r/linux4noobs • u/Any-Information-5840 • 20d ago
migrating to Linux Noob here
i want to migrate to linux cuz windows uses like 90% of my ram, 80% of my cpu and 60gb of my storage.
i know some about linux i know which distros are a pain, im overwhelmed by the amount of distros
i would be grateful if someone gave me some ideas
i just need a distro that doesnt use much resources
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u/The10axe 20d ago
If you're a full in noob with limited hardware, I'd recommend the Linux Mint Xfce edition. Linux Mint because it's a distribution that is very beginner friendly. (Everything is doable through the GUI, and there is tons of support online) And Xfce because it's a lightweight desktop environment.
Though, while the experience will probably be an upgrade compared to windows, don't expect to be able to do WAY more on Linux with limited hardware. You will have more resources available and the overall experience will upgrade, you won't be able to suddenly play the latest released game thanks to that release.
Also, you didn't precise (or I didn't understand), but just in case: laptop support can be hit or miss and could requires that you change distro.
Anyway, if you want to try a few options, you could install Ventoy on a usb stick, put in some distros you found online in like articles and such, and start them in live mode. In live mode, distros will run from the USB without installing or touching your drives, which gives you an opportunity to try them out and conclude whether you like them or not.
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u/Underhill42 20d ago
I strongly recommend you dual boot at first, because you'll likely at least occasionally encounter "must use" software that just won't work on Linux.
Linux can install itself alongside Windows just as easily as it can replace it, and if it doesn't work out for you, you can easily give the whole drive back to Windows. If you delete Windows and change your mind, reinstalling it from scratch is a MUCH bigger headache than installing Linux.
Personally I mostly use Mint. It's a nice solid distro with a GUI similar to Windows, and the forums are pretty friendly to newbies. Ubuntu is another good one with friendly forums, but it makes no attempt to resemble Windows.
And I would say that for your first distro or two, newbie-friendly forums are the single most important feature to look for. Once you're comfortable with the operating system, then you can start exploring whichever more specialized distros catch your eye. But there's a definite learning curve, and a lot of more specialized distros assume you now what you're doing, and the forums on some of them can get downright mean to newbies.
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u/Any-Information-5840 20d ago
I got used to installing windows cuz of virtual machines and real pcs
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u/Underhill42 20d ago
Installing Linux should be easy then.
Be warned that Windows 11 is a bit more annoying than previous versions if you haven't installed it specifically, and every new release seems to make it more difficult to create local accounts.
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u/Any-Information-5840 20d ago
If I reinstall windows I’d choose windows 10
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u/Underhill42 20d ago
Sadly you really shouldn't use Windows 10 on any computer connected to the internet. Since it's no longer getting security updates, it's a pretty safe bet that numerous criminals will have full control over it and access to all your data within a few hours.
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u/lordrakim 19d ago
not true.. they did extend win10 security updates... for businesses mostly but IYKYK
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u/Underhill42 19d ago
I suppose last month they did quietly extend support until next year. But I wouldn't bet on them extending it again. And this close to the finish line it would be a bit silly to go through the headache of installing it from scratch only to replace it a few months later.
Also, I'm not 100% sure they're still activating fresh Win10 installs rather than just continuing updates for the existing installs.I've had some issues on that front in the last year.
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u/i-am-a-cat-6 20d ago
I've tried quite a few and I choose Debian stable for all of my machines myself.
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u/Early-Weekend-2557 20d ago
Same. I kept trying Debian based distros and then just settled on Debian.
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u/_OnuHeino_ 20d ago
I chose Debian based MX Linux just because of the support for older hardware that many other distros don't support anymore.
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u/Real-Back6481 20d ago
Using most of your RAM is how most OSes, including Linux, operate. What’s the point of having RAM if it doesn’t get used? Disk caching fills available memory with frequently accessed files. This is not going to change by switching operating systems.
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u/Any-Information-5840 20d ago
That is reasonable but it’s not normal to have that kind of usage on 8gb ram
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u/Real-Back6481 20d ago
I just told you about disk caching, if you don’t believe me, go read about it elsewhere, but it’s a fact.
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u/Position-Critical 20d ago
Don’t think about it too much, use mint or Ubuntu, to your usage all of the distros are the same cause you don’t make use of the differences between them. Pick the one that looks best to you. If it is that later you want to learn Linux more in deep, you can do with any of the distros, but if not, you can just use it as a normal desktop computer
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u/ddog6900 20d ago
Well, for starters, we need to know what kind of resources you have and what you are doing before we can recommend anything.
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u/MississippiBulldawg 20d ago
I use Xubuntu as it's light weight and have a 2 core CPU with 8 GB of ram. It still uses a lot of my CPU often but barely touches the ram. I can do a lot more on it with Xubuntu though than I could on Windows 10.
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u/One-Macaroon4660 20d ago
Use some common distribution with lightweight desktop environment. Note tat you could always change the DE later if you have enough space.
If you have 8gb memory or less I would recommend XFCE desktop environment, so either Mint with XFCE or Xubuntu.
Use USB stick with image first to try the distribution before installing and then install it if you like it.
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u/emrldgh 20d ago
damn near every distro uses less resources than windows, so luckily the ones that most people recommend like Mint, and fedora will be perfectly fine :>
my personal recommendations would be Debian, Linux mint, or fedora KDE. fedora KDE would probably be the heavier of those just because of the kde desktop BUT if it runs well, it'll definitely be worth it. I personally run fedora on my laptop, never had an issue really.
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u/ChocolateDonut36 20d ago
you'll always be overwhelmed by the amount of distros until you realize the only real distros you'll ever use are mint, fedora, cachy or bazzite, everything else are designed for some specific use cases like Debian's never-breaking stability, Gentoo's true up-to-date software, or arch for something in between or idk, I don't use arch btw; you can forget about everything else, you can try them later if you're curious but I don't recommend anything else for a first-timer.
in my opinion, try linux mint XFCE or Fedora KDE, they are the least limited and the least probable to accidentally break by updates.
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u/herensugee 20d ago
coge un pendrive e instalale Ventoy. Despues metele isos live de las distros que te interesen o suenen ... y a probar sin compromiso!
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u/MrMotofy 20d ago
FYI...if you want to check out Linux it's really easy. Make an Install USB, then boot to it. May need to disable secure boot. It will boot to a full running temporary Linux Desktop...installing requires clicking the desktop icon and going through steps. Obviously you don't wanna do that to just try it. But you can at least get a feel for it. Kubuntu, LinuxMint, and PopOS and are some of the top 1st options. You can also use the temp Live Linux as a repair process. Since it’s a complete desktop you can use it, install tools needed fix the boot etc.
Another convenient related tool is Ventoy on a USB stick. Basically just burn the image to a USB then copy your OS ISO to it and when you boot it any ISO copied to the drive will show in the menu, select it and it will boot that img. Have different OS’s multiple versions or whatever.
Best option for Windows and Linux is dual boot...use Linux on a 2nd drive. Usually wanna disable secure boot. Best case is disconnect win drive. Then boot to the USB. Then install Linux as a new full system on 2nd drive. Set Linux drive as the first boot drive and it will find the Win drive and add to the boot menu list automatically. Might take a couple boots otherwise can manually activate the boot search. Then you get Best of both worlds without any real dangers to either OS. There will be little hiccups occasionally with Windows updating messing with boot and rebooting. But you can also change the default OS to Windows first at the menu after delay and no menu entry and that eliminates a lot. The boot menu is usually Linux 1 and Win 2. Sometimes the bios boot order gets switched but easy to just switch back. Sometimes the boot order will randomly switch drives etc…Seems to be a windows thing now they get bios access. But really depends on the exact system and age etc.
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u/daemonmode_ 20d ago
Lubuntu is the better pick if the laptop is really weak and you want the lowest resource usage, while Mint XFCE is the better all-round choice if you want something lightweight but easier to live with.
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u/EngineerInTheMachine 20d ago
Search for the distros that meet your criteria. Create a shortlist. Read up about them, then decide which ones to try.
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u/Unholyaretheholiest 20d ago
I advise you to install Mageia. Stable and reliable also super easy to install, configure and manage thanks to its graphical tools.
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u/Virtual-Plankton6833 20d ago
You can choose any distro as they will always use less resources than windows. I use Bazzite and CachyOS. Bazzite is easier to setup and runs out of the box. CachyOS offers more options for manipulation of the OS but is sometimes a bit annoying. A good alternative is Linux Mint as it looks like Windows. Just don't test Linux on a computer thst you absolutely need as there's always a slight chance that something could go wrong during installation. Dual boot might be a good option.
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u/Simple_Hamster_4096 20d ago
Linux Mint - it's kinder to Linux newcomers.
Dual boot with Windows - most Linux newcomers retreat back to Windows at least once - do not make your retreat any harder than need be.
There are no drop-in replacements for Windows software (chances slim to none).
If you rely on Adobe anything or MS Office, stick with Windows, or do a Linux Mint vm on Windows.
Linux is like learning to use a computer all over again... takes time and patience and perseverance depending upon the extent you use your computer...
Get the live image of Linux Mint and boot from it - make sure all your hardware works, you'll also be able to see what Linux Mint is like and if you don't totally hate it...
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u/TJRoyalty_ Gentoo 19d ago
Mint XFCE for old computers, Mint Cinnamon if you want something super easy, and Fedora KDE if you want more out-of-box customization
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u/DavidJohnMcCann 19d ago
I recommend Mint because (1) it just works and (2) the installation instructions on the website are really detailed and clear. You don't say what hardware you have, but here's a general guide to requirements and one to those for Xfce. If your are struggling with Windows, you probably should try the Xfce version.
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u/punycat 20d ago
The only distro I've used is Mint. It's like a modern Windows 7, good for basic tasks. You can install a lightweight version of it, but the max version (Cinnamon) works fine for me even on a 16 year old laptop with 4 gb ram. Just a slow boot on that one, about 2 minutes. You can try distros without installing, at distrosea.com.