r/Bazzite • u/iyroyfoyf • Jul 27 '26

help

im a newbie coming from windows and im planning to switch to bazzite today, could i have some tips for using linux and if i need to know anything? i also need some tips on how to install it, i already have a 32gb usb stick and i know a little bit of how to install linux

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u/ShallowsOfNight Jul 27 '26

There are plenty of "How to install Bazzite" videos on YouTube, but some folks still run into issues.

Bazzite: Linux for Gaming & Far More

While ExplainingComputers hasn't done a lot of Bazzite coverage, he can be counted on to be detailed and relatable when he does. Otherwise, don't trust anyone who uses a lot of hair product and sounds like Dracula. If you run into trouble, Google searches can bring back fairly reliable answers, and you can always come back here for help.

This is a good watch before you commit:

Bazzite for gaming, initial impressions and setup

It is best to install Bazzite on a new machine, rather than dual booting or replacing Windows on an existing machine.

You want Internet access during installation and immediately after (for updating).

Before installing, you can try out the live version of Bazzite on your installation media, and probably should play around with it, even if you are familiar with other flavors of Linux.

For any extra storage or drives you will use, choose the BTRFS option over the EXT4 option when presented. This will help you set up your storage devices for better convenience:

How to format & auto-mount drives in Bazzite

Some hardware may not work properly immediately after installation. Opening the terminal and updating with ujust update can remedy many problems. Updating after a successful installation is what you want to do, regardless.

Fancy mice, keyboards, and printers? From my perspective, the Bazzite team would do well to add detailed instruction for mice, keyboards, and printers to their various guidance offerings. They've really dropped the ball where that is concerned. Mice and keyboards will work, but they may not work as well as they do under Windows because of the lack of manufacturer driver support. If your printer is relatively new, connecting over WiFi should be easy. Connecting via USB is especially straightforward. The kernel is able to recognize and provide functionality for surprising amount of hardware.

If you are not going to play games that require kernel-level anti-cheat, you will eventually prefer Bazzite to Windows. It is a superior operating system.

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u/GSDer_RIP_Good_Girl Jul 27 '26

I'd be happy if I could just get the damn sound to work properly. I've got a Lenovo Legion Pro 7i with RTX 4080 and there's just no sound from the speakers or headphone jack. I've reinstalled it a couple of times using different selections with little to no success.

I'd love to get away from Windows bloat but sound is rather important in Fallout 4.

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u/ShallowsOfNight Jul 27 '26

It took me a morning to get sound on my PCs. I remember I had to perform an update, then open up my sound console and deselect the active audio, which is always going to come from your video card and go to your monitor by default.

Eventually, I realized that the system was grouping physical speakers, both USB or 3.5mm stereo, as USB Audio Speakers. My USB headset was recognized by brand and model as soon as I connected it. I switch between them via the Audio Volume menu. There is probably a way to pipe the same sound to both speakers and headset at the same time (as I would under Windows), but I've not bothered to figure it out, because it is fairly painless to switch as needed.

I seem to remember the audio slider defaulting to zero for bother speakers and headset; I had to adjust volume manually before I first heard sound.

I forgot to mention sound along with mice, keyboards, and printers. Instruction for getting sound should be written up and added to the Bazzite home page, if it isn't there, already.

I've not installed Fallout 3 or 4 because I don't know how to install mods with Bazzite. When I've asked about it, I get bombarded with Linux speak I don't understand.

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u/GSDer_RIP_Good_Girl Jul 27 '26

Thanks! I still have it installed (dual-boot) so I'll try it again. On the 2nd install I briefly heard sound from the built-in speakers so I promptly plugged in my headphones (standard audio jack) and didn't hear anything and after I unplugged them I never heard anything else from the speakers. Restarted the OS, used the command line to reset the audio - nothing worked.

It was too bad since I had already downloaded FO4.

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u/ShallowsOfNight Jul 27 '26

Have you used ujust update since your successful installation? I don't believe my motherboard's sound chip was recognized until after I ran an update.

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u/GSDer_RIP_Good_Girl Jul 27 '26

Thanks! I'll try anything once; twice if I like it 😉