diary of a window user to Linux mint

Now that the Linux Mint is up and running, what are some of the things we should do. Anything you intend doing on your Linux Mint is left to you, but this is a diary of a Windows user that moved to Linux mint, and writing the processes he followed.

Immediately after the installation of mint, the first thing you want to do is ;

Update your OS. This is to help your computer stay highly responsive, fast and secure. You will notice a "caution" icon at the task bar of your Linux Mint, click it to update your OS first thing. You can also look for "Update Manager" if your icon is not showing up.

                  

                                         This is an example of an update page: 

When the update is fully done, the manager will show a checkmark to let you know that your system is well up to date.

Breaking It And Making It: The first time i started using Windows, i remembered my instructor told everybody never to use control panel as it is the "powerhouse of the computer" and if you open it, you probably break it. I laughed whenever I remember that now.

So break your Linux mint, don't be scared, and you can understand more about the new OS. 

Firewall: You have heard about the security of Linux, and you want to block unwanted applications or traffic from accessing your computer, so it is time to use a firewall on your new desktop.

To Enable Firewall In Linux Mint

1. Go To Menu, and click the software manager.

2. Typpe the word "gufw" in the search box

      graphical uncomplictaed firewall

3. Click on Install to install the application

4. Go back to Menu, "All Configuration" and find the "Firewall configuration

5. On that Status page, click the switch to Turn On the firewall

                  

The firewall configuration will block all incoming connection, and only allow outgoing connections. This does not mean you won't be able to browse the internet, it means any request you did not send, will not be sent to your computer. If you need a particular application to access the internet, maybe for your gaming activities, you can add a rule, allowing both sending and receiving traffic on your network.

Browser: Installing your browsers is the next thing to do. In Linux Mint, you can download different software with the software manager. It is the app store of Linux Mint.

Go to install software manager, and click the Internet icon, you will find different apps you can use on new Linux mint

            

You will notice you can now download Mozilla for your browser, Filezilla for your mail client since you won't be using outlook i suppose, and if you are dealing with Files on remote server, you can download Filezilla, and of course even though we are not sure of its privacy, we can go ahead and download it for chatting with old pals, Download Skype too. 

Also pidgin, is a way to connect all your accounts in a spot, instead of downloading different apps, just login on pidgin, and you can chat. It is also an encrypted connection to save the day.

Some users are not digging Mozilla Firefox, they prefer to use their nice interface "Google Chrome". If you are considering security at a top-level, you probably want to go for Chromium, also available on the "App store" or download my favourite "Slimjet Browser". Slimjet is currently not on the app store, so go ahead and download the .deb version.

Also for Google Chrome users, go ahead and download the .deb

Download 32 bit or 64 bit according to your system architecture, and download into your personal computer..

                

Because i had installed the software, it is showing reinstall package, a new software will show "Install package"

Increase Battery Life: The truth is a new installation of Linux mint is not battery friendly, your battery drains up quickly and a 2 hour battery might be 45 mins before it asks you for AC Power unit again. To fix this on your Linux Mint, run your command prompt (Terminal).

The best tool that helps manage your battery is TLP. It will help save your battery and reduces the amount at which LInux MInt drains the battery

To install TLP, you need to add the official PPA:

             sudo add-apt-repository ppa:linrunner/tlp

             sudo apt-get update

             sudo apt-get install tlp

Run each of the command one after the other if you can, and TLP will be installed on your computer. Though you could edit some of the files in TLP, but the default files will be just fine to manage power on your computer.

You can check if TLP is running by running this command :

             sudo tlp start

Cinnamon Session: Once in a while, your computer will freeze up, and it is frustrating, though the tech team of Linux mint  is working to reduce it, and they have introduced a new command that will save your work and restart "Cinnamon".

To restart Cinnamon desktop, press Ctrl+alt+escape on your computer. This command will restart Cinnamon, and your work will reappear without loosing any changes to your work, but if after several times, your desktop is not resetting, you can use Ctrl +ALT +Backspace. This will kill the entire session and bring it back. You can restore browser session, but document,unless you are using auto-save functionalities of the software.

Try to use Ctrl+ALT+escape before trying the other command, most freezes comes from browser usage, especially if you using Google Chrome.

Using Windows Software On LInux MInt : Linux Mint can also run any standalone Windows software. In the case you need to run some of your old windows software on your machine. Go ahead and download an app called Wine. It is available in the app store of Linux Mint.

When you download Wine, you will be able to use some of Windows software like Microsoft office package, Notepad++ and more. Some VPN/SSH tunnel might not work on Linux mint, at least i have tried a bunch of them.

Download the .exe software and open with Wine loader program...Cool eh?

LInux Forum: Linux mint is currently the number 1 Linux distro on Distrowatch, which also means that Linux has got a big community too, and probably your answers have been answered before now. So don't be afraid to type your questions on Google and you will find a bunch of answers. Also, you can use Duckduckgo for search, since they are all open-source, might be great to fully go open-source.

Go to Linux Forum here..

I will be documenting my journey of Linux mint here....you can follow this website to be updated.

If you need help installing linux, go here

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I have been a WIndows Operating System guy from my very first day of computing, and it has been a smooth ride, but recently, I have decided to move from WIndows to Linux distribution(distro), before my decision, I have tried many popular Linux distro. My decision is not based on any theory or anything, i have the latest Windows 10, but I seem to have seen it all, it is not just checking out Facebook or reading email for me anymore, i wanted a new experience, why not try something else, something exciting, new desktop interface, new reason to read more and new challenges, new knowledge gain, and most of all new privacy and security control. 

So I have tried various distros, like Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Elementary OS, OpenSUSE, CentOS, Debian, BacktrackR5(learning purposes only). That is all I can remember, i tried all this via VMware and virtualbox, and they were all solid experiences, the only downside is that, they all freeze after using them for few minutes, something i couldn't understand. But i fell in love with almost all the distros, because they all bring different food to the table for me to eat, so yum yum.

                

So after Windows 10, I guess, ok, I decide to migrate, but as an addicted Windows user, I have been addicted to some software on my computer, and I needed to know if they would be available on Linux distro, or alternatives. So I will share some of the journey from Windows To Linux, maybe you can make your own decision going forward. Please Note, I have nothing against Windows.

Before my migration,I needed to know what I will be missing when i leave the only OS I am used to, so basically I needed to check what i will miss and what not, some of my go to everyday software that i might miss are listed below;

1: Google Chrome/Slimjet Browser/Ice Dragon - I needed Slimjet Browser

2: Microsoft Office/Outlook

3: VPN, SSH, TOR, Proxifier

4: Snipping tool/Photoscape

5: Video editing software

6: Xampp

Before I can proceed with the migration, i also need to back up my important software licenses, files and folders. To do this easily, i use Mediafire. The team had given me 50GB, some of the early bird perks,so I have uploaded important files and synchronized them to this drive.

I intend to dual boot my computer for now, so I can go back to Windows in the case I need to pick up anything or do something that is urgent and needed some software I can find on Linux, as i know I will probably struggle for a week or more, and most things I do require urgency, when you get the work, your time start at that moment. :)

So I fondled with the distros, and I landed with Ubuntu 14.04, and it was pretty cool, all was working, but i decided to read more on distros, and I see a lot of old Linux users keep talking about Mint and how it uses the Cinnamon and Mate, and it was all interesting since it is all experience for me, i decided to try the Linux Mint again, even though it was normal, the first time i tried it on VMware. Now it is super cool, and I stick with Linux Mint.

I decided to Install Linux Mint. To install Linux Mint on your windows computer, assume you have backup your folders and files, in case anything goes wrong. Moreover, I used EaseUS Partition Master, to partition my HDD from Windows, I took 30GB from 465GB, and will be going for 200GB in few days. But like I said, the first week was me learning if I am ok to move.

I prefer to use the Linux Pen drive Linux. The pen drive linux allows you to be able to boot from your USB stick to install Linux, this is an easy solution for me.

Download Pendrive from here. What this software helps you with is, it helps you get any Linux distro, and  write it to your USB, making it a bootable USB to install the Linux distro. So that when you start-up your computer, all you have to do ask the computer to boot up from your USB, and it will automatically install the Linux distro on your USB. Note that you will have to go in the BIOS of your computer, using F12 or F8 to change your Boot options.

               

The picture above should help, choose Linux mint, on the drop down button in step 1, Step 2, you need to browse the location of your Linux Mint file you downloaded . and upload it. To download Linux mint, go to the link and download your flavour.

If you have a very great system with good specification, download Cinnamon, else download Mate, but if your system is way to old,I mean the Window XP configuration computer, download XFCE. Also check your WIndows computer if it is 32bit or 64 bit before you download, so you won't be downloading the wrong architecture.

               

After copying the downloaded file into step 2, am guessing your USB is in now and formated, or you can click the format checkbox , so it can be formatted and LInux Mint installed, but be very sure you are formatting your USB and not your C:/ drive.

Click on create when that is done. This will take a few moments, just relax till is done. You don't need to do anything from on here untill it is done.

After USB Bootable Installer:

It is time to install your Linux MInt now, at the time of this installation, the latest Linux Mint is 17.2 (Rafaela). So shut down the computer, and turn it back on, don't forget to press F8 or F12 to change your BIOS settings so that your USB will boot from the USB. Choose Boot Option, USB installer or choose your USB letter, and click save and exit.

           

And your computer will show the first screen, after restart.

              

Linux Mint will automatically boot to the desktop, this is where you start to love the OS.

                 

There is a desktop icon with "Install Linux Mint" Click it to start installation of Linux, 

Choose your preferred language.

Linux will show if you have space, if your computer is connected to power, click continue here.

The next screen might show a pop-up that request that the installation should unmount all partitions in use, just click NO

You should have this screen now

          

Remember I am still running Windows on my C:/  drive,  so in that case, choose "Something else", else you will be deleting windows.

This is where you have to create partition for yourself. Look at your Linux distribution, and run Gparted, if you don't have "Gparted", go to "Software Manger", and type the word Gparted to download it

               

Create A Root/Home/Swap 

The image above is where how my disk looks like now, you notice the NTFS, and caution sign? those are telling me it is for Windows. But because i created a 30Gb unallocated space before installing Linux, you will find a "Free Space" label on Gparted, and that is what we will work with, it will be colour coded in grey colour as "unallocated"

      

When you click on Free space, click on the "+" sign to add the number of space you want to give to the root. A box will pop-up showing, enter a size for the installation, depending on what you have as unallocated.

Let assume you have 50GB

On the first Root folder,  write 20000, Type of new partition: Logical and location for the new partition: Beginning of space. Use as Ex4 Journaling file system, mount point, select "/" from drop-down.

You should see "Free Space" again, click on it and click on the "+" sign..This space is for the home,if you intend to download a lot of movies, software and more

Write 28000, Type of new partition: Logical and location for the new partition: Beginning of space. Use as Ex4 Journaling file system, mount point, select "Home" from drop-down.

Now we need to create Swap area

Write 1000, if you intend to download a lot of movies, software and more, Type of new partition: Logical and location for the new partition: Beginning of space. Use as Ex4 Journaling file system, mount point, select "Swap Area" from drop-down.

Click on your root folder, and you should be able to see that the "Install Now" button is now activated for installation of Linux mint. Click it to move on from Linux installation.

The next stage is choosing your city. I choosed where I am, choose yours.

Then next stage is the keyboard layout, choose what your keyboard looks like, mine is US keyboard layout. i choose the US Keyboard.

The next stage is about you:

 Your name:

 Your computer name will be automatically displayed with suffix -desktop or your computer model. You can change it

 Pick your username, choose a password and confirm it. Choose login automatically.

After this, Linux will do some autoconfiguration. Wait for the installation to complete, it will take a few minutes.

When the installation is finished, restart your computer so that anything you doing on it will be saved, if you did not restart, anything you did after the autoconfiguration will not be saved.

That was my first installation for linux mint....I had installed Linux Mint a lot of times now since i had delved into it.

Goodluck. Now the next version will be how i was able to start using some of my Windows software, alternatives, and many other challenges for the guy who moved from Windows 10 to Linux MInt.

Cheers

Don't forget to comment below if you have any questions you need answers to..

Read Things you should do after installing Linux Mint here

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