Install Linux Mint

Preparations are complete, it’s time to get Mint installed

With your fail-safe backup in place, you’re now ready to take the plunge and install Linux Mint. The following procedure assumes you want to install it alongside your existing Windows installation – it’s a good route to follow for first-time switchers, as well as for those helping others to make the migration to Linux.

You’ll find the latest version – Mint 17.3 – on the cover disc. Like all versions of Mint, it’s a Long Term Support (LTS) release, with support guaranteed until April 2019. If you’d rather try Ubuntu, go to www.ubuntu.com and select ‘Download’. Click ‘Ubuntu Desktop’ and download the correct version for your processor (64-bit in most cases) of either Ubuntu 14.04.3 LTS or for the latest release, 15.10. Creating your Mint or Ubuntu install disc or flash drive is the same process for Re do Backup( on the previous page) and the installation process is identical for both Mint and Ubuntu.

When your PC boots, it makes use of a tiny piece of software to get itself up and running. In the past, this was known as the BIOS (Basic Input Output System), but it’s been superseded by the more powerful and flexible UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). In practical terms, the UEFI offers a more user-friendly interface and better features, but it’s not compatible with older hardware.

Most UEFI systems ship with a special Compatibility Support Module (CSM), which allows you to emulate the BIOS when attempting to use older hardware and operating systems. They also ship with Secure Boot enabled, a special feature designed to protect PCs from low-level malware.

Your PC will almost certainly have Secure Boot enabled, which isn’t a problem for Mint, which fully supports it. However, another new feature – FastBoot (also called QuickBoot or FastStartup) – will almost certainly be enabled too, and this needs to be disabled before you can install Linux. (See the FixUE FI Boot Issues box, below, for how to do this .)

Once you’ve edited your UEFI’s settings, make sure your installation media is plugged in, then reboot your PC. Look for an option to access the boot menu when you start – typically a key like F11. This will bring up a list of available drives: select your DVD or USB flash drive and hit Enter. Don’t panic if you see two entries – this happens when CSM has been enabled, with the non-UEFI option allowing you to boot using the older BIOS compatibility mode. However, Windows 10 will almost certainly have been installed using UEFI mode, so select that option to continue.

“The procedure assumes you want to install Mint alongside your existing Windows install.”

Partition your drive

When you arrive at the Mint desktop, double-click the ‘Install Linux Mint’ icon. Verify English is selected, click ‘Continue’ and then verify both boxes are checked before clicking ‘Continue’ again. Wait while the installer scans your hard drives. In a perfect world it should spot your Windows 10 install, but this isn’t always the case. If it claims there’s no Windows installation, the simplest thing to do is follow the step-by-step guide( see the Manually Configure your Drive for Dual-Booting box, bottom, p33) to set up your hard drive manually.

If the installer does detect Windows 10, leave ‘Install Linux Mint alongside Windows 10’ selected and click ‘Next’. Your next step will be to hive off enough drive space to give Mint the room it needs. The installer will make a calculated guess, but you can click and drag the divider between the two to set this figure yourself. Note that if you have more than one hard drive, Mint may actually choose a different drive to install itself on, so verify which one it’s picked and click the dropdown arrow next to ‘Select drive:’ to see if you can change this if necessary. If you can’t, and you don’t want to install it on the recommended drive, click ‘Back’ and follow the step-by-step guide to do things manually.

Assuming Mint chooses the same drive as Windows 10 to install itself on, leave at least 10GB free space for Windows, and give Mint a minimum of 8GB drive space to work with – more if you plan to make it your primary OS. Remember that you can always repartition the drive later or remove the Windows partition [ see Tutorials, p78, LXF206].

Once you’ve set up the drive, click ‘Install Now’. Make a note of the warning and click ‘Continue’. You’ll be asked to confirm the proposed changes – by default the Mint installer creates just two partitions (the Ext4 entry is your Linux partition, plus it creates a dedicated swap partition). Click ‘Continue’ to accept the change.

Next, the installer will attempt to detect your location, settling on London in most cases. You can accept this or type the name of your nearest large town to see if it’s recognised. Click ‘Continue’, then set your keyboard layout.

The next stage is where you first type your name – you’ll see the computer name is pre-filled for you along with your username as you type. You can change these and enter a password – you’ll need to provide this when you log in, plus an administrator’s password for performing certain tasks.

Only opt to log in automatically if your PC isn’t shared, and if you’re installing Ubuntu on a laptop tick ‘Encrypt my home folder’ to protect your data should you lose it. Click ‘Continue’ and you’re done – Mint will install itself in the background. You can go off and make a LXF standard cup of tea (or two) while you wait or sit and read some highlights about what features and applications are included in Ubuntu, and how to find more using the Software Center. When installation finishes, click ‘Restart Now’, remove the installation disc or drive when prompted, and hit Enter. Ubuntu is now installed, turn the page to find out how to start using it.