I'm new here from the Netherlands

[These2834]

Hello,

I'm These2834 and I'm considering switching from Windows 10 to Linux Mint, because I have seen that Microsoft wants to force us to upgrade to Windows 11.
And I'm not finding this okay at all, I'm feeling everyone should have free choice to do what they want with their computer and OS.
Considering that Windows most of the time stayed the same, with only some cosmetic changes.
I'm wanting something else, because Windows has become boring and I've been using it my whole life already right up to this date.

However, switching to this interesting looking OS doesn't go just like that.
I'am wanting to first do extensive research before I run into problems which get's me into even more problems.
Like not being able to safely bank online or getting software able to play my commercially purchased Blu-Ray movies like How to train your dragon.
And I'm just wanting to have a little knowledge to start with before I'm going to make the jump.

I hope to have a good time here. And feel free to tell me kindly and gently if I'm doing something wrong.
It's not my intention to be a bad community member, I'm very green and need to learn everything.

[Moem]

Hello and welcome! You are not the only 'cloggie' around here.

[antikythera]

Welcome to the community! On the whole Windows thing, you have until 2025 before they stop providing monthly updates for Windows 10 and you can tell it to stop nagging you via Windows Update in System Settings. It will have an option to stay on Windows 10 to click on, that will reload Windows Update and put the message back to 'See if your computer is ready for W11'. The difference being, it won't run the test again now unless you actively click on that.

So the TLDR is don't panic, ease yourself into Linux Mint or whichever Linux distribution you end up using slowly. You can learn a lot just from the live media about how it works but it's really not that different for the most part from Windows. If you get stuck there's always someone around here to ask no matter how daft the question may sound to you.

[WebHeer]

You can start installing Linux Mint on a USB stick and boot from there. As long as you don't install anything, your windows will remain intact. You can then try and test Linux Mint via the USB stick. What you can also do is install VirtualBox in Windows and install Linux Mint in it. Good luck.

Je kan starten met het installeren van Linux Mint op een USB-stick van daaruit opstarten. Zolang je niets installeert blijft je windows gewoon intakt. Je kunt Linux Mint dan via de USB-stick proberen en testen. Wat je ook kunt doen is VirtualBox in Windows installeren en daarin Linux Mint installeren. Veel succes.

[Pjotr]

Welkom! Misschien heb je wat aan mijn Nederlandstalige webstek, met allerlei tips, truuks en handleidingen voor Linux Mint:
https://makkelijkelinuxtips.blogspot.com/p/1.html

[kc1di]

Hello These2834,
Welcome to Linux Mint Forums, enjoy the Journey!

[deepakdeshp]

Welcome to Linux Mint Forums

[all41]

I hope to have a good time here.

And you shall.
Welcome to the forums and Linux Mint. Good to have you join in.
You're doing good research beforehand--I predict you will do well with Linux.
Online videos are often outdated--hang with the forums for best recommendations.

And I'm just wanting to have a little knowledge to start with before I'm going to make the jump.

Don't 'jump'-- just ease over---jump should be a future decision--you'll know when

[mintmikey]

I'm from the Netherlands too and I switched from Windows 10 to Linux Mint years ago at the beginning of Windows 10.
Never regretted it since.
The nice thing about Linux Mint is that it has a Live DVD.
Download the ISO and burn it to DVD.
If you have done that, you can boot from the DVD and run it from there without installing it to harddisk just yet.
It will not perform greatly of cause as you might expect running it from a slow DVD but you can test your hardware and even install software from ¨Programmabeheer" if your networkcard works (It almost always does).
Guessing you are going to the internet through a simple networkcard but wireless is also possible of cause.
Banking on Linux Mint is no problem if you only need a browser.
I'm really a Firefox guy but if you have compatibility issues you can always install Chrome.
The time that you needed Windows software to do banking has passed a long time ago.
One other thing.
If you have mail you need to migrate, I suggest to install Thunderbird in Windows and migrate your Outlook mail to thunderbird under Windows 10.
Backing it up the Thunderbird mail in Windows and restoring it in Linux Mint should be easy enough after that.
Good luck...

[These2834]

Thank you so much everyone for welcoming me here.
I had different experiences on Reddit, which made me decide to not switch to Linux.
But with this warm welcome, I'm certainly going for it.
I'm finding a friendly and supportive community important to be a part of.

Thanks for all the tips and tricks and all the positive reinforcements.

Ik ga zeker jouw website eens raadplegen. Hartelijk dank voor de suggestie. En dat het in het Nederlands is maakt het nog leuk en makkelijk ook.

Nogmaals dank allemaal.
Thanks to all of you.

[Moem]

The nice thing about Linux Mint is that it has a Life DVD.
Download the ISO and burn it to DVD.
If you have done that, you can boot from the DVD and run it from there without installing it to harddisk just yet.

This is a good idea... but I would use an USB stick, not a DVD, as it gives much better performance and so it's a lot more representative of what an installed version will behave like.

[NM64]

Minor tip: maybe don't dive into the deep-end on Mint until Mint 21.0 is released, perhaps putting Mint 20.3 on a secondary PC until then to additionally help you to learn the ropes in a real-world situation without impacting your currently-working primary PC configuration, and then you can move your primary PC over if/when you feel ready for it?


I'm just thinking that, since Microsoft's push to upgrade from Win10 to Win11 is what's making you consider switching to Linux, then jumping straight to Mint 21.0 when it presumably releases sometime later this summer should allow you to have a considerably longer software support cycle than if you went with Mint 20.3 right now, allowing you to go considerably longer without needing to do a full-OS upgrade.

(this is because each major version of Mint, e.g. 19.x, 20.x, etc. is supported for 5 years, but it's already been two years since 20.x initially released back in summer 2020)


Additionally, since Win10 isn't end-of-life yet, you could always just wait for that to happen and then move your primary PC over to Mint or the like.

This is a good idea... but I would use an USB stick, not a DVD, as it gives much better performance and so it's a lot more representative of what an installed version will behave like.

I'm not even sure there's a PC made in the last 5 years that comes with a DVD drive, and 5.25" drive bays have become basically extinct on DIY PC cases in the last few years.

Regardless, if using a USB flash drive, then Ventoy is your friend:

• http://ventoy.net/

[RollyShed]

I'm wanting something else, because Windows has become boring and I've been using it my whole life already right up to this date.
However, switching to this interesting looking OS doesn't go just like that.

Welcome.

Switching from Windows 10 to Linux Mint is simply switching off the Windows 10 computer one evening and switching on Linux Mint the next morning and carrying on doing all the things normally done in the same manner. That's what my partner did. It's that easy.

What does she do? Accounting spreadsheets for a business, documents, emails, web browsing including banking, learning the violin, setting out music documents, tunes and music, metronome, tuner, etc.

[900i]

Hi These2834
Welcome and Enjoy the Forums.

[These2834]

Thanks again for the replies.