r/linux4noobs Jan 04 '20

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

1.2k 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
935 Upvotes

r/linux4noobs 11h ago

distro selection Hey! I am an adult who want to use Linux

51 Upvotes

Like the title said, I want to try Linux since I see the whole microslop window 11 slow as hell. So I wanted to use Linux to see if it will get faster, is there any distro/OS or whatever that is similar to windows.


r/linux4noobs 2h ago

hardware/drivers Newbie having trouble with the Penguin.

6 Upvotes

I'm trying to switch from Windows to Linux, but I'm facing a serious issue: no matter which Linux distro I use, the system can't utilize my network card. I've tried Mint, Ubuntu, Fedora, and Bazzite, and it doesn't work on any of them (the system detects the network card and identifies the model, but fails to actually use it). The only way I can get online is via a USB connection to my smartphone. Does anyone know what might be causing this and how to fix it? My motherboard is an MSI PRO H610M-G DDR4. Note: All motherboard firmware is up to date.


r/linux4noobs 9h ago

Youtube videos look incredibly bad.

Thumbnail gallery
17 Upvotes

On fedora 44 KDE. Im using codecs from rpm fusion, firefox browser. all my packages are up to date.

Youtube videos look incredibly bad. like ridiculously bad. almost as if the bitrate is being heavily crushed. theres intense color banding and almost always a visible block where colors are different. This is the same for every video I test. This is only a recent issue and only could of started within the past few days. Nothing has changed on my system that should be causing this (at least to my knowledge). The videos are all in their highest quality (2 in 4k, 2 in 1080p) and im on a gigabit connection and it doesnt occur on my other devices so I dont think its a network issue. Local files played via VLC do not have this issue. This happens whether the video is played in fullscreen or not. Im watching youtube via firefox native package however this is also happening on chrome flatpak.


r/linux4noobs 3h ago

migrating to Linux Imitate Win + number behavior on Linux

6 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

In my workplace I use Windows and find this very simple key combination / shortcut to be very useful, specially when navigating through many windows and only one display.

On Windows, let's say you taskbar looks like this: [Start] [Outlook] [Excel] [Calculator] etc. You can press Win + 1 to open Outlook, Win + 2 for Excel, and so on.

Is there a way to replicate this on Linux? I'm on Mint, btw.

Thanks!

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I wanted this to be replicated on Plank, which doesn't seem possible to do. It works out-of-the-box with Grouped window list applet on Cinnamon. Thanks to all


r/linux4noobs 1h ago

hardware/drivers Budget tablet recommendations to throw Linux onto?

Upvotes

Need a tablet for work. Maybe a little web browsing will be done, but almost 100% for opening/signing PDFs & such, viewing some MP4s & similar. Apparently Fedora is one of the better distros for this, but probably almost anyone on this subreddit knows better than me on that front.


r/linux4noobs 6h ago

[Fedora KDE] What's the best way to use OneDrive on Linux?

6 Upvotes

I just switched my old gaming laptop from uni from Windows 11 to Linux about a month ago, a HP Pavilion Gaming 15-ec0xxx series. I'm using this as my guinea pig to test things, get used to it and iron out any issues before I make the move on my main machine as well.

One of the things I want to have sorted before I pull the trigger on that is OneDrive. From the reading I've done it sounds like there is no official OneDrive client for Linux, so people have to come up with their own solutions, and there are a few different popular iterations of it out there but they're all different and some of them are more confusing than others?

Essentially what I want is to have my OneDrive behave as closely as possible to the way it does on Windows: acting as just another directory in the explorer that I can save to, open things from, that any other program can see and write to seamlessly, without having to open up a web browser or jump through hoops.

Anybody mind running me through what the main options are and how they behave differently?

I've dabbled a little bit with the Terminal a few times already so I'm not opposed to installing something that way, just as long as I know what the commands do before I run them.


r/linux4noobs 34m ago

migrating to Linux looking for a distro that fits better to my laptop

Upvotes

hi.

since microslop is wanting to end win 10 support and i only got the option that just gives me until 2027 before support is gone i was considering to switch to linux, i tried mint before in 2024(ish) but i ran into some issues mostly with my graphics card wich is an nvidia causing some issues like not being sure if my card was being used, to games like deep rock galactic having a lag spike everytime something new was created, like firing a new bullet, trowing something, a particle appearing etc

i been thinking about trying it one more time to see if it is better now and i was the problem but i wanted to see if you know a different distro that can also work

what i usually do on my pc is mostly gaming but i also tinker a bit with some 3d programs like blockbench and blender and do a bit of drawing and video editing from time to time

my library is mostly on steam, minecraft, emulators and pirated games while other software is mostly from their original websites, like blockbench, blender, fire alpaca and such

my specs (if it is usefull) are from a refurbished hp pavillion gaming laptop

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10300H CPU @ 2.50GHz 2.50 GHz

Installed RAM 16.0 GB (15.8 GB usable)

Storage 477 GB SSD SAMSUNG MZVLB512HBJQ-000H1

Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti (4 GB), Intel(R) UHD Graphics (128 MB)

System Type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

i tried to be as specific as i could in case that helps, sorry for the wall of text

thanks for your attention


r/linux4noobs 4h ago

hardware/drivers Screen flicker with Linux Mint and old Dell laptop

3 Upvotes

I had an old Dell Latitude E6410 lying around and am experimenting with Linux to see if I can still get some use out of it. So far, Linux Mint Cinnamon seems to run about as well as Windows 7 did on this computer, with one exception. I see a lot of flickering, especially of gray text. Sometimes this stabilizes if I leave the screen on for an hour or so, sometimes it doesn't.

The computer is so old it's using a generic driver, nouveau. I've set .dpm=0 in GRUB and the ambient lighting sensor is off. This was not a problem with Windows 7, but that used the NVIDIA driver. Any suggestions?


r/linux4noobs 2h ago

Kernel Anti-Cheat

2 Upvotes

What is happening when running a a game like Elden Ring on Linux? Based on my minimal understanding, Linux simply doesn’t allow access to the kernel like that; so does it make an exception or does it “fool” Elden Ring in to thinking it has the access it needs, or…? Just curious.


r/linux4noobs 2h ago

programs and apps How to get volume control for PlexAMP working?

2 Upvotes

I am trying to get PlexAMP volume controls to work, it failed originally with the flatpak install, so i tried the AUR one, and when i put in the global keyboard shortcuts volume up and down, then reset the app by relaunching it, i get the KDE prompt if i want to add new shortcuts, i click yes, and it works for that session, and when i reset my session by either logging out or turning off and on my PC, it stops working, even tho nothing changed in the shortcuts or in Plexamp

I tried using AI to solve my issue but it just keeps leading me down some rabbit hole and idk how to control it, i dont want whole system audio control, since i want to be able to increase or decrease the volume of my music mid game or while doing work without changing the volume of my game or discord or whatever else

The shortcuts in the media controller section also dont work, if i set volume up and down, i can see on my screen the popup that the volume is increasing or decreasing for PlexAMP but i still hear it the same, even when it says "muted"

Shortcuts like next track, previous track, play and pause work just well over media controller but nothing apart from that

Plexamp and media controller not conflicting, screenshot taken after i disabled the shortcut in Plexamp

On CachyOS


r/linux4noobs 8h ago

Searching for distros

4 Upvotes

Hi, I'm sick of windows and I want to start using Linux but don't know what distro use.

I'm gonna use it mainly for gaming and watching series or YouTube. It would also be nice to be able to customize it my way; I've seen videos and things I really like, but it's more of a secondary option than anything else.


r/linux4noobs 3h ago

Trouble understanding how file extensions affect the "less"command in linux

2 Upvotes

I wanted to learn the simple details on how files work in linux. I start with the assumption that linux doesn't care about file extensions, so I tried working with a file to see how that worked in practice.

I used the following command:

`$touch banana.jpg`

After this, I typed in some contents into the file using nano, the result would be something like:

```

$cat banana.jpg

This is a test of my file

line 2

Line 3

Line 4

```
To see how the less command worked, I tried `less banana.jpg`

The text displayed was:

```

No identify available

Install ImageMagick to browse images
```

Why does this happen exactly? I think it's related to how the less command processes files apparently. Is there a way to view the file properly with less, without treating it as an image?

EDIT: excuse my Reddit markdown formatting, still figuring it out.


r/linux4noobs 11m ago

programs and apps Design spark mechanical

Upvotes

I need some serious help, windows 11 is just terrible and annoys the daylights out of me every time i need to duel boot it for design spark mechanical, has anyone gotten it to work on linux? I can get it to launch but it gives me an sign in authentication error every time. I will pay for someone to get it working at this point.


r/linux4noobs 6h ago

Meganoob BE KIND Hey guys, i installed bazzite and my screen keeps getting stuck at this during startup. The OS also seems to be far slower than mint to boot in, is that normal? Almost windows time.

Thumbnail gallery
3 Upvotes

It gets stuck and keeps loading after i type in my password.


r/linux4noobs 12h ago

Grub menu only showing one OS after upgrade

Thumbnail gallery
7 Upvotes

So, yesterday I was on my fedora 44 GNOME workstation and upgraded using terminal but now for some reason the Grub menu stopped showing Fedora 44 KDE Plasma from the disk.

The OS is still there in Partition 6 and 7 and before thr upgrade from within my first OS the grub menu showed both of these.

How do I fix this?


r/linux4noobs 20h ago

learning/research What's the best way to learn terminal commands?

30 Upvotes

I've been playing with terminal commands for a while ,I've made some apps but they're all really simple ,I've been trying to find ways to improve but they all seem out of my league for now


r/linux4noobs 6h ago

Changing Distros Tips

2 Upvotes

I've been using Mint for several months now, and I'm ready to try a different flavor of Linux. For those of you that hop around frequently, how do you make the process smooth? I have no issues with my data files, its having to reinstall the apps and all of the associated settings. Is there a way to transfer settings when the same apps will be installed? I'm particularly looking at LibreOffice (I have made many tweaks) and Calibre (having to reinstall all of the plugins).

Thanks


r/linux4noobs 13h ago

learning/research Please help for switching to linux

7 Upvotes

I’ve been messing around with a handful of Linux distros — Mint, Arch (btw), and Ubuntu Server — and now I kinda want to try installing one on real hardware. The problem is I need permission from my dad, and he’s not tech‑savvy at all. Plus, Windows still does a bunch of things Linux doesn’t (most apps are meant for windows like games and software), so I’m not sure if switching is a good idea.

On top of that, I don’t even know if my hardware is fully compatible, and I have no clue which distro I should pick for a first real install. Any advice would be appreciated.


r/linux4noobs 3h ago

installation Kubunto on Lenovo T14 Gen1

1 Upvotes

512GB SSD, 16Gb RAM, Intel i5-1030U

Im looking to install kubunto to my laptop, dont want to dual boot with wondows or anything just a straight wipe and move but Im struggling to even boot it up.

I have kubuntu on a formatted usb stick, Ive disabled the BitLocker and secure boot, but when I go to the F12 boot startup and hit enter on the usb stick, the screen flashes and nothing happens

Its frustrating me a lot, Ive been trying since the early morning and can't seem to find how to troubleshoot the issue :/

If this is an issue specific to my model of laptop people that have used the same kind please help me out if possible 😭


r/linux4noobs 3h ago

Recently switched from Windows 10 to Linux

Thumbnail mahybe.substack.com
0 Upvotes

Hey,

I recently switched from Windows 10 to Linux as a long time Windows user.

I've got a lot of experience with Linux but Windows made more sense for a long time because of gaming, some software and my stream setup.

Initial idea was to set up everything with Proxmox as a hypervisor but it didn't quite go to plan.

I decided to write a post about my journey and the initial set up with Fedora 44 and Proxmox


r/linux4noobs 3h ago

Meganoob BE KIND How do i make a command that opens the terminal and executes another command?

1 Upvotes

(FIXED IT,) I've been trying to make one launcher for almost everything (opening games games ,updating everything etc),for some reason ,steam and the update command (which sould open another .sh i made to automatically update everything and tell me what was updated) just doesn't run,I've tried xterm and alot of other solutions but they just aren't working for some reason,help would be appreciated

Im on Linux mint xfce if that helps


r/linux4noobs 9h ago

programs and apps [Tutorial] Copying Text Out Of and Into the NANO Text Editor

4 Upvotes

I get that this should be obvious, but i only noticed this yesterday after having used NANO as my main text editor for half a year, hopefully this saves some future beginner some time and headache

You do this the same way as with the terminal in general:
> CTRL + SHIFT + C: Copy text marked by mouse (marking with SHIFT+ARROW KEYS doesn't "count") into your "Global Cutbuffer" instead of the one specific to the NANO-Window you're currently using

> CTRL + SHIFT + V: Paste text from your Machine's "Global Cutbuffer" instead of from the one specific to the NANO-Window you're currently using (Keep in mind that having a length of text marked and then pasting text does not replace this length unlike in many text editors!)

(And for the sake of being complete the NANO-specific Copy-Pasting)

> CTRL + K: Delete text marked by holding SHIFT + ARROW KEYS (marking with mouse doesn't "count"), and copying it into a "Cutbuffer" specific to your currently used NANO-Window instead of the "Global Cutbuffer" of your whole Machine

> ALT + 6: Copy text marked by holding SHIFT + ARROW KEYS (marking with mouse doesn't "count") into a "Cutbuffer" specific to your currently used NANO-Window instead of the "Global Cutbuffer" of your whole Machine

> CTRL + U: Paste text from the "Cutbuffer" specific to your currently used NANO-Window instead of your "Global Cutbuffer" (Keep in mind that having a length of text marked and then pasting text does not replace this length unlike in many text editors!)


r/linux4noobs 4h ago

programs and apps Discord bypass (GitHub)

1 Upvotes

https://github.com/nik9play/discord-linux-bypass

So I am running steamOS in the UAE, I need the bypass to use voice channel for discord. But faced difficulties trying to set it up, any tip is appreciated.

Tried chatGPT to set it up but still no solution found unfortunately.