[CLOSED] A noob is thinking about installing Linux

[waxmaster_c]

Hello folks.
I'm thinking of switching over to Linux as it got my attention in recent times
I'm a total noob with zero expirience but i'v red a lot and watched a lot of videos recently so i think i got some basic knowledge I have an ASUS ROG Strix G17 (2019) gaming laptop.

The reasons because i am considering switching to Linux are the following :

1. I just love tweaking and tinkering around with stuff. In other words i am very much a "power user" and no device was spared. Back in the day when i was 12 - 16 years old i was a regular XDA member tinkering with Android phones.( I even installed Android on Xperia X1 once - the Windows Mobile device from 2008. When i heard about Linux tinkering, tweaking and customization abilities, honestly i got fascinated and decided to learn more.

2. Safety/Security/Privacy - We are all concerned with those so i don't need to explain anything further but my case is little contentious -
My Windows machine is infected with a rootkit spyware of some sort. How do i know? I was looking around for signs of infection then an editor window appeared with "police" written in it. Long story short i had a little trouble with the authorities, i am pretty sure the malware came preinstalled and is theirs, because it is a very sofisticated rootkit, able to survive factory resets, Windows re-installations and disk wipes.

3. Novelty - just wanting to see, expirience and see something new. We all know Windows too very well. It just became "boring" and Win11 doesn't help either. And because of it's closed source nature you don't technically own Windows, so tweaking and tinkering is limited in its scope - in most cases they just let you use it. I want my PC to be truly mine, even if that means i can mess up the system with carelesness.

Now my questions to you Linux folks are the following :

1. Do you even recommend or is it worth it to try and install at all based on the reasons i wrote above?

2. If yes, what distro do you recommend? Primary uses will be surfing and casual gaming.

3. Is it even safe to try installation with a rootkit infection? If yes should i dual-boot or is it best to wipe Windows and use Linux only? Data is not a problem, laptop is relatively new, so it doesn't have much data on it just some games and pictures.

Laptop spec :
i7 10875h (10th)
RTX 2070
16 gigs RAM
1 TB SSD

Have a nice day.

 

[Tolkem]

Now my questions to you Linux folks are the following :

1. Do you even recommend or is it worth it to try and install at all based on the reasons i wrote above?

2. If yes, what distro do you recommend? Primary uses will be surfing and casual gaming.

3. Is it even safe to try installation, based on the information i provided up? If yes should i dual-boot or is it best to wipe Windows and use Linux only? Data is not a problem, laptop is relatively new, so it doesn't have much data on it just some games and pictures.

1. Yes, it is absolutely worth your time.
2. I can recommend the three I use:
Q4OS https://www.q4os.org/
KDE Neon https://neon.kde.org/download
EndeavourOS https://endeavouros.com/
I can also recommend Linux Lite https://www.linuxliteos.com/download.php

You could try each at a time from a USB, see which one works the best in your machine, meet your needs and expectations. I'd look for:
1. Ease of use: Update and install packages(software) shouldn't be difficult.
2. Resource usage: How well does each in your machine; use of RAM, disk space, CPU, etc.
3. Look and feel: While you can customize every single aspect of pretty much any Linux distro out there, it's really nice when you just don't have to, at least not to the point that you need to change everything.
4. Community support: Check their respective forums, register, and ask a few questions.

You can take a look here too, https://distrowatch.com/ and check the reviews, see what other people say about them.

Hope this helps!

 

[Brickwizard]

Welcome to the forums, I have taken a look at the full spec's of your machine, looking good to install any distribution you fancy,
there is one potential problem and that is the duel band Wi-Fi as they do not specify what make they have used.
with over 500 distributions to choose from you have the choice from a lightweight build right through to one of the heavyweights,
A popular build for the newbie is Mint with the cinnamon desktop or the current most popular build on Distrowatch [and one of the fastest] MX-64 with ahs [advanced hardware support for the latest machines] but being aimed at the business market will need some tweaking for gaming,

Bwiz

 

[KGIII]

I just love tweaking and tinkering around with stuff.

You're gonna break your install - a lot. Linux is really stable, until you go screwing with it.

That's okay. Backups are important and you'll learn to backup properly along the way. But, you will break your install if you immediately start tweaking.

Again, that's okay. Breaking your install will teach you many things and you'll have a greater understanding of what's really going on under the hood. I suspect most of us here are guilty of A Tweak Too Far, and have hosed our install. I know I have - multiple times. Fortunately, I have backups!

Seriously, you will break your installation of Linux with your tweaking. I of course highly encourage tweaking, but you may want to wait a few months to get a decent idea of what you're doing. It'd suck if you ended up not liking Linux because you broke it over and over again.

Linux isn't Windows - and that's something important that you'll want to keep in mind. If you Google that phrase, there's a page dedicated to explaining that Linux isn't Windows.

As for a distro suggestion...

Finally, an Answer to What is The Best Linux Distro? • Linux Tips

Finally, an attempt to answer to the age old question: Which Linux distro is the best? Read on to find out which distro is the best Linux distro.

linux-tips.us

 

[kc1di]

Welcome to the Forum. Which ever Linux Distro you choose your machine should handle it fine.
Enjoy!

 

[waxmaster_c]

You're gonna break your install - a lot. Linux is really stable, until you go screwing with it.

That's okay. Backups are important and you'll learn to backup properly along the way. But, you will break your install if you immediately start tweaking.

Again, that's okay. Breaking your install will teach you many things and you'll have a greater understanding of what's really going on under the hood. I suspect most of us here are guilty of A Tweak Too Far, and have hosed our install. I know I have - multiple times. Fortunately, I have backups!

Seriously, you will break your installation of Linux with your tweaking. I of course highly encourage tweaking, but you may want to wait a few months to get a decent idea of what you're doing. It'd suck if you ended up not liking Linux because you broke it over and over again.

Linux isn't Windows - and that's something important that you'll want to keep in mind. If you Google that phrase, there's a page dedicated to explaining that Linux isn't Windows.

As for a distro suggestion...

Finally, an Answer to What is The Best Linux Distro? • Linux Tips

Finally, an attempt to answer to the age old question: Which Linux distro is the best? Read on to find out which distro is the best Linux distro.

linux-tips.us

Thats right. Ofcourse i will not go tinkering around with it immidiately after i install. I will carefully examine, read and do research on what i can and what i cannot do. I am fully aware of the risks. XDA was my "baptism of fire".

 

[KGIII]

Ofcourse i will not go tinkering around with it immidiately after i install.

Learning by breaking is a legitimate path to understanding Linux.

I actually enjoyed the learning curve. It was fun to learn new things. Pretty much every skill I had on Windows didn't translate to Linux. The key takeaway is backups are essential.

 

[kc1di]

Enjoy the Journey. There are may good tutorials that can help you learn. Here is one set I like.

Home | Linux Journey

linuxjourney.com

But in the end you will need to learn by doing mistakes and all.

 

[waxmaster_c]

The day of salvation has arrived !
After last 2 days of thinking and researching, and after a little testing from USB i decided to get Mint Cinnamon 20.2.
I am hoping for a great expirience.

 

[Brickwizard]

i decided to get Mint Cinnamon 20.2.

Its one of the heaviest distributions but has a great following due to its ease of use for ex microsoft users, Like any other linux it can be modified to suit any specific need you may have...... Enjoy

 

[waxmaster_c]

Its one of the heaviest distributions but has a great following due to its ease of use for ex microsoft users, Like any other linux it can be modified to suit any specific need you may have...... Enjoy

That was exactly what i was looking for, a relatively good balance of easiness and security but with freedom and similiarity to windows so switching will be easier.

 

[Brickwizard]

no matter which distribution you chose to go with, just remember ther is still a learning curve, quite a few members [me included] run mint on at least one machine, so if you get stuck there should be sufficient membership support
once you are happy with your installation please edit the title of this thread to include [Solved] thanks

Bwiz

 

[kc1di]

I have run mint on a pretty consistent basis since it's inception. You can depend on it it to be fairly stable. And has a good set of program choices. Give a shout if you need help. Some graphics card and some wireless card can be problematic but nothing that with patience can't be over come. I would also recommend that you visit their very active forum. Found here:

Linux Mint Forums - Index page

 

[captain-sensible]

if not already mentioned i think "timeshift" may have been installed by default - there is a great thread on here by Chris wiz. Start perhaps getting that set up and running, it will help a lot.

 

[KGIII]

Did you eliminate Windows, or dual boot?

 

[waxmaster_c]

Did you eliminate Windows, or dual boot?

I decided to let windows live just in case something happens you never know.

I'v been playing with Mint for couple hours now mostly setting it up, basic customizations and playing with system settings and i must admit that i am pretty much impressed.
It's blazing fast, intuitive, and comfortable to use.
I expected some problems with compatibility but suprisingly - literaly everything works except for the built-in laptop speakers (headset works though). Even external display, and the keyboard both work flawlessly. And about bugs or hangups, i only had one "blinking pointer black screen won't boot" but another reboot solved it. Customizations and tweaks even in basic settings are just..awesome.
I just used the terminal once - to fetch an app to speed up mouse scrolling. So far so good i have no complaints. I just wonder why i haven't thought of this earlier. And honestly i can't wait to get those comments - "ya ain't seen nuthin yet son"

 

[KGIII]

built-in laptop speakers

This is often resolved by screwing around with 'pavucontrol' - it may be set to something like HDMI audio as the output and not the internal device.

You've got this.

 

[Brickwizard]

everything works except for the built-in laptop speakers (headset works though)

I have a similar case, to cure mine when i swap from one speaker set to the next I have to manually change the device in the sound settings

 

[waxmaster_c]

This is often resolved by screwing around with 'pavucontrol' - it may be set to something like HDMI audio as the output and not the internal device.

You've got this.

And the last thing before i close this thread :
Malware yeah...ppl all over the internet brag - you don't need to worry that much etc. But i wanna be sure just in case. Antivirus nuisance or not? What are the best tools for finding malware and how can i utilize the logs and network monitor apps to find it?

 

[KGIII]

Antivirus nuisance or not?

I don't bother with it, but there's clamav out there if you want it. You can search for that and see if it's what you're after.