Hey, so I just put this part up first because this is the one I urgently and importantly need answered even tho I wrote that hideous text block first (sorry English isn't my first language ).
1 So the question is I have live booted mint from a USB and everything is working like I can use internet on it , play YouTube video , the sound is working etc . But I'm afraid if I wipe windows and install mint as the main OS and the WiFi stops working I'll be fucked as I don't have a second machine except a phone to even fix it . There is no repair shop near and the ones I have to travel to go to charge very high for services and all the people I know are " just phone people" . Is it guaranteed that everything that works on a live USB will also work as the main OS ? Also is there a chance that updates could break the functionalities like WiFi, sound , rendering etc ? Cause I'm a layman and idk how to go about installing the correct kernal manually or some shit . And if its something like WiFi that got fucked I'll be extra fucked as I don't have a second device and can't even do it manually . Also as I said I can't afford servicing now . Also how do I switch back to windows lol ? I'm just running mint of the USB o don't know how to go back to windows, do I just pull the USB out ? Then what ? What are the steps on BIOS ? Shit I should've probably searched all these up before bit oh well as long as I'm making a post do feel free to answer idk if I should close my lap or not .I read a post on reddit of a guy whose WiFi stopped working after he made it his primary and he said that it worked on live USB . He was running mint too I believe, same as me with no other device .
Do try and reply to 1 (1 is the most important ) , 2 and 3 importantly and 4 you can do or not according to your free time .
2 Also what is the message on mints website talking about having to do something else for newer devices ? I now use an old thinkpad and it isn't an issue but I'm planning to do an upgrade real soon
3 Also how does the process vary with RISC-V architecture ? Is it there yet ? Any laptop to lookout for or is PC the only way ? I was thinking about switching to risc-v when upgrafing if any company manufactures components or laptop which they do fully as Foss . I am open to building a PC for RISC-V if I can buy full open source parts and if the Linux support is good .
4 I was thinking about switching to Linux for a long time cause I'm paranoid as fuck and always thought I should switch to mint as I'm a layman of all layman and recently got enough time to make it . But then I came to know of zorin OS which too seems to appease to begginers and the conseus between mint and zorin online vary a lot so thought I should just ask here as Lemmy seems to be crawling with Linux users . I mainly just want the drivers or hardware or kernal and all to just work perfectly all the time and not break after updates . I have also heard of some people having kernal issues and having to do it manually in which case I'll be fucked as I'm not savy . I mainly want good privacy and security . Zorin seem to have a paid version and I'm afraid devs will cut back on other version to promote that more and I have no plan to buy premium as i'm just getting into Linux and don't wanna make a big commitment maybe if I used it and settle on it I'll buy to support devs . Also mint is more popular and here to stay kinda shit right ? I don't care much about looking like windows or running window compatible apps and games I'll be just happy with the OS I'm choosing running all Linux shit . Also which appstore is better ? I heard mints software repo holds closed and outdated apps and don't have much idea about Zorin's . fdroid is one of the reason I grew to love android a place for all the good apps with no blobs and have everything I could ever need from galleries to browser . I would also like a that kinda app store supported distro with similar focus and policies on keeping apk updated , and building without proprietary blobs (like fennec ) and only foss .etc .
Sorry for the block of words , mistake grammer etc . English isn't my first language.
If you have another spare USB stick you can put a Windows iso onto it (I assume you know how to do this if you have a Linux Mint usb) and so if your WiFi stops working then you can boot off of that, however, I have never had any WiFi issues on Linux personally so I don't think it's a huge issue, that's just me though. Linux Mint and Zorin OS are both pretty similar for beginners other than the look of them, so I'd just go with whichever you prefer the look of. I can't really say much about the app stores though.
I actually don't know how to make a windows USB lol . I did mints with a help of a YouTube channel and reading a fuckton of docs, guides, discussion . I also don't have another USB but I could by a cheap one .
Making a Windows USB should be a very similar process to making a Linux Mint one, download to ISO and flash it onto a USB stick using whatever program (I recommend https://etcher.balena.io/) and if you can get another USB stick that could be pretty good or you can always flash Windows onto your Linux Mint USB once you've installed Linux Mint. Side Note: You can also Dual Boot Linux and Windows fairly easily so you can use both OSs on the same machine.
Hey as long as you seem to be here can I ask if it is safe to close my lap ? I never learned how to switch back to windows lol . I should've probably learned that and now I'm stuck on mint . Is just yanking the USB out gonna solve it ? And then what to do in the BIOS ? The same step as booting into mint ? Any variation ?
Taking out the USB should let you boot into Windows without any BIOS configuration as Linux Mint isn't installed. When you install an Operating System, it gets put onto your internal storage from the USB, but if it hasn't been installed yet from the USB it shouldn't ever touch your Windows Install. In BIOS you can change the order that different devices boot if they are present. eg: USB drive then Hard Drive then SSD then DVD. So if you unplug the USB Drive then it should go onto the next device, the one Windows is installed on so that should boot. Unplugging the USB should be totally safe but turn the computer off first, I can answer your questions, I'm happy to help.
Grab a bunch of ISO's from some of the more well known distros. Drop them on a removable drive and try each of them live.
Best way to do this if you have a larger drive is to install Ventoy, it lets you simply drop ISO files on it and it will make a menu and let you boot any of them.
During the live run check that everything you want works. If wifi works during live it will probably work when installed. Browse the web, play youtube, see if you can access shares on your LAN, play music, movies, check if it sees all your peripherals, run a graphics benchmark etc. This is how I landed on Manjaro a few years back when looking for a new distro.
My line of reasoning is that if a distro can do all this stuff in its live version (an has put enough care in it to make it work that well) it's a strong indicator that the actual distro will be good too.
Man, you will have some pain as any change will cause. But I think you will like it. Have a second USB to be safe.
Nothing in live week ever be 100% guaranteed to work forever. You'll be fine, mostly.
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Yes, Live Linux system and regular install are practically identical. It's the same software. Everything should work. There's reason to assume Wifi will suddenly break. (Actually, Live systems differ a lot from a traditional install, but you can assume that what worked on the live system will work later. It is the same software after all. Same kernel including all drivers.)
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Keep this USB you have just booted from. This is the tool to recover if things should go south.
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You can keep Windows, usually, when installing Linux. The process requires "shrinking the Windows partition" and a boot loader that can handle both. Pretty standard; the installer should guide you.
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You can totally use a phone to google how to fix your Linux.
Have fun with Linux Mint. It's the Just works Linux.
I read a post on reddit of a guy whose WiFi stopped working after he made it his primary and he said that it worked on live USB . He was running mint too believe that's where I got the idea that this could be an issue . Also I know you can google how to fix it but most guides on how to fix something usually requires a PC .
This has happened to me before on different systems. In my case it seems to have something to do with the install process not installing "non-free" drivers for whatever reason, even when the live install has them activated. If your wifi stops working after installing from a live usb or whatever, you would have to look up "mint wifi drivers" and figure out how to install them. If you can do a temporary wired connection you can easily update the system and install the right drivers with the driver manager in Mint. If you don't have a the ability to do a wired connection you will likely have to find the some non-free driver .deb files and copy them to a usb and install them to your system from there. If the live cd is working you can use that to find and download the drivers to the usb it's using.
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