Bravo!
Bellisimo!
I have a Windows 7 installation disc. It does everything I need.
My brother is looking into installing Linux. Does anyone have any tips?
I have no idea what any of that computer mumbo-jumbo means. I just recently learned that I can get on the internet on my cell phone. Did anybody else know that? It’s pretty cool.
“My brother is looking into installing Linux. Does anyone have any tips?”
“Mint Cinnamon” is the go to for a first time user. I have been using Linux for ten years now and have test driven just about all of the best major players. It operates almost like Windows 7. If you have used Win 7 you will be able to fly right away.
1. First download and install a program called “Rufus”.
It is the top option: rufus-4.11.exe
2. Download the Mint Cinnamon .iso file from the Mint site. The “James Madison University” Mirror source is known to be a clean download.
https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=322
3. Insert a USB stick that is empty or that you do not mind being wiped clean of current data.
4. Start Rufus and go select the Mint .iso from your downloads. It should autodetect the USB stick as the destination for the .iso to be installed, MAKE SURE THE TARGET DRIVE “IS” THE USB STICK!. The default settings in Rufus are all fine. Just answer yes to any options it asks and then select create.
5. When done close Rufus and power your computer off.
6. With the Linux stick inserted power on your Computer, stay right there and be ready to hit the key that will give you your boot options for that computer make. When the Manufacturer’s logo comes up tap that key. Depending on make it might be the Esc key. F2 key, F9 key, or on a Dell it is the F12/Star key. Select the USB as the boot option.
7. Be patient because the screen may go Black a few times as the Linux boots up. And from a stick it is a bit slower to do this.
8. If it does not boot from the stick as it should then there will need to be some configuration in the bios that needs to be done. That can be addressed later as a separate issue.
But it should Boot for you if you did everything above step by step. Now you will be in Linux and running from off the stick completely isolated from your internal drive and Windows. It should auto detect your internet connection and you will have to put in your password to access your internet source. Bottom right in the same place it is in Windows 7.
It will tell you when it makes the connection. Then you can use the Firefox browser to access the net if you like and check out all the stuff it comes with and what can be done with it. Basically you are in test drive mode. But nothing can be installed, and while you can make temporary changes they will be forgotten and it will go back to default when you shut down.
Run it for awhile from off the stick when you have extra time and check it out, Go explore and discover what the apps are and what they do, go look at the System Settings and how they work. Then after you feel comfortable with it then you can install it if you like. There are two options, wipe the drive completely and install only the Linux, or you can install it “Along Side” (Dual Boot) the existing windows and have both. Back up your existing important stuff first...
The installer will do all of the partitioning and disk work for you during the install. So no need to worry about complicated partitioning and disk preparation first, it does it all for you. Just take your time and read the options well as you step through it. Just one note when it asks you if you want to “unmount” the target drive agree.
Go with “Mint”. It makes for an easy transition
I have a quad-boot with W7, W10, W11 and Linux all installed. But I’m putting together a new system where Linux is going to be my primary O/S with Windows O/S’s running in VM. I hope.
For general usage on a laptop or personal workstation I absolutely love Linux Mint. I've got it "bare metal installed" in an ACER 315 Chromebook that I bought used online for just $75, and it fits nicely (that install required disassembly so that I could disconnect the battery during installation). I've also got it on a HP 9480m Folio laptop, which is a very fine machine with top quality, backlit keyboard with much higher capacity, which I picked up used online for < $200.
I use the lighter weight Lubuntu distro for server machines.
Make sure your brother knows what a “command-line interface” is, because he will be using one.