.

[killer de bug]

Linux is way too hard to get up and running. That's the threshold.

This is simply not true. Especially with a distribution like Mint where everything is working out of the box.

[Reorx]

Linux is way too hard to get up and running. That's the threshold.

This is simply not true. Especially with a distribution like Mint where everything is working out of the box.

I haven't done a Windows installation in a while but installing Mint on an empty HD is stupid easy...
step 0 - click the install icon on the desktop
step 1 - pick a language
step 2 - tell the installer to use the whole disk
step 3 - pick a time zone
step 4 - pick a keyboard layout
step 5 - give the computer a name and create the 1st user with password
step 6 - after filling in the boxes in step 5, click continue and go have a sandwich...
step 7 - when you get back from the sandwich, reboot the computer and log in as the user created above
step 8 - update the OS - click MintUpdate, click refresh, click install and go brew a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy the hot beverage with a piece of pie (dessert for the sandwich)...
step 9 - when you get back from dessert, click close and reboot the computer
step 10 - log in and Enjoy the Mint!
Total installation time - 40 to 60 minutes. Total user interaction time ~5 minutes
<based on my own personal experiences installing LM on multiple different computers - YMMV>
I can't imagine how that process could be much easier without a telepathy enabled installer...

[ganamant]

Linux is not a replacement for Windows, It is an alternative to it.

Guys at GNU explain why they don't like the term "alternative". The explanation carries some political flavouring, but so does the FSF.

[Spearmint2]

When I first started I took this route.

1) Tried out LIVE DVD's, "read only"

2) host system was windows, linux distros put inside virtual system on virtual hard drives.

3) Installed to 16 GB flashdrives, full and "LIVE" type installs, used pendrivelinux.com's Universal USB Installer for the LIVE versions.

4) Installed as dual boot with XP, both boot from GRUB

5) Killed the XP, kept the Mint MATE.

I still make up flashdrives with LIVE versions of Linux for friends or testing and set up with "persistent ext# partition" instead of "persistent file" so can have more than just 4GB of persistence. Unetbootin helps with that, but have to swap from file to partition for persistence manually after creating it.

As for the Mint versions, from least to most demanding on resources.

XFCE
MATE
Cinnamon
KDE

Where can I monitor CPU/HDD temp? Is it possible to put the temps in tray bar?

libsensors, lm-sensors, mate-sensor-applets, just right clk on panel and choose the app you want for that. In MATE I use the mate sensor applet. Open Package Manager and search on "sensor".

[Madz]

Hey everyone,

I bought an Samsung 850 PRO SSD 256GB to use exclusively in Mint.. The SSD is arriving tomorow morning.

Naturally, today I was preparing a USB stick with unetbootin to install Mint tomorrow at arrival. What's happening is when I try to boot USB Mint, it give me an error that there's no OS installed. Already run unetbootin twice and I still get the same error.. Can you help?

Thanks.

[austin.texas]

by Reorx »
I can't imagine how that process could be much easier without a telepathy enabled installer...

I can.
I have to go with martienne on that one.
The installer, ubiquity, was designed in Medieval times and desperately needs a long list of improvements, both in function and user interaction. Yes, it works - mostly. But it should be much better.

when I try to boot USB Mint, it give me an error that there's no OS installed. Already run unetbootin twice and I still get the same error.. Can you help?

It would probably be best to start a new thread with that new question, since this one could get confusing.
Include info about:
dual-booting?
Windows?
UEFI installation?
exact error message

[Pjotr]

The installer, ubiquity, was designed in Medieval times and desperately needs a long list of improvements, both in function and user interaction. Yes, it works - mostly. But it should be much better.

This point of view surprises me.... I've always found Ubiquity to be a polished, easy and very user-friendly installer.

One of the big advantages of Linux Mint and Ubuntu: it's extremely easy to install them, and Ubiquity has sensible defaults. When in doubt, simply stick to those defaults and you'll end up with a fine install.

Compared to the installers of Windows (I haven't checked the latest, though) and of other distro's like openSUSE, Ubiquity is a breath of fresh air.

[Madz]

Nevermind. Unetbootin didn't format the stick and it kept NTFS filesystem.. After formatting in FAT32 it got solved.

Now I'm having a different problem, upon searching this I found out many people with my laptop has problems installing linux because somehow some partitions are installed in iSSD (ExpressCache) drive instead of the main drive.. But don't worry about this, I'm already seeking support in a Samsung dedicated sub-forum where much more people have the same laptop and issues, therefore can provide much more support..

Thanks.

[Pepi]

Only thing I miss is Photoshop

[turtlebay]

Only thing I miss is Photoshop

Have a look at GIMP.

[Madz]

Turns out most of you are right.. Lol
I'm still not ready to make mint my daily OS.. After getting frustrated with little things like how to install a tar.gz, where are programs located, etc, I realised best thing to do right now is to run a persistent drive while I'm still in this learning curve and roll back to Win 7 to make my daily tasks until I'm ready and comfortable to use mint in a daily basis..

With the evolution of Linux based OSs like android and Mac OS, I really thought that mint would be much easier to start on.. Oh well..

[Habitual]

how to install a tar.gz

I would suggest sticking to repo software for new users of Mint.
Makes for happy penguins.

[Madz]

how to install a tar.gz

I would suggest sticking to repo software for new users of Mint.
Makes for happy penguins.

Thanks, but serviio doesn't have repo software, and I couldn't find an alternative to create a DLNA server and share my media files with my Smart TV.

[Spearmint2]

how to install a tar.gz

I would suggest sticking to repo software for new users of Mint.
Makes for happy penguins.

Thanks, but serviio doesn't have repo software, and I couldn't find an alternative to create a DLNA server and share my media files with my Smart TV.

Neither gnome-music nor rygel in the Package Manager would work for you?

Engrampa is used to open tar.gz and zip files. I just downloaded and looked at serviio and you don't even have to compile it, just put the files and folders where they belong and create a link to the *.sh file to run it.

Note

"if on Linux, Java 8 must be installed."

That part wouldn't appeal to me.

[Reorx]

..and I couldn't find an alternative to create a DLNA server and share my media files with my Smart TV.

In the repos...

dlna.png

http://community.linuxmint.com/software/view/mediatomb

See also > https://mintguide.org/video/452-plex-me ... -mint.html

You might want to work on your "finding stuff" skills... Google is your friend!

googleisyourfriend.png

[Hoser Rob]

Linux is way too hard to get up and running. That's the threshold.

This is simply not true. Especially with a distribution like Mint where everything is working out of the box.

I agree that Mint isn't that hard to get up and running ... have you looked at Gentoo? ... but it is also simply not true that in Mint everything is necessarily going to work out of the box. That is disingenuous.

[killer de bug]

I agree that Mint isn't that hard to get up and running ... have you looked at Gentoo? ...

Yes, and I have also looked at Arch, Fedora, Debian, OpenSuse... But until proven otherwise, we are on Linux Mint forum and OP is complaining about Linux Mint

but it is also simply not true that in Mint everything is necessarily going to work out of the box. That is disingenuous.

Ok, I agree. But this is a way of saying that installing Linux Mint is not more difficult than installing Windows. Not everything is working out of the box in windows either.