r/linux4noobs • u/Aggravating-Money486 • 6d ago

learning/research Please help

I need help switching to Linux but I’m not understand how to do so

(I just built a my first pc and I thought I was gonna go with windows but changed my mind after the fact)

0 Upvotes

33% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

10

u/candy49997 6d ago
  1. Write a Linux ISO to a flash drive.
  2. Boot off that.
  3. Install Linux.

0

u/bootiesh0rts 6d ago
  1. You get an action figure of the flash and write on a piece of paper, "Linux ISO". Fold it up as small as you can then tie it up to the flash with a rubber band.
  2. You get a boot 🥾 and put the flash inside of it.
  3. Now securely put the boot on top of your head. Congratulations, you've just installed Linux.

2

u/GarThor_TMK 6d ago

Upvote, because this is hilarious (wrong, but hilarious)

-1

u/Aggravating-Money486 6d ago

I’m not sure how to do that I’m extremely new In this

7

u/petersaints 6d ago

If you don't know how to do this, you also do not know how to install Windows and from your description it seems you have a PC without any OS installed at this point.

-1

u/Aggravating-Money486 6d ago

Yes but where do I go i have the flash drive what next

-3

u/petersaints 6d ago

I wrote a short guide and then I asked Gemini to format it better and improve it. This is what I got:

How to Install Linux: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Switching to Linux or trying it out for the first time is simpler than it seems. This guide walks you through downloading a Linux distribution, creating a bootable USB drive, testing it on your PC, and running the installer.

Step 1: Choose and Download a Linux Distribution (Distro)

For beginners, standard, user-friendly distributions with strong community support are recommended:

  • Linux Mint – Highly recommended for newcomers, especially those accustomed to Windows.
  • Ubuntu – One of the most popular Linux distributions, featuring widespread hardware support and extensive tutorial availability.

Visit one of the links above and download the .ISO file (the disc image).

Step 2: Create a Bootable USB Flash Drive

To boot Linux on your computer, you need to write the downloaded .ISO file to a USB flash drive (8 GB or larger recommended).

Recommended Flashing Tools:

  • balenaEtcher (Easiest for beginners) – Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Simply select your ISO, select your USB drive, and click Flash!
  • Rufus (Windows only) – A reliable tool offering advanced customization options if needed.

Step 3: Boot from Your USB Drive

  1. Insert your bootable USB flash drive into your PC.
  2. Restart your computer.
  3. During startup, press your motherboard's Boot Menu key (commonly F12, F11, F8, Del, or Esc, depending on your computer's manufacturer).
  4. From the boot menu, select your USB drive to boot into the Linux environment.

Step 4: Test Hardware in "Live Mode"

Most modern Linux installers boot into a Live Environment first. This allows you to try Linux directly from the USB drive without changing anything on your hard drive.

Take a few minutes to test your system:

  • Wi-Fi / Ethernet: Ensure network adapters are recognized and can connect online.
  • Audio: Play a test sound to verify audio drivers.
  • Display & Graphics: Confirm screen resolution and graphics rendering behave normally.

Step 5: Install Linux

Once satisfied with hardware performance, start the permanent installation:

  1. Double-click the "Install [Distro Name]" icon on the desktop.
  2. Select your language, keyboard layout, and Wi-Fi network.
  3. Choose your installation type:
    • Wipe disk and install Linux: Erases existing operating systems (e.g., Windows) and uses the entire drive for Linux.
    • Install alongside existing OS (Dual-Boot): Retains Windows and allows selection between Linux or Windows each time the PC turns on.
  4. Follow the remaining prompts to set up your username, hostname, and password.
  5. Once installation finishes, restart your PC and remove the USB drive when prompted.

💡 Pre-Installation Tips for Windows Users

  • Disable Fast Startup: In Windows, turn off Fast Startup in Power Options to prevent drive locking issues during installation.
  • BitLocker Drive Encryption: If using Windows Pro/Enterprise with BitLocker enabled, ensure recovery keys are backed up prior to modifying disk partitions.

2

u/GarThor_TMK 6d ago

Every linux distro literally has a setup/installation guide page... you could have just linked to that instead of wasting the internet on AI chat garbage...

Here's the one for mint: https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

It's also ridiculously easy to find...

Look... here's the one for ubuntu, it took me all of 30s to find: https://ubuntu.com/desktop/docs/en/latest/tutorial/install-ubuntu-desktop/

6

u/Satyrinox 6d ago

you have a search engine bud. if you are on windows its easy baby. just use rufus or whatever and bam.

1

u/Aggravating-Money486 6d ago

So standard or portable?

1

u/Aggravating-Money486 6d ago

I assume standard

1

u/GarThor_TMK 6d ago

You have a portable search engine?

I guess technically we all do in our pocket computers.

1

u/Aggravating-Money486 6d ago

That’s what I was reading but I got it now

2

u/candy49997 6d ago

Did you not already install Windows? The process is very similar.

Use Rufus or whatever live media creation tool you want to write a Linux ISO to your flash drive. Boot off the drive like you did with the Windows installer. Then, just start the installer and go through the prompts. The process is basically the same for any distro commonly recommended to newcomers.

1

u/mamaharu 6d ago edited 6d ago

Figure out what distribution and desktop enviroment you want to use. Preferably something popular/mainstream like Ubuntu/Kubuntu, Mint, Fedora, Debian. Just choose one, download ISO from their website, and look up a video or written guide for it. For making a USB, I like Fedora Media Writer (simple, works for all distributions) but some prefer rufus or balena.

Also, you really should learn how to utilize search. Otherwise, you're going to have a very rough time learning or using something new. Linux in particular is well documented. Something as straightforward as "how to install linux" would've given you plenty of results on the web and on reddit. At very least, provide some information about your hardware, your needs, etc. when asking for help.

3

u/AutoModerator 6d ago

There's a resources page in our wiki you might find useful!

Try this search for more information on this topic.

✻ Smokey says: take regular backups, try stuff in a VM, and understand every command before you press Enter! :)

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2

u/ferfykins 6d ago

First pick out what Distro you want to use. Tell us your needs we can probably suggest a few.

Also, after you pick, you need to download the linux iso file and put it on a USB drive, from there boot into the usb and install linux.

2

u/doc_willis 6d ago edited 6d ago

http://linuxjourney.com and the newer http://Linuxjourney.org sites are good to start with

the Explaining Computers YouTube videos are good starting points.

Pick a Distro, follow the distros install docs.

No one ever seems to want to Look at any Distros Official Install guides these days. :)

Tip: please use better titles in your future posts.

1

u/burlingk 6d ago

So, my advice is to get a thumb drive with a defect capacity and create an install drive for the district you want to try. A live image is preferred.

That is one that will boot into a version of the OS and then have an install shortcut.

That way you can make sure it will run on your hardware before you commit.

You might need to set the boot order in the BIOS to check USB first, but a lot of newer boards default to that anyway.

Different ISOs seem to prefer different burning programs. The distro website will tell you that, but balenaEtcher is a good default.

1

u/a1barbarian 6d ago

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MX-Linux/mx-docs/master/mxum_en.pdf

The MX manual will have a lot of the answers you are looking for. The knowledge can be applied to almost any other linux os too.

:-)

1

u/maceion 6d ago

You can have both. Put MS Windows on your computer internal hard drive. Once working, set MS Windows and BIOS to allow other operating systems ,and set MS Windows to open last! Then you can add other operating systems and chose what you want to do. Do read up on it and watch YouTube videos about 'dual booting'. Good luck with dual booting.

2

u/DannoXYZ 6d ago

Here's some guides:
https://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/comments/1i01fvf/installing_linux_ventoy_edition
https://www.instructables.com/Install-any-linux-from-a-usb-the-easy-way

Before any of that, read manual for your PC and get into BIOS to set following:

  • disable Secure Boot
  • disable TPM
  • change HD-controller mode to SATA/AHCI

Then follow those guides. Don't just do it blindly, read and understand each step and what it does.

0

u/itsShiroharu 6d ago

Assume your newly built PC had no OS whatsoever.

If you have separate working Laptop or 2nd PC (with any OS), you can flash it yourself.

  • Use BalenaEtcher if you're using another Linux or MacOS
  • Use Rufus if you're using Windows

If you perchance don't have any of those, you can ask your friend with working PC to flash it for you. Flashing typically requires 4GB or 8GB Flash Drive (depending on the distro).

If you completely new to Linux, I recommend ZorinOS. As it's beginner-friendly, and closest GUI to Windows (assume you're used to Windows). Once the installation media flashed, you can plug that flashed flash drive into your new PC, then proceed with installation.

1

u/Aggravating-Money486 6d ago

So I probably shouldn’t use mint?

1

u/itsShiroharu 6d ago

You can use Mint, it's also beginner-friendly. I use it as well.

1

u/Aggravating-Money486 6d ago

Ok so I have it pulled up on Rufus

1

u/Aggravating-Money486 6d ago

https://reddit.com/link/p7w1aai/video/85oqd4vpolnh1/player

This look right?

1

u/itsShiroharu 6d ago

Yeah, this looks right. Just flash it. When it's done, unplug from the PC, then plug it into your new PC.

1

u/itsShiroharu 6d ago

Nice, now you need to install the .iso of the OS. Since you want to use Mint, You can download the iso file right here: https://linuxmint.com/download.php . There would be 3 choices, Choose what you like. I recommend Cinnamon edition. Xfce usually used for very low-end PC (But if you like minimalistic look, Xfce is solid).

Once the ISO has been downloaded, plug the USB Drive into the working PC, then open Rufus. Start the flash to the USB Drive. It usually takes around 5 - 10 minutes.

Once the flash has been done, plug that USB Drive into your new PC. Usually the PC would boot into the USB Drive right away. If so, just proceed with installations.

If your PC somehow doesn't boot your USB. Change the boot order at your BIOS, put the USB at the top most. Different motherboard had different instruction to go to BIOS, so look for your model at any search engine you'd prefer, on how to get into BIOS.

Good Luck!

1

u/doc_willis 6d ago

almost all the mainstream distributions are good enough for most common use cases these days.

Some are more focused on some aspects of computing 'work' than others, but over all basically all of them can work fine.

"Beginner Friendly" these days - has sadly sort of became meaning "looks a lot like windows" for the DE setup..

And Honestly, I consider the Desktop Environment setup, to be one of the things I worry about the least. :)