Install Linux Mint on an old laptop

I read with interest about Dai Rees’ efforts to install Linux on an old laptop (Issue 674, page 67). I’ve done that several times. In the past installing the Linux operating system was easy enough, but installing programs and printer drivers was more difficult because you had to use a terminal.

However, the last time I installed Linux – a few months ago – installing drivers and programs was easy. I connected a 16-year-old printer and it worked seconds later. I chose Linux-mint-xfce (www.snipca.com/48915, pictured below) because I’d read that it was suitable for Windows users wanting a fast, lightweight operating system that’s easy to learn.

Thank you for the tip in Issue 675 on writing emails in Outlook using your voice (page 47). My hands are increasingly arthritic, so I try to control my computer with spoken commands as much as possible.

I searched for more commands to use in Outlook and found them on Microsoft’s site. Visit www.snipca. com/48899, then scroll down and choose English in the ‘Select your language’ dropdown menu. This reveals categories of commands you can speak.

A lot of the commands are logical, and what you’d expect, but it’s still worth checking. For instance, the precise command for typing a different subject line is “change the subject line to subject”. correctly in sync.

The other tool is Syncfolder, which I installed from the Microsoft Store (www. snipca.com/48897). It syncs selected folders on set overnight schedules to my Onedrive account online. I also perform full system backups manually on a regular basis. Thankfully, I’ve never suffered a complete disaster, but I feel safely covered should it ever happen.