How to switch from Windows 10 to Linux (NOT Dual-Boot)
Tags linux, migrate, switch, windows 10
In order to make the transition from Windows 10 (or W8.1, W11) to Linux as smooth as possible, it is necessary to plan ahead, take plenty of time and do proper preparation. I am assuming that all the required software will be downloaded using the existing W10 machine or another Windows-based one.
Preparation
1. Backup all your personal data from W10 to an external hard drive before proceeding any further!
2. Are you likely to use W10 again? If the answer is No, then proceed to 3. below. If the answer is Yes, then download and install Macrium Reflect Free, create a backup image (.iso) of your W10 drive to an external drive and, most importantly, create Macrium Reflect Rescue Media:
https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree
Create Macrium Reflect Rescue Media:
https://knowledgebase.macrium.com/di...g+rescue+media
Macrium Reflect News:
https://www.neowin.net/news/macrium-...ort-announced/
3. Which Linux distribution should I use?
There are plenty to choose from, but here are some which I would recommend for those beginning Linux:
Linux Mint (*MATE or *Xfce), MX Linux, Ubuntu, antiX (for older hardware).
*I have nothing against Linux Mint Cinnamon but it can cause problems for some users and run in fallback mode. This is usually related to graphics hardware and video drivers.
In any event, it is a simple matter to switch between the Linux Mint Desktop Environments without having to do a fresh installation.
Distrowatch:
https://distrowatch.com/
4. What wifi card do I have?
Type in the W10 Search box:
devmgmt (then press Enter)
Click on Network Adapters.
Look for Wireless in the expanded list.
If the wifi card is Broadcom, then I advise choosing MX Linux (scroll down the page for installation details) because it should recognise the card automatically. Other Linux distributions may not do so and it could involve wasted time and effort.
5. Download and install Unetbootin:
UNetbootin:
http://unetbootin.github.io/
6. Download the GParted ISO image and use Unetbootin to install it on a USB drive.
Gparted:
https://gparted.org/download.php
7. Download the Linux Mint MATE 64-bit ISO image (or other).
Then download and install Rufus.
Use Rufus to install the Linux Mint MATE ISO onto a USB drive (at least 8GB).
NB It is advisable to verify the integrity and authenticity of the download in Windows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc3G2U2Fujk
Rufus:
https://rufus.ie/en/
Linux Mint download:
https://linuxmint.com/download.php
Linux Mint Installation Guide:
https://linuxmint-installation-guide....io/en/latest/
.................................................................................................... .......................................................
Configuring your computer
The chances are that, coming from W10, your drive is already formatted as GPT and using UEFI boot.
Just to be certain, open the BIOS. Go to the Boot tab in BIOS and select either UEFI boot or UEFI & Legacy boot (NOT Legacy/CSM).
Also, check the System Configuration -> SATA Operations : AHCI.
The BIOS & Boot Menu keys for most hardware are listed here:
https://kb.wisc.edu/helpdesk/page.php?id=58779
Next, disable Secure Boot in BIOS/UEFI:
https://itsfoss.com/disable-secure-boot-windows/
Also disable Fast Startup:
https://www.howtogeek.com/856514/how...on-windows-10/
.................................................................................................... .......................................................
METHOD ONE (Existing W10 drive partitions)
Boot from the Linux Mint installation USB drive by tapping the special key for Boot Menu/Boot Device such as F12 (or other Special key) and select the boot media (e.g.UEFI SanDisk not simply SanDisk) {possibly UEFI-USB HDD}.
Double click on the Install Linux Mint icon.
Select language.
I recommend connecting to the internet via an ethernet cable (RJ45), but wifi is also fine.
Tick/check the box for “Install third party software”.
Select Something else.
Your existing W10 partitions will look something like those on the attached W10_partitions screenshot.
If there is an existing EFI system partition (esp) formatted as FAT32, then keep it (sda1) and delete all other existing Windows partitions to create free space.
Then create 3 Linux partitions inside the free space using the Mint installer.
Create 3 new Primary (not Logical) partitions and make sure to select Beginning for the location of each partition.
Highlight the free space and click on Change.
First create sda2:
sda2....formatted (X in the box) as ext4 as the root partition (/)......Size: 30000MB
Click on OK.
Highlight the free space and click on Change.
sda3...not formatted (no X in the box) as the linux-swap partition.......Size: 2000MB.
Click on OK.
Highlight the free space and click on Change.
sda4......formatted (X in the box) as ext4 as the Home partition (/home)......Size: Remainder of space on hard drive.
Click on OK.
NB Install GRUB on ESP partition (sda1) and follow the installer’s interactive guide.
Also see the Linux Mint installation guide:
https://linuxmint-installation-guide...t/install.html
When the message, “Installation has finished”, is shown, click on “Restart Now”.
Wait until the message “Remove installation media” appears, remove the USB drive and then press Enter. The computer will then boot up with the new Linux Mint operating system.
Notes:
(a) Linux Mint 21.1 MATE and some other Linux distros now automatically create a swap file (not a partition), so 2 extra partitions (root and home) will be enough. Either way works.
(b) It is very useful to have a separate home partition for future use, especially when upgrading the existing Linux distribution or changing it for another distro:
https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...-distro-37074/
.................................................................................................... .......................................................
METHOD TWO (No existing drive partitions)
You may be using a new drive, or your W10 drive has been wiped.
For screenshots of the procedures using GParted below, visit posts #149 and #150 at:
https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...61/page10.html
1. Using GParted, format the drive as GPT for UEFI:
Gparted > Device > Create Partition Table > Advanced > msdos > gpt > Apply.
2. Delete all (if any) existing partitions.
3. First, create an esp partition (500MB) formatted as FAT32, click on Apply. Leave the remainder of the drive as unallocated for now.
3. Next and most importantly, right-click on the FAT32 partition > Manage flags > Select boot and esp.
Next, create 3 Primary partitions (not Logical) in the unallocated space as follows:
sda2 is the root (system) partition (say 30GB) for Linux Mint. Format the Primary partition as ext 4.
sda3 is a Primary swap partition (say 2GB) Do not format it. Do not use ext4. Use linux-swap.
sda4 is the Primary home partition for the remainder of drive. Format the partition as ext 4.
Click on Apply and wait for all the operations to complete.
Then close GParted:
Double-click the red Exit icon in the upper left hand corner.
Select Shutdown and click OK.
Remove the GParted drive, insert the Linux Mint USB drive and boot from it.
Follow the instructions for METHOD ONE, remembering to use the 4 Primary partitions that have just been created.
.................................................................................................... .......................................................
MX Linux installation
Recommended video:
Installing MX-21 with custom partition options:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Xz4GJO9Bo
Download MX-21.3 from:
https://mxlinux.org/download-links/
Use Rufus to create a new bootable USB drive using MX-21.3.
First of all, boot from a GParted USB drive and partition the drive as GPT with the 4 partitions sized as suggested in METHOD TWO.
NB I have attached screenshots (#1884 and #1887) to illustrate some of the GParted partitions. Unfortunately LQ will not allow me to upload more than 5 screenshots!
To close GParted:
Double-click the red Exit icon in the upper left hand corner.
Select Shutdown and click OK.
Remove the GParted drive, insert the MX-21.3 drive and boot from it.
Insert this drive and keep tapping the F12 key (or other Special key) after powering up to bring up the Boot Menu. Select UEFI-USB or similar.
Next, select MX-21.3.
Then separately select language, keyboard and timezone.
Next, click on "Return to Main Menu" at the bottom of the options list.
Do not click on the Install icon.
On the left-hand side, between the speaker/sound icon and the paperclip icon is the network icon (see attached MX_wifi_icon screenshot).
Click on this and you should be asked for your wifi key. Type it and press Enter.
Once that is confirmed as connected, click on Install.
Make sure to select “Customise the disk layout”.
Click on Next and the “Choose partitions” screen should be shown.
(See attached “Example of the “Choose partitions” screen in MX-21.3 with 256GB SSD")
Also note that the format for sda is GPT (not MBR).
NB This next step is very important, so do take care.
Next, configure the size, use and format for each of the 4 partitions in sda using the black Down arrows.
****Before applying the partitioning, click on “Show details” and make sure only the 4 HDD/SSD drive partitions for sda (ESP, root, swap & home) are marked as active.
Check that no partitions on the MX installation drive (sdb) are also marked! There should only be 4 partitions for sda selected in "Show details", not 5 or more!.
When satisfied that the partitions resemble the configuration in the attached “Example of the “Choose partitions” screen in MX-21.3 with 256GB SSD”, click on Next.
NB Do make sure that GRUB is installed on ESP (sda1).
Follow the rest of the instructions in the MX Linux Installer to enter username and password etc.
NB At 94% completion, the Installer seems to be stuck!
It is simply waiting for operator input. Press Next, enter what is required and continue to complete the installation.
Shutdown and remove the MX drive and reboot.
.................................................................................................... ......................................................
FINAL POINT
It may be a good idea to print off these instructions so that you can refer to them whilst carrying out the installation of your new Linux distro.
Good luck!
Preparation
1. Backup all your personal data from W10 to an external hard drive before proceeding any further!
2. Are you likely to use W10 again? If the answer is No, then proceed to 3. below. If the answer is Yes, then download and install Macrium Reflect Free, create a backup image (.iso) of your W10 drive to an external drive and, most importantly, create Macrium Reflect Rescue Media:
https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree
Create Macrium Reflect Rescue Media:
https://knowledgebase.macrium.com/di...g+rescue+media
Macrium Reflect News:
https://www.neowin.net/news/macrium-...ort-announced/
3. Which Linux distribution should I use?
There are plenty to choose from, but here are some which I would recommend for those beginning Linux:
Linux Mint (*MATE or *Xfce), MX Linux, Ubuntu, antiX (for older hardware).
*I have nothing against Linux Mint Cinnamon but it can cause problems for some users and run in fallback mode. This is usually related to graphics hardware and video drivers.
In any event, it is a simple matter to switch between the Linux Mint Desktop Environments without having to do a fresh installation.
Distrowatch:
https://distrowatch.com/
4. What wifi card do I have?
Type in the W10 Search box:
devmgmt (then press Enter)
Click on Network Adapters.
Look for Wireless in the expanded list.
If the wifi card is Broadcom, then I advise choosing MX Linux (scroll down the page for installation details) because it should recognise the card automatically. Other Linux distributions may not do so and it could involve wasted time and effort.
5. Download and install Unetbootin:
UNetbootin:
http://unetbootin.github.io/
6. Download the GParted ISO image and use Unetbootin to install it on a USB drive.
Gparted:
https://gparted.org/download.php
7. Download the Linux Mint MATE 64-bit ISO image (or other).
Then download and install Rufus.
Use Rufus to install the Linux Mint MATE ISO onto a USB drive (at least 8GB).
NB It is advisable to verify the integrity and authenticity of the download in Windows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc3G2U2Fujk
Rufus:
https://rufus.ie/en/
Linux Mint download:
https://linuxmint.com/download.php
Linux Mint Installation Guide:
https://linuxmint-installation-guide....io/en/latest/
.................................................................................................... .......................................................
Configuring your computer
The chances are that, coming from W10, your drive is already formatted as GPT and using UEFI boot.
Just to be certain, open the BIOS. Go to the Boot tab in BIOS and select either UEFI boot or UEFI & Legacy boot (NOT Legacy/CSM).
Also, check the System Configuration -> SATA Operations : AHCI.
The BIOS & Boot Menu keys for most hardware are listed here:
https://kb.wisc.edu/helpdesk/page.php?id=58779
Next, disable Secure Boot in BIOS/UEFI:
https://itsfoss.com/disable-secure-boot-windows/
Also disable Fast Startup:
https://www.howtogeek.com/856514/how...on-windows-10/
.................................................................................................... .......................................................
METHOD ONE (Existing W10 drive partitions)
Boot from the Linux Mint installation USB drive by tapping the special key for Boot Menu/Boot Device such as F12 (or other Special key) and select the boot media (e.g.UEFI SanDisk not simply SanDisk) {possibly UEFI-USB HDD}.
Double click on the Install Linux Mint icon.
Select language.
I recommend connecting to the internet via an ethernet cable (RJ45), but wifi is also fine.
Tick/check the box for “Install third party software”.
Select Something else.
Your existing W10 partitions will look something like those on the attached W10_partitions screenshot.
If there is an existing EFI system partition (esp) formatted as FAT32, then keep it (sda1) and delete all other existing Windows partitions to create free space.
Then create 3 Linux partitions inside the free space using the Mint installer.
Create 3 new Primary (not Logical) partitions and make sure to select Beginning for the location of each partition.
Highlight the free space and click on Change.
First create sda2:
sda2....formatted (X in the box) as ext4 as the root partition (/)......Size: 30000MB
Click on OK.
Highlight the free space and click on Change.
sda3...not formatted (no X in the box) as the linux-swap partition.......Size: 2000MB.
Click on OK.
Highlight the free space and click on Change.
sda4......formatted (X in the box) as ext4 as the Home partition (/home)......Size: Remainder of space on hard drive.
Click on OK.
NB Install GRUB on ESP partition (sda1) and follow the installer’s interactive guide.
Also see the Linux Mint installation guide:
https://linuxmint-installation-guide...t/install.html
When the message, “Installation has finished”, is shown, click on “Restart Now”.
Wait until the message “Remove installation media” appears, remove the USB drive and then press Enter. The computer will then boot up with the new Linux Mint operating system.
Notes:
(a) Linux Mint 21.1 MATE and some other Linux distros now automatically create a swap file (not a partition), so 2 extra partitions (root and home) will be enough. Either way works.
(b) It is very useful to have a separate home partition for future use, especially when upgrading the existing Linux distribution or changing it for another distro:
https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...-distro-37074/
.................................................................................................... .......................................................
METHOD TWO (No existing drive partitions)
You may be using a new drive, or your W10 drive has been wiped.
For screenshots of the procedures using GParted below, visit posts #149 and #150 at:
https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...61/page10.html
1. Using GParted, format the drive as GPT for UEFI:
Gparted > Device > Create Partition Table > Advanced > msdos > gpt > Apply.
2. Delete all (if any) existing partitions.
3. First, create an esp partition (500MB) formatted as FAT32, click on Apply. Leave the remainder of the drive as unallocated for now.
3. Next and most importantly, right-click on the FAT32 partition > Manage flags > Select boot and esp.
Next, create 3 Primary partitions (not Logical) in the unallocated space as follows:
sda2 is the root (system) partition (say 30GB) for Linux Mint. Format the Primary partition as ext 4.
sda3 is a Primary swap partition (say 2GB) Do not format it. Do not use ext4. Use linux-swap.
sda4 is the Primary home partition for the remainder of drive. Format the partition as ext 4.
Click on Apply and wait for all the operations to complete.
Then close GParted:
Double-click the red Exit icon in the upper left hand corner.
Select Shutdown and click OK.
Remove the GParted drive, insert the Linux Mint USB drive and boot from it.
Follow the instructions for METHOD ONE, remembering to use the 4 Primary partitions that have just been created.
.................................................................................................... .......................................................
MX Linux installation
Recommended video:
Installing MX-21 with custom partition options:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Xz4GJO9Bo
Download MX-21.3 from:
https://mxlinux.org/download-links/
Use Rufus to create a new bootable USB drive using MX-21.3.
First of all, boot from a GParted USB drive and partition the drive as GPT with the 4 partitions sized as suggested in METHOD TWO.
NB I have attached screenshots (#1884 and #1887) to illustrate some of the GParted partitions. Unfortunately LQ will not allow me to upload more than 5 screenshots!
To close GParted:
Double-click the red Exit icon in the upper left hand corner.
Select Shutdown and click OK.
Remove the GParted drive, insert the MX-21.3 drive and boot from it.
Insert this drive and keep tapping the F12 key (or other Special key) after powering up to bring up the Boot Menu. Select UEFI-USB or similar.
Next, select MX-21.3.
Then separately select language, keyboard and timezone.
Next, click on "Return to Main Menu" at the bottom of the options list.
Do not click on the Install icon.
On the left-hand side, between the speaker/sound icon and the paperclip icon is the network icon (see attached MX_wifi_icon screenshot).
Click on this and you should be asked for your wifi key. Type it and press Enter.
Once that is confirmed as connected, click on Install.
Make sure to select “Customise the disk layout”.
Click on Next and the “Choose partitions” screen should be shown.
(See attached “Example of the “Choose partitions” screen in MX-21.3 with 256GB SSD")
Also note that the format for sda is GPT (not MBR).
NB This next step is very important, so do take care.
Next, configure the size, use and format for each of the 4 partitions in sda using the black Down arrows.
****Before applying the partitioning, click on “Show details” and make sure only the 4 HDD/SSD drive partitions for sda (ESP, root, swap & home) are marked as active.
Check that no partitions on the MX installation drive (sdb) are also marked! There should only be 4 partitions for sda selected in "Show details", not 5 or more!.
When satisfied that the partitions resemble the configuration in the attached “Example of the “Choose partitions” screen in MX-21.3 with 256GB SSD”, click on Next.
NB Do make sure that GRUB is installed on ESP (sda1).
Follow the rest of the instructions in the MX Linux Installer to enter username and password etc.
NB At 94% completion, the Installer seems to be stuck!
It is simply waiting for operator input. Press Next, enter what is required and continue to complete the installation.
Shutdown and remove the MX drive and reboot.
.................................................................................................... ......................................................
FINAL POINT
It may be a good idea to print off these instructions so that you can refer to them whilst carrying out the installation of your new Linux distro.
Good luck!
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