What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Quick to answer questions about finding your way around Linux Mint as a new user.
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whs

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by whs »

Wompoo wrote:I have just ordered a Linux Mint startup boot disk. This is my very first post on these forums.
Question:
When I get the new operating system installed, how do I export my address book from my existing Windows XP Outlook Express, can someone tell me please?

Oh, and apologies if I have posted this in the wrong place.

Jim.
Hi Jim, You may want to start your own thread because this is a very general thread.
Wompoo
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Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Wompoo »

Ok, thanks for the reply.
What forum do you suggest I open the new thread in please?
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whs

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by whs »

Wompoo wrote:Ok, thanks for the reply.
What forum do you suggest I open the new thread in please?
Just here on the newbie forum is fine. Just a new thread. Tagged onto this thread will get you little attention. Title - maybe: " How to export my Outlook address book to Mint ".

Btw - for starters have a look here: http://support.real-time.com/tbird/oe_import.html
Last edited by whs on Sun Dec 29, 2013 1:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
Wompoo
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Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Wompoo »

Thanks whs
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hagensieker

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by hagensieker »

What the heck, even though I just came back to Linux after tinkering with it in the late 1990's with the early RedHat's here is my tip.

Install your distro and get it to a good stopping point. All the hardware works........Stop and Clone your drive. I use Clonezilla. Took me the better part of a day to get my DOD smart Card working with certificates. Stop and Clone. Install OwnCloud and download my Cloud data. Stop and Clone. Just before installing a new destop environment......Stop and Clone.

That way when you break it beyond belief you can restore back to your previous state. Even if you are convinced you can fix it via ssh and terminal commands a Clone is a sweet back up or it gives you the ability to easily migrate to a larger hard drive.

That's my tip. Take a lot of clone snapshots.
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Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Wompoo »

Ok, I will take your tip. But how do I clone? Can you please supply the details? or link me to page with a full description of one?
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daveinuk
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Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by daveinuk »

If you're seting up a machine for someone else, take time to explain there may be differences in terminology from the windows world, classic example: 2 weeks ago I set up mint for my sister toi trial on a laptop, thinking I'd done a good job for her, shortcuts to amazon,ebay,banking on the desktop etc etc as icon'd launchers, all looked very smart when I'd finished -
she brought it back today, unused, can't get the internet connected, can't shut it down the biiggest complaints. . . . . I had explained about the network manager.... what I didn't explain was she had to LEFT click the icon, not RIGHT click (she's used to just tapping on another laptop!) and shutting down? She thought it was 'log off' and not QUIT

Thankfuly she's taking it back for another go, I expect this next attempt to be a great success lol ! And I'm off to another friends today who's fed up of his vista install and wants me to
'stick that thing on that you use' so I'll bear my sisters lessons in mind when I've finished tweaking it to suit his household ;)
Hoser Rob
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Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Hoser Rob »

My suggestions?

First, go into system information in windows and find out what peripherals/adapters are in your computer. Search for problems with them in the linux distro you want to install. Particularly the wireless and video. The problem with this is if you search the web for problems you'll find them, but see which version they're talking about.

Do an md5sum check on your live install image before burning. BTW I always use a usb stick now rather than a cd. Way faster.

Try the wireless after booting the live image, and make sure the screen res is correct.

Until you actually know what you're doing only install programs from the default software repositories, which are tested. Installing linux software isn't the same as windows. A linux program doesn't self install like a windows one does. The operating system actually installs the program. This is a feature, not a bug.

You can find all kinds of SEO optimized links to cool sounding linux plugins that aren't from official repos. These can mess up your system. Ubuntu tweak tool comes to mind. Don't. Just don't.

The situation here isn't nearly as bad as with windows. I actually used mostly programs ported from linux in windows 7 because I got sick of media programs installing undesirable 3rd party codec packs, which take over your whole system and really cause problems. This isn't so much an issue in linux, which won't let the system be taken over like that. But software from some ppa's can be trouble.

Linux may be essentially virus free but you still need a strong password.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong - H. L. Mencken
hagensieker

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by hagensieker »

Wompoo wrote:Ok, I will take your tip. But how do I clone? Can you please supply the details? or link me to page with a full description of one?
Download an iso of Clonezilla and burn it to CD/DVD

http://clonezilla.org/downloads.php

Boot via your Clonezilla disk.

Go here for instructions for cloning to an image file.

http://clonezilla.org/show-live-doc-con ... disk_image

Go here for restoring said image file:

http://clonezilla.org/show-live-doc-con ... disk_image
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Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Wompoo »

Thanks again for sticking with me here hagensieker.
I have downloaded the "Clonezilla" program successfully and burned a couple of discs from the iso image.
I will print out the further instructions as per your link above.

Plan to proceed with it later, work to do now etc......

Progress happens.

Jim.
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Wompoo
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Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Wompoo »

What's the best way for me to view those extensive instructions while doing the clone?
I can't have both open, and it seems like my printer is not handling the colours satisfactorily.
Desktop PC #1
Linux Mint 20.3 MATE desktop (64-bit), Asus
ASUSTeK model: P5G41T-M LX, 8 Gb RAM
asati

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by asati »

Tony.B wrote:
tdockery97 wrote:Read, read, and read more.
Welcome to Linux Mint.
and than learn, learn, learn more... who said that? :lol:
Adelante

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Adelante »

This may be helpful.

Everyday Linux User: Top 10 Tips For Beginning Linux

My own tips:

Keep your present system alongside the new one until you notice you're not turning to it much at all anymore. Go slow. Stay focused. Even if you are excited and want to jump straight into the pool, restrain yourself for the first six months, until you have a good grip on whatever linux distro you start out with. Understand that trying out processes you are unfamiliar with can result in a lot of fresh installs. Don't be discouraged if or when this happens. There's a lot to be learned reinstalling and configuring a system to be the way you like it and works best for you. Consider it an opportunity. Once you are settled in, do keep an extra partition or two for experimenting with new releases. Distro-hopping is fun for a while.
Wompoo
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Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Wompoo »

hagensieker wrote:......................
Download an iso of Clonezilla and burn it to CD/DVD

http://clonezilla.org/downloads.php

........................................................................
This thread describes the extensive roundabout I got into trying to do this:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 2c#p814746

With respect sir, I most definately do not consider this something for beginners to tackle! Besides, as I was informed in the thread above, it simply is not necessary in, at least, my case. And likely, not necessary or relevant in most cases.
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baldrick.777

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by baldrick.777 »

Appologies in advance if this has already been posted... but this really is compulsory reading for any newbie to Linux - http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm. It clearly explains how Linux differs from Windows - and how Linux can never be seen as a drop-in replacement to Windows.

Personally, I feel Linux does things in a far more logical way, in a way that someone new to computing would easily take hold of. The learning curve comes when those ingrained with the illogical methods of Windows seem to have to kind of unlearn that to use Linux.

For example, my sister has been ingrained with Microsoft OS'es for years. A few years back, my Mum who had only about six months with Vista (her only MS experience) before I installed Ubuntu 10.04 on her Laptop. She was very happy with Ubuntu because it took her little effort in finding her way around and using it, unlike with Vista. My sister, on the other hand, later went to live with Mum and struggled to get used to Mum's Ubuntu laptop. She simply couldn't get her head around it. She even made the comment that Ubuntu can't be very good if it doesn't need antivirus! Such was her Windows indoctrination. Fortunately for my sister, Mum's laptop was dual-boot.

My wife, also only now is getting used to Mint/Ubuntu after years of MS, but seems to have a reasonably good handle on it now. Happily.

Have fun! :D
Wompoo
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Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Wompoo »

I did have a quick look through that link about how Linux differs from Windows. Very good actually. I'll look at it more thoroughly later. However, I've got the message anyway after some 5 weeks of Linux Mint use. I love it. Never go back to Windows again now!
Desktop PC #1
Linux Mint 20.3 MATE desktop (64-bit), Asus
ASUSTeK model: P5G41T-M LX, 8 Gb RAM
rogerthat1945

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by rogerthat1945 »

I just learned a day or two ago that a great new Linux release is available from May 2014. :)

"LinuxMint 17" (LM-17).

I read that this LM-17 is a 5-year supported system; and I think it could eventually take up some of the international slack where Windows 8 fell flat on its face. Lotta people cheesed off with Microsoft now.

Hope some of you have some comments on the improvements and support the roll out.
nemodot

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by nemodot »

Enjoy it.

Linux is for lerners, curious people who like to try new things and know how stuff work.

Get into the terminal, is so much better using it. I had problems with GUI programs which didn't do what I want. Until I got to learn using terminal commands and bash scripts.

Code: Select all

sudo shutdown -h 12:00
most used by me, sets up the PC to shutdown at a given time.
ericramos1990

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by ericramos1990 »

DON'T GIVE UP is honestly my best tip =)

You will probably get frustrated, but it is totally worth it if you approach Linux with an appropriate mindset!
pixelplus

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by pixelplus »

He - kind of tricky topic as there is no such thing as one generall good advice one should follow ;) Each individual should start from scratch and build its own path of experience in Linux......

I think the best advice to newbie is to nstall Mint as dualboot wth their current OS and experment with fresh install. Ths way - even f you break your Mint install - your files stays untouched. If you get bored/assume do not like Mint/whatever, just delete partition Mint sits on. And vice versa - you can delete other os' partition if you think you are ok with Mint. Just remember to regenerate boot-sector accordingly.

If you have made decision to stay with Mint, just play with it as much as possible and get familiar with it. Read throughoutly this (and other Mint/Linux), do not be affraid to ask questions, and have fun.......
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