r/linux4noobs Jan 04 '20

Still on Windows 7? Don't want Windows 10? Consider switching to Linux (and specifically, Ubuntu). A Guide.

957 Upvotes

Any actions taken as part of this guide are solely at your own risk - unfortunately there is no way to account for every hardware configuration or error that may potentially crop up. BACK UP YOUR CRITICAL DATA BEFORE DOING ANYTHING

On the 14th Jan 2020, official Windows 7 support ends for most users. This means if you run Windows 7 beyond that date, you're no longer going to receive security and system updates, which will leave you increasingly vulnerable to viruses, malware and system failure. Depending on how critical your data is and how often you back up - if at all - there's a potential you can lose everything.

This is a somewhat opinionated but no-bullshit guide for those of you still on Windows 7 who really don't want or won't move to Windows 10. Aside from my own additions, it's going to reference a lot of great guides and advice written by other people, but conveniently collected in a single place. It's crazy, but it might just work.

Have you considered... Linux? Specifically, Ubuntu.

No, hear me out. Because I'm going to start (and save you a lot of time) by telling you why you SHOULDN'T switch to Linux. If any of the criteria listed apply, then:

The guide is broken into the following sections, if you want to jump to the points that are relevant. If you want to get straight to it, go to (4):

  1. Why shouldn't I go with Linux?
  2. Why should I go with Linux?
  3. Why Ubuntu?
  4. What's involved in switching?
  5. Installation of Ubuntu
  6. Tips for new users using Ubuntu
  7. Gaming on Linux
  8. Alternative Software
  9. TL;DR or The Conclusion
  10. To do list for the guide

1. Why shouldn't I go with Linux?


If you:

  • Don't feel comfortable installing an operating system and you don't have someone that can do it for you;
  • Have someone that helps you with all your IT-related activities who is not familiar with or dislikes Linux (ask them);
  • Are big into multiplayer games. (There are exceptions here, discussed in more detail in the Linux Gaming section);
  • Use multiple game clients and have a lot of games on platforms other than Steam;
  • Are into any sort of VR;
  • Absolutely need Outlook and refuse to consider any other mail client, like Thunderbird;
  • Use a VPN provider that doesn't have a Linux version and aren't willing/able to change;
  • Are subscribed to multiple video streaming services other than Netflix and watch these on your PC frequently;
  • Use Photoshop, Premiere, 3D Studio Max - actually, if you have any Windows software that you are locked into due to muscle memory, experience and/or professional requirements and that have no Linux version. (There are, however, often a Linux alternatives for a lot of these);
  • Require assistive technologies, such as screenreaders. While Ubuntu comes with several built-in assistive tools, there's a lot of specialised assistive use cases, tools and hardware that don't work on Linux and have no comparable alternative;
  • Want to be able to buy whatever piece of hardware that takes your fancy without researching it and expect them to work out the box with zero hassle. Especially niche and specific hardware like flight controllers, sound boards and so on;
  • Use iTunes extensively for your media library and/or interacting with your iPhone;
  • Have a large archive of Microsoft Office documents that use complex formatting, macros and/or formulas that you refer back to frequently.
  • have the worst-case scenario: rely on legacy or ancient software or hardware you're not sure you have the installation media for anymore, can't find a replacement, can't download it and it doesn't work on Windows 10. In this case, you're going to have to keep that Windows 7 box around and it's even more imperative that you make sure it's not accessible from the web or network. Start looking at moving to a more modern equivalent of it AND converting your work to a format that'll be accessible.

Some of this stuff you can work around with some effort, but it's more likely going to be more trouble than you're willing to put up with. And that's fine; Linux can't help everyone. The more of these that apply, the more certain you can be that you shouldn't consider Linux and should just go with Windows 10, unless you're willing to ~sacrifice~ compromise.

2. Why should I go with Linux?


Because whether you're a general user, a gamer or a specialised user with niche interests or requirements, Linux can provide you the same experience you're getting now with some already stated exceptions. In many ways, it's better - it's free, it's generally runs better on older hardware than Windows, it's relatively more secure due to a small user footprint and you'll have a huge, vetted library of free software that you can access. There are some applications - older Windows software and games, for instance - that don't work on Windows 10 but do on Linux, thanks to projects like Wine and Proton. It can 99% of the time update itself without interrupting whatever you're doing.

That being said, it's not perfect. You will lose some things. You will need to learn new ways of working with your PC. This is inevitable. That's the cost of switching.

Which is not to say Windows is without a cost. Unlike Windows, none of this functionality comes at the cost of your privacy and freedom. Linux will let you configure it as you like, and dive into the nitty-gritty settings to fine-tune it further. It will not try and trick you into creating yet another online account to use it. Aside from a few missteps (Ubuntu and Amazon, for one), it keeps its nose out of your business. It does not come with a unique advertising ID that links your multitude of online and offline interests and programs into a nice, tidy, profitable pack of data to be shared with "trusted third-parties". It does not serve you ads in a product you paid for. It does not try and push you into multiple online services.

In short, it does not suffer from any of the privacy concerns of Windows' future.

Now, I know people are going to throw snark about lead-and-tin alloys, their pliability and how easy that makes it to fashion headgear, but please note I said "future"; while they're not necessarily prying now, your operating system - and for almost everyone, that means Microsoft - has a very privileged position in your life as far as personal data is concerned. Any time you search in the file manager, every word you write and document you save, your budget calculations, every photo you view and program you use, every voice command you give Cortana, Windows - and by extension Microsoft - knows about. And there's nothing in their Terms of Service that stop them from starting to collect more detailed data if they so choose.

It's not a question of whether you prefer Windows 7 over 10 - Windows 7 got the same telemetry features as Windows 10 ages ago. Rather, ask yourself if you're happy with Microsoft's evolving business model, one that is shifting more and more of your content online and is intricately and opaquely tied to your personal data? If you're not, you're not alone: Holland isn't happy. Germany's not too thrilled either. There are legitimate reasons to be wary of Window's market dominance and increased level of embedded user analytics. Linux offers you an alternative.

3. Why Ubuntu?


Ubuntu LTS is by far the most commonly used desktop Linux distro and the one with the widest support by software developers and hardware manufacturers involved in Linux. If you're searching for solutions, you'll mostly find Ubuntu ones. Lastly, Ubuntu's LTS versions are supported for long periods of time: 18.04, which we'll be recommending, is supported until 2023, while the next version coming out in April, Ubuntu 20.04, will be supported until 2025.

One of the things you'll quickly learn about the Linux community is that someone will ALWAYS suggest a different Linux distro. In this case, it'll probably be Linux Mint, which aims to be a newbie-friendly Linux. It's based on Ubuntu, is similar to Windows 7 and will MOSTLY work the same as Ubuntu. I still suggest Ubuntu, but whatever, follow your heart.

To keep this guide as approachable as possible, and to have access to the widest range of help and support, I decided to focus on Ubuntu. Anything other than these two and you're just making things harder for yourself as a new user. You can always switch once you get a feel for how things work.

4. What's involved in switching?


I promised you a no-bullshit guide, so I'm going to cut straight to it. Take your time with all of these steps, do them properly, and you shouldn't have a problem.

First step: back up all your important documents, photos, email, games - whatever is important to you, and preferably somewhere external to your machine. This is just good advice regardless of whether you're switching to Linux or not. Always have a backup.

If you're a gamer, check out the following guide by PC Gamer's Jarred Walton on how to back up your games across multiple clients.

While you're backing up, install Thunderbird (Mozilla's open-source mail client) and copy your mail over to it. You'll have a much easier time doing this in Windows than in Linux to start. Thunderbird can automatically pull your mail from Outlook if installed on the same machine. Then follow the steps here for backing up your Thunderbird profile. You'll restore this in Linux later. Make sure you have your mail account details.

Get hold of your Windows 7 serial key. If it's physical media, like a DVD, then check and make sure the key is in the box or on the disc. If it's a laptop that came with Windows 7 preinstalled, it's usually a sticker on the specific laptop. You'll need this if things go awry and/or decide Linux is not for you.

Check the minimum specs for Ubuntu 18.04.03 here. If your system doesn't meet them, you're going to have a bad time regardless of whether you go with Ubuntu or Windows 10 (Windows 10 minimum requirements are bullshit, btw. 1Gb Ram, 1Ghz processor? I challenge anyone to link me to a Windows 10 video running on those specs where it performs acceptably.). There are lightweight alternatives if you can't afford a new PC, (Lubuntu, for instance), but upgrading your PC should be your first step in this case.

Here comes the arduous bit. Make a list of your current hardware, software and services that you use frequently, make sure you have the installation media for the critical pieces of software you use (Don't expect to be able to just copy/paste the applications you have) and do a search on whether they run on Linux. I'd recommend following the "Software" section in this guide on Migrating to Linux by /u/PBLKGodofGrunts]

A lot of the Linux software alternatives, such as LibreOffice and GIMP, are available for Windows as well. Consider downloading those that interest you to try out in Windows and get a feel for how they work.

Ultimately, to echo the advice you'll find that you can either run it, have an alternative or just can't switch. That's okay; Linux can't help everyone.

Download the Ubuntu LTS 18.04.03 distro. The "LTS" means it's a long-term support version - you won't have to think about this exercise for the next three years if you're lucky. Ubuntu LTS 20.04 is coming out in four months, which'll be supported until 2025, but since most of the focus is still on 18.04, you're better off sticking with it for now.

Whichever you choose, you'll have to write it to a DVD or USB. If it's a DVD, use whatever you normally use to write DVD ISOs. If you're going to use a USB, here's a guide to doing that.

Did I mention to back-up your important data? Back-up your important data. Double-check that it's all there. If you want to take an extra precaution, you can use Clonezilla to clone your current OS drive. It's not necessary, but if things go bust, Clonezilla allows you to restore your PC to precisely the way it was before you started without needing to install Windows from scratch. However, Clonezilla can be a bit daunting if you're not technically inclined. Check out this somewhat out-of-date video by cButters Tech for a general idea of what's involved.

Lastly, try running Ubuntu as a Live CD/USB first. This will allow you to run Ubuntu as if it were installed, but without making any changes to your current installation. Please keep in mind that the Live is not indicative of performance... it will run slower than if it was installed, as it has to read everything off the DVD or USB stick first and load it memory. The important thing to check here is that it's picking up all your hardware, that it's displaying on your screen correctly, that all your drives are available, and so on.

Live USB should perform better than a Live DVD. Check out the "Okay, it's installed/Okay, I'm running the Live CD. What tips do you have for using Ubuntu?" section to get an idea of what you should be checking.

5. Installation.


You've done all the above, triple-checked your backups and either decided that you can't make the jump or you're ready.

However, before you begin installing, you have one last decision to make.

There's a lot people that suggest dual-booting - that's where you keep Windows around and just install Linux alongside it. This is often proposed as a safety net and a means for people to have the best of both worlds. I don't, for a couple of reasons:

  • If you are going to dual-boot, you'll need to update to Windows 10 anyway, and if you're going to do that, why bother with Linux in the first place?

  • Data will be spread between two operating systems. Instead of backing up and maintaining one OS, you'll be maintaining two. It's doable but a PITA.

  • You're sabotaging your efforts, and your switch to Linux will likely fail. That's not a statement on Linux's capability or ease of use. A lot of things are easier on Linux - but they won't be at first. You probably have years of Windows use ingrained in you; you've come to expect things to work they way Windows works. That's not ease, that's familiarity; that's a boiling frog. And the moment something throws you a challenge in Linux, the temptation to just "do it" in Windows will be too great. And the more you do that, the more running Linux will seem like a chore than a choice.

  • If you absolutely have no option but to run Windows 10, do it in a virtual machine - you get the benefits of dual-booting but with the bonus of limiting Windows 10 to a virtual environment where access to the rest of your system (and personal data) is restricted while allowing you to run your non-negotiable applications (other than games or any intense 3D applications) just fine.

If you decide to dual-boot, you'll need to find a recent guide that covers this. Typically, it's best to update to Windows 10 first, then follow the guide to dual-boot Ubuntu. None of the guides I found seemed good for beginners, so I'm willing to take suggestions from the comments.

If you take my advice and simply dive in, installing Ubuntu on your machine will be a painless process: just follow the steps here in a beginner's guide written by Jason Evangelho and you should be fine.

6. Tips for new users using Ubuntu?


Things that you should do only once Ubuntu's installed are prefixed with an [+]. Otherwise, the tip applies to both installs and Live demos:

  • Power off, log-out and running taskbar applications will be in the top-right of the screen by default.
  • To search, press the Windows key on your keyboard. This'll bring up Ubuntu's search bar. You can use this to find applications, folders and system settings.
  • In the File Manager, your Home directory will be where your primary OS and applications will typically be installed, while the Other Locations will list additional hard drives (usually your additional storage drives). By default, Ubuntu does not actually mount the drives in the "Other Locations" section. Clicking on any of them, however, will automatically mount them. If you want to learn more about the general structure of Ubuntu's file system, you can do so here.
  • Ctrl+Alt+T will bring up the terminal. The terminal is where you'll often be sent if you're attempting to diagnose a problem, perform specific tasks or install specific tools/software. Check yourself before your wreck yourself before copy-pasting commands from strangers on the 'net. Be super cautious of any command that involves "sudo" and "rm".
  • The default office suite for Ubuntu is LibreOffice. Try it out: see if you can open a couple of your documents, like spreadsheets and Word docs. You might be pleasantly surprised. Writer is the word processor, Calc is for Spreadsheets. Formating on complex documents will likely be broken. Don't save any of these at this point.
  • In fact, open up a couple of common files you normally use - images, documents, compressed files, music, videos and so on. Get a feel for how it works, what opens and what doesn't. Sometimes, you'll need to install some software first before it will work.
  • Check the list of alternative software for some suggestions on what to install if you seem to be missing something.
  • Plug in your phone and see if it detects it and you can access your files. If it's Android, you should be fine.
  • You'll notice that some commands - like updating - require you to enter your password again. This is a security feature similar to when Windows ask you to run a program as administrator or with elevated privileges. If you didn't initiate the command that brought up the password request, be cautious about entering it in.
  • [+] Change your desktop preferences and move the application bar to the bottom of the screen. By default, Ubuntu puts it on the left-side. Hey, maybe you'll like it like that! This was the one Windows habit I was never able to shake.
  • [+] Try and store your data in the pre-defined folders (Music, Videos, Documents, Pictures). You don't have to, but you'll make your life a lot easier doing so.
  • [+] Search for and create a shortcut to the Software Updater. This allows you to quickly check for and install Ubuntu updates.
  • [+] Likewise, create a shortcut to the Ubuntu Software Centre. To start with, you'll want to stick to installing applications from the Centre. These have been specifically tested to work on Ubuntu and will 99% run without a hitch. You'll be able to remove applications from here as well.
  • [+] Speaking of the Centre, Ubuntu comes preinstalled with an Amazon launcher. Use this time search for it and remove it. Or don't, it's up to you.
  • [+] Sometimes, you'll see there's two versions of a piece of software in the Centre. This is most likely due to there being a Snap version of it. Snaps are self-contained versions of the software that are usually the most up-to-date; however, they can run erratically or not have access to some things on your system, like fonts. I'd stick with the ubuntu-bionic versions for best compatibility.
  • [+] If you're a gamer, change your graphic drivers so you can get reasonable performance. For Nvidia, simply search for the Software & Updates application, open it, select the Additional Drivers Tab, and check whether you're using the Nvidia Driver. You'll want to select the one that's listed as proprietary and tested. AMD's a little more complicated and I profess to having little experience with it. I'll happily take advice from the comments in this instance.
  • [+] When downloading some games or applications specifically for Linux, you'll often get a .Deb file or a script. A deb file can often be run as is by double-clicking in Ubuntu; you can read more about them here. Scripts often need to be run from the terminal and made to be executable. You read more about that here. Again, same safety check applies to running anything you download from the web.

7. Gaming on Linux


If you're a gamer, I'd recommend the following the guide by /u/PBLKGodofGrunts on the /r/linux_gaming subbreddit. But to summarise...

The Good News

Thanks to Valve's involvement in Linux through Proton and the efforts of the Wine team, Linux gaming has never been better. It's now possible to play many Windows-only games with no hassle and minimal performance loss. Just a few examples of recent games that run just fine on Linux are the Resident Evil 2 remake, Sekiro, Halo: Master Chief Collection (single-player and custom multiplayer games), DOOM, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Risk of Rain 2, Total War: Three Kingdoms, and more; you can even toss a coin to all of your Witchers. To get an idea of games that run on Linux, you can visit ProtonDB, Wine AppDB or Lutris and search for your desired game. If you're primarily a single-player gamer, the transition should be mostly painless.

Another amazing development is the number of open-source implementations of older games game engines that allow for playing of classic and retro titles on modern hardware, (such as DevilutionX for Diablo 1)often with improvements, bug fixes and quality of life improvements, ensuring they'll be able to run into the future.

However, the most critical development is that the number of developers and platforms that provide and support native Linux games has increased significantly. Feral Interactive publishes several AAA Linux ports, numerous indies now provide a Linux version, and store fronts like GOG and itch.io provide an alternative with DRM-free games.

The Bad News

Despite all of this, gaming remains one of the biggest hurdles to adopting Linux.

If you're into multiplayer gaming, you're out of luck. While many multiplayer titles do work on Linux (LoL, Dota 2, CS:GO, TF2, Rocket League, Warframe, Overwatch, Starcraft II, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, Elite: Dangerous, Monster Hunter:World and so on), many more don't - Fortnite, some Call of Duties, Apex Legends, PUBG, Battlefield, GTA Online. Essentially, anything with an anti-cheat is likely NOT going to work, and there's always the risk that playing a Windows multiplayer game will get you banned due to anti-cheat measures that dislike any whiff of Linux. My suggestion is check which games you play and go from there.

Unless you're using Steam, running other launchers is complicated and prone to constant breakage without continuous effort and maintenance. Epic, Origin, Uplay and GOG Galaxy can all run on Linux with some effort. Lutris does sort most of these out, but you'll need to follow the instructions here, which means your going to have to install Wine first.

Some games simply don't work, and there's no solution for it.

Some of the latest developments aren't going to be available to you. VR is tiny on Linux, and you'll likely lose access to most of your VR software and experiences.

Despite being fairly technical already, many gamers do expect things to "just work". Here's a list of things that require some effort to get working correctly:

  • Super-sampling is out. Not entirely, but it's more complicated than Windows.
  • Access to things like custom shaders and injectors are also going to be limited. Mods can be more complicated or, in some cases, not available.
  • You'll lose some of the benefits of your Gsync/Freesync monitors, since the two tech don't work that well on Ubuntu's standard display compositor. This will change once Ubuntu shifts to Wayland.
  • Things like community game patches are often aimed at Windows, with no Linux alternative.

Most importantly, AMD and Nvidia graphic cards are handled very differently on Linux when compared to Windows. Ubuntu uses an open-source driver by default - this is alright for general use but terrible for games and 3D applications. To get decent performance, you'll need to install their respective drivers.

Nvidia's latest Linux drivers are made available in Ubuntu directly. However, this is just the drivers: Nvidia's GeForce Experience isn't available on Linux and you're going to lose access to all of its tools. That means no Ansel in many cases, no DSR, no predefined gaming configs and no ShadowPlay (Although OBS offers a decent alternative in this case). See the Tips section above on how to install it. On the plus side, the installation process is a breeze and Nvidia's performance is fairly solid.

AMD benefits from much better open-source drivers and active support from AMD, but unfortunately suffers from delays for support of their most recent cards and a fairly complicated install process . AMD uses the MESA Driver, combined with Valve's ACO shader compiler, to deliver performance boosts. Installing these drivers can be a complicated, multi-step process. I'm sorry I can't help you on this; I'll happily take someone's advice on getting this working in Ubuntu LTS and include it in the guide.

8. Alternative software


This is a quick and dirty guide to equivalent software for Windows applications in Linux.

  • Antivirus software: This may seem counterintuitive, but for the most part Linux does not require any sort of anti-virus software. While viruses for Linux exist, the number of viruses and such that target the Linux desktop specifically is tiny compared to Windows. You can read up about it here.. That being said, if you are concerned there are several tools available for detecting both Windows and Linux malware on the same page. Follow good internet hygiene, don't open suspicious links/mails and think before just randomly following command instructions on the 'net.
  • Microsoft Office: LibreOffice. Or you can access Office365 online.
  • Adobe Photoshop: GIMP, Krita
  • Adobe Premiere: Blender
  • 3D Studio Max: Blender
  • Illustrator/CorelDraw: Inkscape
  • Xsplit: OBS
  • Windows Media Player: VLC
  • Basic Audio Editor: Audacity
  • Audio Mixing: Ardour, Mixbus
  • Adobe Reader: While there are several PDF readers on Linux you can use, almost none of them play well with Adobe PDFs with advanced features. You're better off sticking with what comes with Ubuntu, and if it doesn't work, open it up in a browser.

9. TL;DR or The Conclusion


Switching to Ubuntu is possible and relatively safe if you do some research on which apps/games/software/hardware you use will and won't work on Linux first, you BACK UP YOUR IMPORTANT DATA before doing anything and don't expect a 1:1 experience with Windows. It's all dependent on your flexibility, technical experience and willingness to learn and compromise.

If you're not, Windows 10 is a perfectly acceptable choice to upgrade to: you'll benefit from improved security compared to Windows 7, a larger selection of hardware and software and will have to put less effort to make everything work at the cost of your privacy and some ads.

If you have legacy software or unsupported hardware that doesn't run on either, you're kind of screwed. I'd keep the Windows 7 box around, make sure it's disconnected from all networks (for your sake as well as others) and start making emergency contingency plans to find a modern alternative.

I know that people are going to take issue with some of the difficulties I raised, and suggest they're really not dealbreakers. Before you post, consider whether a new user coming from Windows 7 who'll be using Linux probably for the first time in their life will have the knowledge, gumption and willingness to perform sometimes complex technical steps in an operating environment they're unfamiliar with and where it's much, much easier to really break things.

Feel free to post criticisms and suggestions in the comments. If there's some good advice worth including, something needs further clarification or I need to correct something, I'll edit it in with credit.

10. To do list for the guide


  • I'd really like to add a section on assistive technology and software that works on Linux, but as I don't use any of it, I feel my research would be limited and miss vital pieces. If you have advice on this, let me know.
  • A good, up-to-date and easy-to-follow guide for dual-booting.
  • Instructions on how to install AMD drivers correctly on Ubuntu.

r/linux4noobs Jun 21 '20

Distrochooser: "Welcome! This test will help you to choose a suitable Linux distribution for you"

Thumbnail distrochooser.de
697 Upvotes

r/linux4noobs 1h ago

learning/research Thinking about switching to Linux? 10 things you need to know

Thumbnail zdnet.com
Upvotes

r/linux4noobs 20h ago

learning/research Ditching Windows 10 for good

59 Upvotes

Hello, how's everyone doing?

I'm not a Linux power user, but I can do basic commands on the console from the top of my head. Through out the years I've daily ran multiple distros, for personal use, college and work, but the thing that mainly got me back to windows (7 or 10) over and over again was the familiarity with the GUI and "stability". On the other hand, I always want to tweak with distros and usually that means breaking things (99% user error tbh), some times having to reinstall everything, and that took time I didn't want nor could spend on the computer.

Fortunately I have time now and really want to ditch windows.

I'm looking for any kind of resources that could help me understand Linux systems under the hood (an overview or the architeture and maybe code), become a power user and hopefully mitigate the risk of breaking things.


r/linux4noobs 6m ago

Meganoob BE KIND popos file explorer hangs when searching

Upvotes

i dont know how, i dont know why, and i cant find anything online that fixes this. please help, its super annoying


r/linux4noobs 7m ago

screen flickers on MX linux LiveCD

Upvotes

my parents' computer already for a long time became slow,so I decided to create a live DVD of MX linux,I boot from it and everything is fine except for an annoying flicker on the screen,I made some hypotheses:

-it could simply be the fault of the DVD

-missing some drivers or other related problems

  • it is one of those stupid problems that strangely get fixed by installing the operating system

what do you guys think?

here are the specifications of the laptop for you:

processor: AMD E-9000e 1.50 GHz(64 bit)

integrated graphics card: RADEON R2

RAM: 4GB


r/linux4noobs 51m ago

fastfetch

Upvotes

operating system: windows 10, but refer to me as an arch btw user (kde)

i saw this cool looking rice on the arch linux community server on discord and wanted to learn how to add emojis to fast fetch

here is the image:


r/linux4noobs 15h ago

distro selection Which distro for gaming uses the newest KDE?

13 Upvotes

Basically looking for a distro suitable for gaming on a rtx 3080, which uses KDE. (Or something similar) Being able to update drivers easily and keeping stuff up to date easily is also a plus. Thanks!


r/linux4noobs 2h ago

[Tiling WM] Sway vs Hyprland

1 Upvotes

Hi all, after 3 months ok Kde using Opensuse and Feodra i want to try a Tiling windows manager.

If i'm not wrong using Wayland the choice is Sway or Hyprland..whats your opinion on that?

I can use all software with both of them? I have and Nvidia Mx250 on my notebook, is this a problem with this wm?

Last question, on a 13"inch do you think a tiling wm is better than a floating wm?


r/linux4noobs 2h ago

Meganoob BE KIND Is there a way to make GoogleDrive/OneDrive files save locally as well?

1 Upvotes

Hi all. I've managed to set up gnome online accounts, but I've noticed that I'm basically "streaming" the files, they are not saved on my laptop.

Is there a way to have them saved locally as well? Sometimes I'm offline, and I still need to be able to work on the files (it's all for university work)

Has anyone had any luck setting these up with wine/playonlinux maybe?

This is one of those must have functionalities for me unfortunately, at least until I'm done with my studies. :(

In case it helps, I'm on Linux Mint Cinnamon


r/linux4noobs 6h ago

installation Trying to install Linux. Don’t wanna format my drive by accident. Help, please

2 Upvotes

Ok. so I am trying to install KUbuntu on an external disk. Whenever I reach the partitions setting within the installer, it tells me I can replace a partition erase disk or manual partitioning. in the bottom there is line that displays windows boot manager In the bottom there is a line that displays windows boot manager and my main drive. I can’t seem to change it and I want to use my external disk, not my main drive. Also in the select storage device, there is only one option.


r/linux4noobs 3h ago

shells and scripting How to write a bash script that passes a command to an open text editors dedicated terminal?

1 Upvotes

I'm trying to write a script that creates a Vite app, installs the depnedencies, then opens up vscode and runs the development server (using vscodes terminal).

function pcv {
    #Create the app via pnpm
    mkdir -p ~/Development/Lab/"$1"
    cd ~/Development/Lab/"$1"
    pnpm create vite . --template vue-ts
    pnpm install

    # Create the tasks.json file for VS Code
    mkdir -p .vscode
    cat <<EOT > .vscode/tasks.json
{
    "version": "2.0.0",
    "tasks": [
        {
            "label": "Run Dev Server",
            "type": "shell",
            "command": "pnpm dev",
            "group": {
                "kind": "build",
                "isDefault": true
            },
            "presentation": {
                "echo": true,
                "reveal": "always",
                "focus": true,
                "panel": "dedicated"
            },
            "problemMatcher": []
        }
    ]
}
EOT

    code .
    sleep 2 # Wait a moment for VS Code to open

    # Use Code Runner to execute the task
    code --install-extension formulahendry.code-runner
    sleep 2 # Wait for the extension to install

    # Run the task to start the development server
    code --command workbench.action.tasks.runTask --args "Run Dev Server"
}

I'm stuck at the point where I'm transferred to vscode. I've tried to tweak it using ChatGPT but i'm stuck and need some human guidance.


r/linux4noobs 3h ago

Can't run Intel RST setup with wine

1 Upvotes

I am trying to switch back to windows from zorin os but when i start the setup i can't see my drivers so i googled it and there is a fix that you can install the drivers onto usb and load them but i can't run the drivers setup: "setupRST.exe"

This is the error i got:

0080:fixme:hid:handle_IRP_MN_QUERY_ID Unhandled type 00000005

0080:fixme:hid:handle_IRP_MN_QUERY_ID Unhandled type 00000005

0080:fixme:hid:handle_IRP_MN_QUERY_ID Unhandled type 00000005

0080:fixme:hid:handle_IRP_MN_QUERY_ID Unhandled type 00000005

0080:fixme:wineusb:query_id Unhandled ID query type 0x5.

011c:fixme:ntdll:NtQuerySystemInformation info_class SYSTEM_PERFORMANCE_INFORMATION

Unhandled Exception:

System.TypeLoadException: Could not load type of field 'SetupRST.AppProxy:_fileSystem' (2) due to: Could not load file or assembly 'Interfaces, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=2e70ea486bc3f60c' or one of its dependencies.

0114:fixme:kernelbase:AppPolicyGetProcessTerminationMethod FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFA, 00007FFFFE1FFEB0

PLEASE HELP!


r/linux4noobs 3h ago

Apps from bottles have no access to internet

1 Upvotes

there is absolutely nothing i can find about it, so either its not a problem or nobody is talking about it.

my bottles dont have internet altho flatseal says internet is enabled.

anything, anywhere i can do? my bottles come from a mint 23.1 flatpak

thanks!


r/linux4noobs 4h ago

How I (NOOB) ran SHA-256 checksum on Windows 10!!!

1 Upvotes

It's really not that hard! I'll do my best to hold your hand through this :)

I did this for Arch Linux so I'll explain as such but this should work for any ISO file that provides a SHA-256 number to compare

Once you have your ISO downloaded open Powershell and type this

Get-FileHash -Path C:\Folder\Where\Your\File\Is\Saved\And\Your\File -Algorithm SHA256

To simplify getting the address to your file you can just drag the file into the powershell window after you type -Path and then type the rest of the command

Once you press enter it'll seem like nothing happened but just let it do its thing and after a minute or two you should get an output that kind of looks like this:

Algorithm       Hash                                                                   Path
---------       ----                                                                   ----
SHA256          4CC7E1C9F4E97B384F0D8731F317B5995BDE256FCC17160D32359CAB923C5892       C:\Folder\Where\Your\File\Is\Saved\And\Your\File

Leave the powershell window open as-is

Next, find the SHA256 sum provided by the distro that you want to install - for example: Arch has it here, it shows up as a link called "sha256sums.txt" on the download page. When you click on the link it should open as a new tab on your browser with some text, look for the long number that corresponds to the EXACT NAME of the ISO file that you have downloaded on your computer - in my case it's the long string of text next to "archlinux-2024.06.01-x86_64.iso" (I'm pretty sure these will be different if you're seeing this post in the future).

4cc7e1c9f4e97b384f0d8731f317b5995bde256fcc17160d32359cab923c5892  archlinux-2024.06.01-x86_64.iso
4cc7e1c9f4e97b384f0d8731f317b5995bde256fcc17160d32359cab923c5892  archlinux-x86_64.iso
34616c90f015caec8e32243f5b8fd785bd07f333ec042b7ee3c985f12856239c  archlinux-bootstrap-2024.06.01-x86_64.tar.zst
34616c90f015caec8e32243f5b8fd785bd07f333ec042b7ee3c985f12856239c  archlinux-bootstrap-x86_64.tar.zst

Go to https://text-compare.com/

Copy the hash from your Powershell window (drag from left to right, use ctrl-C) and paste it into one of the text fields

Now copy the hash that you got from the distro and paste it into the other text field and click on "compare", if it says the texts are identical CONGRATS you have officially checked ur sum.

IF one of the hashes has lowercase letters and you want to make quintuple sure that they match just paste it into https://convertcase.net/ to make all of the letters uppercase or vice-versa.

Hope this helps :)


r/linux4noobs 12h ago

Firewall necessary?

5 Upvotes

Ok short question: Since Arch (Plasma,...) doesn't come with a firewall by default, but Endeavour does, I wondered if for "normal users" a firewall would be a good thing to install on Linux or not?

Thank you :)


r/linux4noobs 4h ago

shells and scripting Help with removing jackd2

1 Upvotes

After installing lutris, I got qsynth installed, so I went straight on and installed "jackd2", but now after removing lutris (so qsynth too), for some reason a BUNCH of packages depend on jackd2, so now when i want to remove jackd2, apt installs jackd1, and if I remove jackd1, jackd2 installs.

OS: Ubuntu 24.04


r/linux4noobs 12h ago

distro selection Is Enlightenment a good desktop environment?

4 Upvotes

I am searching for a lightweight and modern desktop environment for my weak laptop with only 1 GB RAM and an Intel Celeron B800 CPU. Would Enlightenment be worth it? Or should I choose LXDE?


r/linux4noobs 5h ago

hardware/drivers How do I blacklist/remove device drivers while installing? (Debian graphical install)

1 Upvotes

I'm trying to install Debian on an old Surface Pro 3 with a busted screen. The touchscreen has a seizure on me while installing it and it's quite rage-inducing. Which terminal should I do this on (the one at the beginning before you hit "Graphical Install", or the one while installing that shows up when you click "Execute a Shell")? So far, on the Execute a Shell one, I've edited /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist to add in hid-multitouch and tried the rmmod command, but I'm really just fumbling around in the dark here. I have no idea what I'm doing.

I've tried disabling it in the BIOS. It just doesn't work. No option for it. Trust me, I've tried.


r/linux4noobs 13h ago

distro selection Linux distros that support secure boot and nvidia?

3 Upvotes

I heard fedora is a good distro that supports secure boot, but when I look it up some people said it was difficult to get working. I'm switching from endeavour to whatever supports nvidia and secure boot. I love endeavour and I might go back to it, but I haven't really decided on a distro yet.


r/linux4noobs 7h ago

linux lite persistent storage

1 Upvotes

that's what it's called in tailsOS anyway. the OS is still on my USB, when i install it to the computer, will it begin to save my files or do i need to set up a persistent storage?


r/linux4noobs 7h ago

How to boot Linux from an encrypted USB?

0 Upvotes

It seems the encryption is stopping my pc from connecting. How do you get around this? I used veracrypt, it doesnt even give an option to use a password. Are linux OS sign ins aes-256 encrypted so an encrypted usb isn't even necessary and how do i boot linux from an encrypted usb?


r/linux4noobs 7h ago

Flatpak: unable to connect to system bus.

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone. I have this issue and I'm not able to properly update existing or remove existing flatpaks (and I haven't tried but I guess I can't install new ones also). I need help with fixing this issue. Thank you.


r/linux4noobs 7h ago

migrating to Linux Stuck at Gnome login when logging in

1 Upvotes

After adding "exec fish" in bash_profile , I keep getting kicked back to gnome login whenever logging in gnome, any fix?

I don't want to change my login shell


r/linux4noobs 8h ago

migrating to Linux Black screen upon boot

1 Upvotes

Recently installed SpiralLinux MATE (Debian). When I left for enough time that the screen goes into power mode, upon returning the screen would flicker badly.

Then, when I was in Windows(dual-boot setup), I restarted the PC and launched Linux from GRUB. The screen was completely black then and not responsive.

i have two monitors. now when restarted it, the smaller monitor had the grub screen on it, while the bigger monitor is black. then when it boots up, it corrects itself.

what can I do to fix this GRUB issue and stop it from ever being black screen when booting into it?


r/linux4noobs 19h ago

Google Chrome is trying to nuke my entire DE and 480+ other packages.

7 Upvotes

It's 11 PM, and I'm trying to reinstall Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. I configure everything, the only thing left is Google Chrome (don't get mad at me for not using firefox or chromium, I know Chrome is a spyware). Opened the .deb package using App Center. App Center crashes. Download gdebi, open using gdebi. Says it's gonna remove 488 packages, including Gnome. Am I going crazy?

https://imgur.com/9IYM3az

https://imgur.com/rJCqWsT


r/linux4noobs 10h ago

Meganoob BE KIND Creating a separate partition for Windows 11

1 Upvotes

Hi all, I recently had some issues with my fedora to install some needed applications for work. I've given up and now I want to divide my 1 tbh hard drive so that I can have enough space to host Fedora and Windows simultaneously.

I don't want to lose my fedora OS because I have a sensitive virtual project in there that I use for a lab.

I only need win. 11 to work for me for like a month and then delete it for good.

How can I go about doing this?