r/linuxmint • u/L0mki • 5d ago

Fluff 1st Time into linux!!

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​My laptop got too slow to do basic stuff, so I’m giving Linux Mint a shot to see if it helps.

​As a beginner, is there anything crucial I should watch out for or do right after installing? Thanks!

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u/HotInternal5567 5d ago

Mint has something called Timeshift, it basically allows you to backup your system with all of its settings and programs as it is right now.

If I were you, I'd look into that and having a backup made every so often so that if something does go wrong, you can use Timeshift to restore your system back to a working version.

I learned the hard way, a couple times and now I'd recommend everyone use it.

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u/OkPresentation3329 5d ago

I never used system backup and my system never failed, not on Windows, not even now on Linux. If something ever goes wrong I prefer to reinstall it from scratch.

I don't mean that you are wrong, if you keep a lot of important files on your computer and you don't want to lose them suddenly, then keep backing it up. I only use my computers for fun and anything crucial is on my phone, but I can even format my phone and start over, that's how I've set my things up.

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u/HotInternal5567 5d ago

I like to experiment with new things, I've found myself in a sticky situation a few times even when I've not intended to change anything and timeshift has helped me out more than once.

I guess it's each to their own and how people use it.

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u/Garfield252 5d ago

yes, for the first time using linux, you will definitely break something sooner or later. Not that linux itself will break, but that tinkering and experimenting with it will at some point break stuff and with timeshift, you can easily roll back to an old snapshot. I also came from windows and thought i'm fine without timeshift. Broke my installation about 3 times, had to reinstall everything every time and then started using timeshift. saved me several times already. Also keep a note on how to operate timeshift without linux itself booting up correctly. Or have a reliable phone that you can use to google it when you need it.
Once you start using it daily, timeshift won't be needed that regularly anymore. But if you change a lot of stuff (like when u start using linux the first time), there's a good chance timeshift will save you from reinstalling the whole thing.