Win10 advice requested...

a reply to: fossilera

So, Mint is the most user friendly?
Thanks for the hints and advice.....I'll post results.....

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Yeah - If you can remember Windows 2000, you should feel right at home with Mint. It has your basics (Firefox, VLC Player, Libre-Office, and GIMP), and then some extra software. No need for any antivirus.

The only downside to Mint is that for the moment, if a new version comes out you basically have to install the new version over the old (Ubuntu and some of the other versions allow for in-place upgrades, so you can keep your files). It's a compromise I can live with, as I store all my files on a separate harddrive or USB.

a reply to: fossilera

I think Win 2000 is before my time.
My first internet experience was at work, around 2001....don't know which version they had.
My first macing was WinXP

I had not idea what to expect from Linux....sounds easy enough....and no worries with installing one version over another I guess.
If I like it, would it be easier to partition my HD...or just run it off my external HD?
I would kind of like the external HD to have an OS on it....and not just use it as a mammoth place to store files LOLOL.
And, as an aside, would the external HD work attached to the machine.....should the machine HD fail???

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Really? You started with XP? I can still remember 95, back when the game "Hover" was considered the best game ever. I started early - Vista just came into the market when I was in highschool.

The external hardrive is probably going to be the easiest - Installing to a partition is a little harder mostly because you have to remember which partition you wanted (Linux will label the partitions with a label - Mine are usually SDA1, SDA2, etc).

If the machine completely fails - The external will still have everything that you saved in it. The only thing you might need to do is on a newer machine, make sure it's set to boot to that external first (Boot option will most likely be set the USB as the first boot option).

There is a caveat - The reason Linux is able to boot on any machine is it will install a boot loader (kind of like a second BIOS screen). So, if you have to wipe out your computer for whatever reason, you can always install the bootloader again from the Live CD.

ubuntuhandbook.org...

There is another possible route, if you want to look into it. If you don't mind a slower experience, you can try a "virtual" Linux Mint. All you need is VMWare Player (which is free). and the Live CD ISO file. The virtual image can live on your external, and to enjoy the Linux experience, all you need to do is start the virtual machine through VMWare. I've done quite a few Linux versions this way.

www.youtube.com...