Biggest Noobs Need Help!!!

[Mint Fresh]

Hello everyone I just wanted to first of all say I am the biggest computer noob there is. I am currently using windows xp but i want to try out Linux. Now ive hear things like Linux is not windows. Im willing to try linux out. But what i need help is why do they make it so complicated to install. Windows is pretty easy, i installed my self, Its basically press next. But ive been checking out distros and what i read this is a very user friendly. So i come to the website and ahhh my biggest nightmare. I hear vocabulary like partition and very alien vocabualy and im scared. So im trying to install and omg there is alot of things i don't understand. XFCE Community Edition BETA 008, miniKDE Edition, Light Edition, KDE Community Edition, Fluxbox Community Edition BETA 028, Debian Edition ALPHA 023. NOw what is that!!! i need help plz!! it would really be helpful if this website/company made a video that would explain everything to a complete noob like me. If anyone has the patience to explain it to me plz do. Help Help Help i would really like to try linux. Im actually really nervouse.

[Fred]

Mint Fresh,

The best advice I could give you is to read the Mint 4 guide. The download link is below. You have no reason to be nervous. It is just a computer operating system. It won't explode or harm you if you make a mistake.

I would suggest you start with either the final of the KDE CE version or the Mint 4 Main Edition Gnome release. I use the KDE version but the Main Edition is probably the more popular one at this point.

http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/linuxmint.com/ ... ide_v1.pdf

The more informed you are when you begin the better your experience will be.

Fred

[rhvkl]

I've started a week ago with the Main (Gnome) Edition. Works good, support is great and you can ask ubuntu users, too.
KDE Programs will also work under Gnome, think the Main Edition was a good choice for me.

[belovedmonster]

Mint Fresh,

Unless you know a specific reason otherwise you basically want to download the Main edition. All the others are versions for experienced Linux users who know they want something beside the regular stock version.

I kinda feel for you in a way because I could see this problem coming. Clem, the big cheese of Mint hasn't done enough to separate the main editions and all the various off shoots. IMO all the other versions should be on a separate page from the Main version. "Want to see the other versions of Mint? Click here", something like that.

As for actually installing Linux. It isnt really all that complicated if you are installing onto a blank harddrive. Where 90% of the complications come from is because people are usually installing Linux along side their windows operating system. This is just an issue of wanting to operating systems on the same computer, having two versions of windows (XP and Vista say) would be just as complicated.

Remember, you can run Mint and pretty much any version of Linux from a liveCD, which means you run it from the CD without needing to install it, you might wanna do that for a few weeks until you get the hang of Linux. The disadvantage of using a LiveCD is it doesnt save your changes when you take the CD out, but there are work arounds by installing a file on your harddrive which might be an option (but might also be pretty geeky and complicated).

Another option is to use a thing called Wubi. At the moment I think only Ubuntu has it, but you will see other distros using it in the near future. Basically it lets you install Ubuntu as if it was a windows program (obviously you need to have windows installed to do this). Once installed you will then get an option when you boot your computer to load into Ubuntu or Windows. If at any point you want to remove Ubuntu you then just go into the remove software part of WIndows Control Panel and uninstall wubi. Bobs your uncle.

[rec9140]

I hear vocabulary like partition and very alien vocabulary and im scared. So im trying to install and omg there is alot of things i don't understand. XFCE Community Edition BETA 008, miniKDE Edition, Light Edition, KDE Community Edition, Fluxbox Community Edition BETA 028, Debian Edition ALPHA 023. NOw what is that!!! i need help plz!!

When you go to the download page what you see is the various editions with the different window managers available.

Unlike winslop, Linux allows you to choose a window manager. A window manager or WM, also some time referred to as an X server is what does all the graphical interface your familiar with on winslop.

Some are versions based on variants of the base software of linux.

I would suggest you go here:

http://www.linuxmint.com/mirrors.php?id=23

Download the Linux Mint KDE CE DVD

This will be a version with the KDE window manager which will be very familiar to what you have used in the past. The others will have a windowing interface that could be a hurdle to use. KDE will be very easy to use and work similar to what you have used.

This version also includes OpenOffice which is an office suite with word processing, spreadsheet, and other programs which allow interaction with a another common used product in offices daily.


I would download the LiveDVD and play with it for awhile to get used to things.

Installing is where you have to make some decisions.

Are you using this on a laptop or desktop?

If possible its best to install to a clean fresh hard disk, or be able to install to an existing hard disk that wipes out winslop completely.

YES, you can install and dual boot, but you have to do some steps like re-size a partition (thats a section of your hard disk) to use linux.

So use the Live DVD for a while and then move up to an install.

[belovedmonster]

At the risk of confusing the guy we are trying to help... I disagree! I dont think KDE offers any extra ease for a migrating windows user, in fact because KDE is such a power users thing with so many options available to tweak I think any slight similarities to the appearance of windows are meaningless because its harder to use. The main version uses gnome which is a far easier desktop than KDE, and because Mint uses Mint Menu which is more of a less a 'Start Menu' replacement I don't see how it will be a struggle for a windows user to re-adjust.

Just download the Main version. It is the post polished, most matured, most supported, most used version of Mint Linux.

[rec9140]

At the risk of confusing the guy we are trying to help... I disagree! .

We will have to agree to very much disagree.

[KenWeiLL]

Mint Fresh,

Just think of it as an adventure. But you have to be very cautious. I was once like you, coming from the Windows world. First Linux distro i have ever used, installed, and experimented was Red Hat Linux 6.2. Was very long time ago. And at that time, don't know anything about partitions.

Best place to start is read the documentation. If you want to clarify something, ask first here in the forums. It's better to ask first than to make mistakes without asking.

[Mint Fresh]

Thank you All!!!!!!!! Ill try to use the liveCd. I'm really greatfull for all you who took your time to help me, really means alot. now i know you all explained as best as you could but I still have some questions. I know your all probably saying omg what an idiot but ill ask anyway >.< How do i download a liveCD? Can you plz explain with detail (a lot of detail pls) Also when i do decide to install alot of you said install this version or that version i really don't know what you talking about. When i went to download on this page i had options like XFCE Community Edition BETA 008, miniKDE Edition, Main Edition, Light Edition, KDE Community Edition, Fluxbox Community Edition BETA 028, Debian Edition ALPHA 023. I don't know wich is the original version and what version is that and this. Could any of you that adviced me or anyone tell me just download this one and just type one in? Thank you all again Soory don't mean to get on your nerves with all my questions.

[ed@Mint]

There's no problem about that. A user asking for information before to do stuff is a better user than one going blindly, breaking things and complaining afterwards.
You really, really should read the Linux Mint user guide : Click here and save the file to your computer
To download the live cd, go the the 'downloads' section on the site Click here and download the Main edition.
But it's very well explained in the guide above.
Read it and come back later if you have further questions.
We'll answer them all

[Fred]

Mint Fresh,

As I said in my first post and Ed just said again above, Download and read the Mint 4 guide. Most of the questions you allude to are answered in easy to understand language in that document.

Fred

[Mint Fresh]

Hello me again. I have downloaded the guide and read it over and over. Im still confused (surprise..). In the guide it says you can download with/via torrent and with/via download mirror. Ok i understand that Torrent is downloading from different people and that mirror is from a database. Also it gives me a link to download a program called (http://azureus.sourceforge.net/). Ok i went there installed it. Great i did those steps. K next i went to the linuxmint website and clicked on the download section and clicked on the main eddition. Then on the bottom i clicked where it said torrent, it took me to another page and i clicked the first link called -Main Edition LinuxMint-4.0.iso.torrent (54.03 KB / 79274 downloads / 4.08 GB traffic)- Great so i waited about 3 hours for it to download. Then i read the release notes great told me about the program. Then i had to read the something called MD5 great so it also gave me a link to download a little program. I installed it from the link that it gave me -http://www.etree.org/md5com.html- Once it downloaded i opend it up and nothing happend atleast nothing poped up or showed up. Then the Program finished downloading. (remember i downloaded Main Edition LinuxMint-4.0.iso.torrent (54.03 KB / 79274 downloads / 4.08 GB traffic). One problem is i wasn't able to read the MD5. Then the step that i have the main problem in wich is burning the cd. The guide gave me two links where i can download programs i know i don't need both but i went and got them both just in case. The links it gave it where -http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm
http://infrarecorder.sourceforge.net/?page_id=5-
Ok so i opened up Azureu Vuze and the program is in the left hand corner it says i has completed downloading - LinuxMint-4.0.iso- <--- name of the program. Now, when i double click it, it says The content 'LinuxMint-4.0.iso' is not recognized as a known format. Your operating system is reporting the content as a 'ISO Recorder' type. The content's file extension is '.iso'. On the same box where this message apears it has two options it says Runanyway or cancel. I pressed Runanyway and another page pops up named - CD Recording Wizard - Then it says source, beneath that it has two options Image file and cd i left it on Image file where it was already clicked. I put in the blank CD and pressed finish and it started burning the CD. I was so happy thought I had done it. so i left the cd in turned off the computer , turned it back up and nothing. What!!! so if anyone can please help me. I tried to explain as best as i could. thank you.

[KenWeiLL]

Mint Fresh,

i assume you're downloading from windows.
Nero can read and burn ISO files.

Under Nero Express, you should click on "Disc Image or Saved Project" and select on the ISO file that you've downloaded. Then burn to CD. When you create an image file in nero, its usually .nrg file. Its nero's format. ISO which i think, its International Standard Organization, is the most common, lets say, its a standard file type of a disc image. Or something like that.

Anyway, Nero should take care of the ISO. It's just like an entire CD zipped into the ISO file. You can even open the ISO file through Nero's ImageDrive.

@update
you should change your computers boot sequence.
Its usually pointed to your hard drive.
You should boot from your CD.

[Mint Fresh]

ok, i have some questions about that. What is nero? how do i get it? how do i open it? @update
you should change your computers boot sequence.
Its usually pointed to your hard drive.
You should boot from your CD. <---how do do this?? plz i really need details please.

[Fred]

I am really beginning to wonder about this thread.

Fred

[KenWeiLL]

ok, i have some questions about that. What is nero? how do i get it? how do i open it? @update
you should change your computers boot sequence.
Its usually pointed to your hard drive.
You should boot from your CD. <---how do do this?? plz i really need details please.

I don't know what computer you have. what motherboard.
but everytime you start your computer, you should always see something like:
Press F8 to select boot options, F12 to enter setup.
But not all computers have the same keys.
Others have F12 for boot options, F2 for setup.
That depends on your computer.
What ever is stated in your computer, you should press the corresponding keys that relate to Boot options. After pressing it, it should display a list of bootable devias... Floppy, IDE(or your hard disk), CD/DVD(1 or more if you have more CD/DVD).

You should select the CD/DVD device in which your CD is inserted. Then press enter. In case its successful, you should see a Menu for Linux Mint. That menu is in the Documentation/Manual of Linux Mint. You should read it.

[Nomad]

Step One: Click this link
ftp://mirrors.secution.com/linuxmint.co ... nt-4.0.iso

Step two: Click this link
http://superb-west.dl.sourceforge.net/s ... nicode.exe

Step Three: Once the SECOND download finishes, (The first download doesn't need to be done). Install the program by double clicking the file you just downloaded. Follow the instructions.

Step Four: Insert a blank CD in the drive and select Do nothing or Cancel if an autorun dialog pops up.

Step Five: Open Infra Recorder, and select the 'Actions' menu, then 'Burn image'. (Click the link below for a picture of this)
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Burni ... order2.png

Step Six: Select the Linux Mint CD image file you just downloaded (Wait for it to finish downloading), then click 'Open'.

Step Seven: In the dialog, click 'OK'.

Step Eight: Wait for the program to finish burning your disc, then close the program. (It will tell you its completed or done and the CD tray should open).

Step Nine: Close the CD tray if its open, Leave the disc in the drive.

Step Ten: Restart your pc.

Step Eleven: PC should boot the Linux Mint LiveCD. If not restart again and press the F keys (example: F11) Until you get a menu that lists your Hard Drives and CD Drive. Press down arrows to select CD/DVD) (See post above if your confused)

Step Twelve: Once Mint has gotten to the Desktop, (You can click the Menu's and such). Double click the Icon that says Install.

Step Thirteen: Press "Forward" (Same as Next in Windows) Select any settings you want. (Keep the ones that are already selected if your not sure)
On the one that says "prepare disc space" at the top, Leave default settings to keep Windows, OR select Guided - Use Entire Disc to PERMANENTLY delete Windows.

Step Fourteen: Click Forward till it starts installing. When you get to a menu asking you to restart, Click Restart Now.

For More information and Pictures of what I'm talking about, Click this Link. It Covers all of this in more detail. (Though I really hope thats enough)
http://woottechnologies.com/docs/Installation.pdf

[Mint Fresh]

Ohh ok thank you i get it now

[Nomad]

Hmm that was interesting? I spent such a long time typing all that up to.... *pouts*

[Fred]

Nomad,

I am reminded of a quote. "No good deed goes unpunished."

I have seen this same abusive silliness before. That's why I said what I did just before you posted.

I hope this won't deter you from continuing to help those that really need it in the future.

Fred