Hi SMB community,
Having previously introduced Linux and reviewed some of the reasons you might want to use Linux, I thought it would be useful to cover the details of how you can try Linux without any impact to your system.
Most Linux distributions have the concept of a 'Live' image which allows you to boot from a USB stick and try it out. It's not very complicated to do and it's a great way of doing a quick test to check that all the HW components are working as you'd expect. And of course, it’s a great way of trying out Linux and seeing if it's something you might want to install and use. It leaves your system untouched so when you're finished, you just reboot, remove the USB stick, and carry on exactly as you were before!
Most Linux distributions have great guides on this process - more detailed and better than I could cover here. However, I'll explain the basic steps and then follow the distro documentation for more detailed steps.
For the flavors of Linux, we preload great starting points here:
- Ubuntu: https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/try-ubuntu-before-you-install
- Fedora: https://getfedora.org/en/workstation/download/
General steps are:
- Download the iso image from your distro of choice. Note for Fedora, if you use the Fedora Media Writer step you can skip this step as it will do it for you!
- Write the image to an empty USB stick. Great free tools to do this are Rufus or Fedora Media Writer
- Take your freshly written USB key and insert it into the powered down installation platform. It is recommended to disable secure boot. If secure boot is enabled (or to check its status) power on the device and press F1 during the early boot to enter the BIOS configuration utility. Check under the security tab for your secure boot settings.
- Power on the device and press F12 during early boot to enter the Boot Menu. Navigate down to your "USB HDD" device and press Enter.
- At the GRUB menu that will be displayed the default option is usually the option you want - but check that it is something like 'Try Ubuntu without installing' or 'Test this media & start Fedora-Workstation-Live'.
- Let your system boot and follow any instructions. You should land on your distro's desktop (perhaps after a prompt on whether to try Linux or start an installation). Explore the system and see what you find. This is a great opportunity to check if all your HW works as expected - check touchpad, audio, fingerprint reader, Wi-Fi. Maybe connect to an external monitor? Try the web browser and check out some of the open-source applications to see how they compare.
If you decide you like it you can use the available installer which will guide you through the installation process - including doing a dual-boot system or wiping your disk and starting clean.
Don't hesitate to ask any questions and please share your experiences!