Want to try Mint through Mint4win

[legendkiller]

Today i downloaded mint from the win and burnt it on my cd....although i have been using windows for 10yrs and know how to install...
I was skeptical about the partition thing even after reading online guides....Therefore i am thinking of using mint4win instead...
Here's my setup of my HDD:All are in "NTFS"
Win-xp on partition "C";Windows 7 on partition"G"...I have three other partitions and i am thinking of installing mint4win of partition-"E" which has 19gb free...

Another question,how does installing mint4win a lesser experience than the normal installation....

Please help in decide what to do....as i am a novice in linux and dont wanna screw my winxp partition....

[distoaddict]

as your hdd is already partitioned you're half way there to a normal install.i understand that if mint4win or wubi is used its slower than usual.

[altair4]

I have never used mint4win so this is more of a question. Is it not correct that mint4win doesn't "install" into an empty partition? Instead it creates a couple of files into an existing windows partition.

mint4win - A Windows installer for Linux Mint

If you run Microsoft Windows, insert the liveCD and a program called mint4win will launch automatically. This program is an installer for Linux Mint which runs on Windows. It installs Linux Mint within a file on one your partitions and it doesn't touch your existing partitions. It also sets up a Windows multiboot for you.

Of course the performance won't be as good as if the system was installed in its own partition but if you just want to give Linux Mint a try this is a very good option.

You can remove mint4win from the Add/Remove applications tool within Windows and this will remove Linux Mint and restore your boot exactly as it was.

Note: Mint4win is based on Wubi.

So I'm guessing the only requirement is available space on your existing partitions.

[Decemberdoom]

Mint4Win (et al) seem to be slower, and people using them seem to be more prone to run into weird bugs. I'll probably soon develop a reputation as a "Purist ****", but I think that wubi/mint4win should be considered experimental and not relied upon too much.

I think you should just reformat one of your partitions that you are likely not going to need too much as ext3 and give a full install a go. You'll get faster performance, and will be more likely to get good solid support should something not work on your system, since the possibility of a Mint4Win bug will no longer exist.

[MatchStickMen]

I am using it now with no problems on Lenovo Y510...with vista

[legendkiller]

thanks for d reply i will try mint4win later today and psot my results...

[legendkiller]

ok,i have successfully installed mint and is working well........
the question what to do next....i mean how to get it done for my daily use....

[Decemberdoom]

Well, what do you need for your daily use? Mint comes with a pretty good Office Suite already installed, along with a great photo-editor, email and web browser, even a music and video player.

[legendkiller]

i mean stuff like download-manager,torrent apps,cd-burning,pdf editor and other stuff...

[rjohn]

My recommendation is to first use mint update to get any upgrades,security fixes. Then use mint install to browse or install software you may be interested in using. If you are using 6.0, a right click on any application in the menu allows you to uninstall, so don't be afraid to install and try out different packages. You can also use Synaptic to search for software in different categories.
Many of the things you will want to do are already on your system, you simply need to poke around and see what is there. The menu is neatly organized, so you have an idea what each application does even before you open it. (BTW-my preferred CD/DVD burner is K3b-search for it in MintInstall).
I have found folks on this forum to extremely helpful if you are willing to do a little learning and poking around on your own. My first Mint (4.0) had a manul which could be downloaded. You might search for that on the forum. Good luck!!!

[legendkiller]

i have learnt that you have to type in some command to install software on linux....

[rjohn]

You certainly can install software via command line if you want, but that is not the recommended method for us newbies. Mint Install is fool proof as a GUI tool and it is built specifically for Mint. Synaptics is also very good and contains many more software programs(packages), but not all have been tested and verified for Mint. I have experienced no problems with installation using either method. What are you using as a platform. PC? Laptop? Navigate through the menu and poke around. You won't break anything. Then if you find you need to do something and can't find an application, ask. Just use Mint update first, so you have the latest SW and fixes.