Wanted to move to Linux how to start

[swapnilkhandagale]

Hello All,

I am new here I want to keep my old (windows 8.1) OS as well as want to install Linux to my laptop which has 4 GB RAM and almost 218GB free space in it.
Can someone please help me with it.

 

[MatsuShimizu]

Welcome to Linux.org.

I am new here I want to keep my old (windows 8.1) OS

Your laptop is pre-installed with Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 requires around 2GB RAM. So you should choose a distro that doesn't require more than 2GB RAM.

Linux Mint 20 or Xubuntu are the most suitable for you.
For Linux Mint 20: Minimum is 1GB RAM and recommended is 2GB RAM.
Xubuntu: Minimum is 500MB RAM, and recommended is 2GB RAM.
Lubuntu is much lighter.

How to install Linux Mint alongside Windows

Follow the link below for the full, step-by-step tutorial. The download link for Linux Mint 20 is already included in the tutorial below:

How to Install Linux Mint 20 Alongside Windows 10 or 8 in Dual-Boot UEFI Mode

This tutorial will guide you on how to install Linux Mint 20 in dual-boot with a variant Microsoft Operating System, such as Windows 8, 8.1, or 10 with UEFI mode.

www.tecmint.com

 

[captain-sensible]

EndeavourOS might not be good to start with , but posting here to give feedback on what can run on 2gig ram.

wifes laptop HP stream notebook has a Intel Celeron N3060 CPU and only 2gig ram,yet EndeavourOS working really well on it.The only software that really struggled was TimeShift which installed fine but the time to create a snapshot was circa 4 hours.

 

[Nik-Ken-Bah]

G'day and welcome @swapnilkhandagale
I personally run Linux Mint 19.2 and typically I use about 2.5 gigs but that depends on what I have open and doing. The highest usage of RAM I achieved was a tad over 3 gigs. I was using Master PDF to manipulate a PDF so so I could copy selections from.
But just follow what @MatsuShimizu posted and there shouldn't be any dramas creating your dual boot. That is should you decide to run with Mint. But the instructions would be applicable to any other distro you decide is your baby.
By the way what's the make of the laptop?

 

[Vrai]

After installing Linux alongside Windows either one or the other operating system will boot up and run. They will not both run at the same time. Therefore, all the RAM ( 4 GB )will be available to the operating system in use.
4 GB of RAM should be enough to 'comfortably' run most Linux distros.

P.S. Some tutorials will recommend 20 GB of hard drive space for installing Linux - in my experience, that is not enough.

 

[Leonardo_B]

i tryed installing it on exter 1tb harddrive it did not play well . what i use the program wine to still be able to use some window program in linux." Wine is an open-source compatibility layer that allows you to run Windows applications on Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, FreeBSD, and macOS. ... It is an interface that translates Windows system calls into equivalent POSIX calls used by Linux and other Unix-based operating systems." If you install linux mint 20.1 it will have wine in the softwear manger

 

[f33dm3bits]

Don't advise WINE(and virtual machines) to new Linux users since it will only confuse them since for new Linux users changing to Linux is already a big new step. The average person isn't home in tech enough to all of a sudden install virtual machines if they weren't using them on Windows before, the better option is to use alternative software that runs natively on GNU/Linux

 

[Brickwizard]

most distributions give you the option when you install just chose install alongside windows this will then create a duel boot system for you, Linux will be the default OS but you can choose windows from the startup menu, there are lots of good Linux distributions out there, I suggest you look at a few download the ones you fancy then run them live from a pendrive, it will be a little slower than the installed version but you can test drive a few till you find one you like

 

[Tolkem]

Start here:
https://distrowatch.com/

Best Linux distro of 2024

Linux for beginners to advanced users with the best Linux distros

www.techradar.com

Choosing Linux: 2 Awesome Tools To Find Your Perfect Linux OS

For beginners, choosing the right Linux operating system can be a confusing task. But that wealth of choice is way less overwhelming with these two great tools.

www.forbes.com

 

[KGIII]

A while back, I wrote an article about which distro is the best distro.

It needs touching up and moving, but the points remain the same.

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.

linuxtips.gq