What are your top tips for a Newbie?

[MerelyJim]

Make a list of your hardware on the Windows side before you install...

-start
-computer
-[right click]
-properties
-device manager

This way, if there's a problem with incomparability (wifi chipset, graphics, etc.) you know what you're talking about.

oh, yeah:

BACK-UP YOUR DATA!!!

[karuga]

You turn to linux,You will never switch Operating System.
You start using Mint,You will never leave it!

[Joe1]

WRITE THINGS DOWN
I've decided to write down how to execute important procedures. It saves me time and helps in the learning process.

Use Tomboy Notes (or another note-taking tool) to keep track of your Linux Learnings. You can build yourself a nice, searchable resource library in no time.

[prateek]

Learn how to use the terminal.

It makes it much easier.

[I am a newbie too, well, maybe not ] and learning how to use the basic commands helped me a lot to understand linux.

Try learning at http://www.linux.org/lessons

It is a very good tutorial in easy lang.

[richyrich]

The BEST way to search these Mint forums, thanks altair4 !

viewtopic.php?f=42&t=25794&start=0

[Brispir]

Hi everyone. I just installed Mint on my laptop last night and trying it out tonight. I haven't installed it yet on my main desktop computer, but I get the feeling that I will once I finally get how it works. Currently on my desktop I'm using Windows 7, but I'm thinking of eventually dual booting them both. However, I feel the best thing to do is learn the OS on my laptop (my backup computer) before putting it on my desktop (main computer). Looks like I'm going to have a lot to read, but I think I'm going to like the new OS.

[Junkie]

1- Be sure to have a backup
2- The forum and google are your best tools
3- Make a list of your top apps in Windows, search for equivalents in Linux (don't get scared by the command line, at first try to use the graphical tools...later, try to slowly start using it for the things you've already learned in the GUI)
4- Avoid comparissons, and don't get scared with things like "omigod, where's the c: unit?!?!?" remember, its a completely diferent world (you'll find that's way more friendly)
5- ENJOY, above all things, BE PERSEVERANT, be READY TO MAKE MISTAKES AND OVERCOME THEM , and , above all, HAVE FUN

[denissonofyvon]

Hi

I moved from MS to Linux a couple of years ago on my own personal computer. I am not an expert but I still prefer use Mint every day.

Here is what a non expert like myself, would recommend to a new user:

1-At first do your experimentations on an older recycled PC, you will feel more relax and you will actually get decent use of that PC with Linux installed on it. Please use wired Internet at first, especially for the install!!!

2-Learn how to find and install software on Linux. Look at and try some of the free software that is made available by your LINUX distribution.

3-Try different distributions especially the one with live CD's. (PUPPY linux , PCOS, Ubuntu, Try dragon fly BSD) you will eventually choose Mint but your experiments with the other distros will be great for building your confidence.

4-Whenever you have a problem search google stating your problem with UBUNTU at the end. The UBUNTU community has no rivals when it comes to giving clear "how to fix" instructions. The fix are applicable to Mint and many of the other distributions.

5-Find a friend to share your experiments with. Linux enthusiasts are everywhere there is IT support (at work for example). You will be surprise to find you'll make new very helpful friends in that department. (be nice to them, these guys can save you tons of time at work)

And yes you WILL have fun with it. Most of all you will feel these OS to be very responsive and you will rapidly forget what a virus is. Most of all you will forget the time wasted waiting for your anti virus to do it's things (what ever they are doing no one knows exactly). Also you will ask yourself why did I pay for all the inefficient software when good working software was available for free with your distro's Linux repos.

Please don't forget to help out those hard working on Mint if not with your time at least with a little money.

Thanks
Denis

[onewing]

Don't be afraid to make mistakes, you cannot "break" your computer.
Give consideration to how you frame your questions: asking the right question guarantees an answer, google or forum.
Share what you've learned.
Support your favorite distro! For real! The team works hard and long, help make their work possible.

[latie3822]

I'm glad I saw this thread. I am also a newbie, and I had the same questions! Now I feel pretty confident in knowing how to install my dvd player myself. I hate paying someone else an overpriced amount to do something that I can do myself!

[MerelyJim]

I'm glad I saw this thread. I am also a newbie, and I had the same questions! Now I feel pretty confident in knowing how to install my dvd player myself. I hate paying someone else an overpriced amount to do something that I can do myself!

Hardware wise, the best thing is to get a digital camera, and take a picture before removing a screw, bracket, or other part. That way, when putting it back together again, you have a personal slide show of how it goes back together...

There 's also the hypothesis that if you have extra parts left over when you're finished, you've made it better. This may NOT be the case, but it's a fun theory.

[Prescottech]

I would definitely say use Google Chrome. It is faster than Firefox, and your web experience will be more enjoyable!

[Oscar]

Don't know if some one else has said this:

Make a back up of your boot folder. It will come in handy if grub ever borks your install.

[contentmint]

Noob here: Please excuse my feeble repeating of advice that surely preceded and surpassed this.

Recognizing that troo noobs never read the whole thread, anyway-

Here's my sage advice after many minutes (even stretching into hours now) of intense wisdom and character-building Linux experience:

Don't screw with your system without protection (for your system that is).

Before your next delirious noob tweaking joyride
-That is, after your next complete disaster and clean install
--right up to the reasonable limits of your awesome new Linux powers
---right up to the point where you last brutalized elegance, freedom, functionality, prudence, common sense, and everything else...

• Avail yourself of a spare/external/network drive, at least as big as your LM boot drive.
• Put Clonezilla live to a CD, USB, SD (your favorite live booter medium) learn to use it, and...
• Fear nothing! Knock yourself (or the grub, the Kernel, or whatever his species or rank) right out!

Now pardon me, while I restore some fresh minty elegance from the ravages of yawping barbaric freedom. Again. O.o

[vrkalak]

"tinkering with the OS" ... that's what we do.

You have no idea, how many times, I've done a 'fresh install' -- when I first came to Linux ... for many different reasons.

(1) Read everything . . . (2) 'Back-Up' everything.

Definition of a Linux Adventurer:
They are not scared to try something new or different.
They are willing to pick a random button and click it ...
To open a terminal and type gibberish they do not understand and hit 'enter'.
To type endless key words into Google, until they find relative direction.
Then, to try each method until one works or until they "b0rk" their OS so bad they have to start over.
To do a 'fresh' install, again.
They are not scared to screw up ... they just do it.

Just a part of the ... Linux Learning Experience.

[contentmint]

Yes!

And fortunately, we are seldom the victims of malicious advice: The Linux community is what it is because of who we all are. There's a word for that, but I can't recall it since switching to Mint.

Imagine the chaos, if there was nastiness in all the terminal code and scripts that noobs like me are copy-pasting willy-nilly from the internets. It might get as bad as Windows, maybe almost as expensive too! But people are genuinely helpful about Linux, from the developers right down to newbie peers. It's a highly admirable and civilised culture.

There's something happening here- not just in the digital software, but also in the mental software and code being shared.

It gives me hope for us all. (really)

[altair4]

My top tips for a newbie are the same as my dad gave to me:

* Never start smoking.
* Never get romantically involved with a redhead.
* Never gamble with a man nicknamed "Doc".
* Never loan money to a friend.

[Elisa]

My top tips for a newbie are the same as my dad gave to me:

* Never start smoking.
* Never get romantically involved with a redhead.
* Never gamble with a man nicknamed "Doc".
* Never loan money to a friend.

IMHO some of them are really very stupid, eg. that about friend...

[MerelyJim]

My top tips for a newbie are the same as my dad gave to me:

* Never start smoking.
* Never get romantically involved with a redhead.
* Never gamble with a man nicknamed "Doc".
* Never loan money to a friend.

Man, that tip on the Redhead? Why couldn't you have posted this twenty years ago?

Oh, right, 20 years ago...

[trobbins]

Ok, couple of quick tips. First I'm assuming your using some variation of Windows on your primary machine at the moment. The first thing your going to be tempted to do when you install Mint is to setup a dual boot.

Don't.

Download an install Virtual Box. Ok, yes, I know a lot of people will most likely wail and nash a lot of teeth at this suggestion, but bear with me. Virtual box will allow you to setup a virtual machine in Windows without affecting your current setup at all, it will just cost you a bit of drive space. It will allow you to install Mint, play with it, break it, reinstall it, break it again, etc.. until you get comfortable.

Once you've reached that point then is the time to consider installing it on a machine of it's own. Don't fear this learning process, it's nomal, and can actually be quite fun if you approach it right.

Now, once you do get Mint installed on a machine of it's own, keep your Virtual Machine. Why? You can test the vast majority of things you'll want to do to your main machine in the virtual machine before you put it "into production". If it breaks your VM, you'll know not to do that on the real install.