It had Windows installed and it was taking up 3 partitions or something so i destroyed its recovery drive and i probably need to start fresh with just Linux
Is there a way to just reset and do everything over like by repartitioning and installing something like Fedora or Ubuntu? I tried to jnstall PopOS and i think i settled on the ZorinOS or something but I can’t get Ethernet or my VPN working and I want to be able to download “app” “installers” like you do with PC or MacOS.
Baby steps
Edit: fucked up the pc is way harsh. ZorinOS is technically stable-y-ish installed, its just Windows is gone but maybe thats the opposite of fucked 🤔
Edit: so i checked and its ZorinOS. What do y’all think of Zorin, should I still migrate to something more ubiquitous and longer-running?
Windows is gone
Sounds like secureboot shinanigans. Windows just needs to be on its own total drive.
I’d just use Kubuntu. Had to fix CachyOS twice this year.
“Linux is so easy just install it”
Linux is not easy. macOS is easy. Windows is easy. Linux is a jalopy that you enjoy fixing an occasionally get working.
I have had so much more trouble with Windows than Linux.
I get it but sometimes you gotta make the medicine a bit sweet so the concentrated fly vinegar oil goes down at all
I’m not a Linux expert, but I’ve had good luck making bootable Linux USB drives and testing whatever I want on those before making the actual install. It’s a fun way to switch flavors too.
I ran Puppy Linux off of a flash drive on my main rig for about a year years ago before I got around to replacing the hard drive that failed…
Nothing is more permanent than a temporary solution!
Use mint. Every Linux first timer should just use mint. It’s easy AF and it works
unless your cpu etc is new, then mint is the worst advice you will ever receive (been there)
Choose a distro, follow their installation guide.
This. It’s really that easy, if you take it slow. Maybe grab a beer/soda/coffee on the way in
Each unto their own, but I would never mix those 3 together…
Don’t forget to account for Nvidia.
My old pc (now used mainly for watching movies etc) has a nvidia card in it, the only distro I ever had issues with was debian, which is unlikely to be recommended, especially now. People really do have a bad habit of recommending non-awesome distros to newbies though, as op’s list of options shows.
I am a Debian man, and I will hear no words about it being non-awesome.
They really need to fix the Nvidia compatibility though…🤔
But it’s just so…clean in there. An empty canvas on which I can paint. So empty, in fact, that it doesn’t have Nvidia drivers. Just as Murdock intended!
This is why I love Arch. It comes with nothing installed and everything available!
I had debian installed as a back up distro on 2 computers due to it not be corrupted like fedora, and ubuntu. It installed easily on the amd system, as expected. I ended up using a script to instal it on the intel (with integrated graphics) and nvidia system. It just didn’t want to play nice.
Then debian decided to hold a vote with 20 different options… all of them including debian going ai
Now debian has gone bye-bye
You enjoy your awesome though :P
Whichever distro you decide on (the current top comment is correct in implying that it really doesn’t matter), just look up how its program manager works. It’s usually not hard to use, but it does vary from distro to distro.
Unlike Windows, you usually want to install Linux programs from the distro’s “app store” instead of downloading each program from its website. However, what’s called “app image files” do exist. I want to emphasize, though, that these should be your last resort.
You shouldn’t use installers like you do on windows.
You either rely on the disteo repo to have an up to date version, you rely on a community repo to not get compromised again, or you hope the application devs have a repo you can add to your package manager.
wellthen there are Flatpaks, which are fairly easy to install, cross-distro etc. But essentially above is correct installing “random sh#t” on Linux is possible but WHY would you want to bring really bad security practices into environment where it a lot easier to implement good security?
If you want to compleetly start over you can write a new partition table. I usually boot a gparted live disk and prepare my partitions there.
https://gparted.org/livecd.php
For old PCs I can recommend Linux Mint. It’s easy to use and low on ressources.
In short, yes, Fedora, Ubuntu, or whatever will be able to install on your laptop just fine. Since you seem relatively new, I would suggest Mint as it is aimed at new users.
App installers, the way you are accustomed to from Windows, aren’t really a thing in Linux. Most applications are installed by your distro’s package manager. For those that aren’t, there is often a choice of either downloading a package for your distro ( debs in the case of Debian-derived distros like Ubuntu and Mint, rpms for Fedora and friends ) or using something like Flatpack. But really your package manager will handle most things you are looking for.
either do linux mint or ironically arch (as a starting off point!)
linux mint is a simple to follow gui from a liveusb.
arch is trickier, but I actually find archinstall is really straightforward and fast. once you unfuck the computer, you can take your time to choose something more apt.Another comment: fedora is a good distro. Mint is also good. Both are pretty straightforward, will do what you want, and are easy to work with. They are recommended a lot for good reason.
There are three main types of software.
- software installed from the distribution’s repositories
- flatpaks - which are basically sandboxed software bundled with their own dependencies
- app images - which are basically executables like a windows .exe
When looking for software, I think most people install them in that order. (Some distros are immutable and therefore 2) is often the first choice but that’s getting ahead of ourselves a bit)
Hope this helps.
I have installed Linux on many things. Post the output of your “lspci” and the output of your “ip address”
What device is it? It’s unusual for Ethernet to not work .
Pc tower
It might sound stupid, but turn off your PC, switch off the power supply, remove the power cable, wait for about 30-40 seconds, then plug the cable back, switch it on and power on your desktop.
It might be an issue caused by Windows fast startup. Even though you completely removed Windows, the power state might still be ‘hanging’ around and causing issues.
I would add “press the power button for 10 sec with everything unplugged.” That should clear any remaining power storing problematic settings. That’s about as fresh as you can get!
Yeah, but that’s like saying “blue. The kind of car I drive is blue.”
If you can get logged-in and issue an
lspciit’ll help a lot.Just take a pic of the output with your phone if you’re on the console. We’ll cope.
For an older system I’ve been very pleased with the performance of Bodhi Linux. And the UI is very customizable.
Now that’s a name I haven’t heard for years. Hope they’re doing fine.
baby steps
It’s also one step forward and two steps back sometimes like you’ve just discovered. Lol
But if you keep at it – like you are now --you’ll be sprinting wo realizing that you are and you’ll be confused as to why it’s hard for most people to understand how or why or even that it exists.
Everyone else already hit on the advice I came to write on your post so this was the only thing left I had to share. 😛
Thats why I asked here before I entertain proceeding ;) All part of the plan, babe
I started doing the same thing but then Lemmy told me to give up on my dreams. Lol
