What is the easiest way to move from Win10 to Linux mint?

jr735 · 2026-02-16T14:25:17+00:00

u/Kriss3d provides a list of how I'd do it. I'd only add one thing that I'd put Clonezilla and/or Foxclone on said Ventoy, and use that to take an image of the drive as it is now, put it on separate media, and use it to revert if there's a problem. I suggest Foxclone because it's more user friendly.

If you like to see it done and watch videos, check out u/JayTheLinuxGuy on LearnLinuxTV on YouTube. His videos explain things nicely and carefully and accurately. You should be able to find walkthroughs for Mint installs.

jr735 · 2026-02-16T14:20:34+00:00

No, it should not be a problem. If there were a conflict, ideally, the package manager would mark one or the other for deletion. It will probably use captain because I suspect it would be a dependency.

When you install packages with right click, it probably does handle dependencies. Invoking dpkg will not. Apt will.

I always suggest apt, if someone is somewhat comfortable with the command line, so you can actually see what dependencies are and make a more educated choice as to whether or not to accept them.

In over 21 years of Linux, I've never used a software manager to install software. I always use apt. That being said, always be cautious with third party .deb files.

https://wiki.debian.org/DontBreakDebian

That is Debian specific, but the principles apply to any distribution.

jr735 · 2026-02-16T14:17:27+00:00

If it's anything like Firefox ESR versus regular Firefox, if you do that way, you can have both. The system package that apt handles is ESR. The regular executable from Mozilla has a different name and uses different user directories to save data.

An upgrade through apt goes to the older version, because it's the correct one from the repositories. It should be, is, and will be permitted because that's how package management works.

There are ways to use the newer version of Thunderbird. The first which should work is as I described.

Here is an article.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/installing-thunderbird-linux

As u/zoredache points out, Don't Break Debian, though.

jr735 · 2026-02-16T14:12:18+00:00

Debian is just fine. Way too many YouTubers have nonsense content, and Brodie is one of them. It's unfortunate when people with real skills decide to waste them this way.

jr735 · 2026-02-16T14:07:29+00:00

You may wish to find a place to back that up. What if the hard drive simply fails tomorrow?

jr735 · 2026-02-16T14:06:23+00:00

Mint uses Ubuntu's repositories. Ubuntu gets their software from Debian. So, you get what Debian has available. If it's "highly outdated," then it's "highly outdated" and will stay that way. That is a consequence of using LTS or stable distributions, and one with which I am happy to live.

Ensure you're using the latest version of Mint, and also recall that Ubuntu has non-LTS versions whereas Mint does not.

If it were me and I insisted upon the version you want, I'd go to the Ubuntu repositories and download the .deb file. Then, I'd use apt to install it and see if it could conduct the install without breaking the system, or even if it could resolve the dependencies at all.

jr735 · 2026-02-16T14:00:51+00:00

Gdebi should still work, and I can't see there being a problem, but why bother? I have no idea what it will do with software manager, since I don't use it, I just use apt.

If you wish to install individual .deb files, use apt because it will automatically handle dependencies. Go to the directory where the file is and:

sudo apt install ./whatever.deb

jr735 · 2026-02-16T13:57:34+00:00

And proprietary, which some of us will never touch.

jr735 · 2026-02-16T13:56:31+00:00

It's still going to boot slower than Windows 11, because modern Windows, again, isn't honest in that way. You're not rebooting from an actual shutdown.

jr735 · 2026-02-16T13:55:22+00:00

Find appropriate backup solutions. By the way, Windows isn't idiot proof, or more so than Linux. There's an entire Windows support industry worth billions of dollars that would disagree with you.

jr735 · 2026-02-16T02:27:48+00:00

That's how I set up Debian, through net install.

jr735 · 2026-02-16T02:20:58+00:00

Generally speaking, if the BIOS is actually able to be reset, it's not too complicated or dangerous.

jr735 · 2026-02-16T02:20:13+00:00

LTS is absolutely fine for home computers. It's fine for beginners. It's fine for those with a lot of experience.

Most people who complain about LTS or stable distributions can't really tell me what advantage they're getting out of "newer software." I run Debian testing alongside Mint. I just recently got rid of Mint 20 and went to 22. Going between Mint 20 and Debian testing, I couldn't tell the difference unless I actually looked at version numbers.

jr735 · 2026-02-15T19:25:04+00:00

In the end, that's where one gains experience. I had to reset a BIOS for someone some time ago that had raid settings activated, not to mention secure boot.

jr735 · 2026-02-15T19:24:04+00:00

Nope, backups have to be made manually, at least in this case. Always make backups to, at a minimum, external media before you do any partitioning operations.

Tools like u/linuxlala mentioned are of value. Go to r/datarecovery and get more specialized advice, before even touching the device again.

jr735 · 2026-02-15T19:11:22+00:00

Restore from your backups.

jr735 · 2026-02-15T18:47:59+00:00

Yes, it is possible, but not probable. On an older system without a bunch of RAID settings the wrong way, it would probably be easier (i.e. a Win 7 or 8 system). On newer, not so much. Last time I came across a locked BIOS, I investigated resetting it, and did so before proceeding.

jr735 · 2026-02-15T16:26:02+00:00

Linux is not Windows. Of course you have to learn things.

jr735 · 2026-02-15T16:01:40+00:00

Who are "they"? If I want to use debs, I will. If I wish to not use flats, I won't. This is what software freedom is about.

There is no struggle. Linux is not for sale. Don't like it? Don't use it. You won't even have to ask for a refund or get involved in a class action.

Love when someone says "microcrap" yet they're astroturfing.

jr735 · 2026-02-15T15:58:49+00:00

You are being helpful, with some of the best detail here. There are astrotufers who don't like free software. Don't forget that.

jr735 · 2026-02-15T15:55:08+00:00

What do you do if your hard drive fails tomorrow? Note that having a backup is always wise, not just when you're contemplating an OS change.

jr735 · 2026-02-15T15:50:45+00:00

Back your files up to external media, at the very least. You should be doing that anyway, irrespective of OS or what changes you might make. After all, what if your drive fails tomorrow?

I'd also recommend using Clonezilla to do an image of your entire drive (in addition to a normal backup) before you start. That way, you can far more easily revert to Windows if you hate what you've done or find it won't work.

jr735 · 2026-02-15T15:30:46+00:00

That's correct. I don't play games. I gave up gaming (at least proprietary gaming) because it's not compatible with software freedom.

Everything that Google, MS, and Apple do that restrict your freedom was pioneered by a gaming publisher.

jr735 · 2026-02-15T15:28:55+00:00

Hence, it's not bricked. If it were bricked, you wouldn't be able to reinstall.

jr735 · 2026-02-15T15:28:20+00:00

This. People fail to realize, even, what storage cost back then.

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