I’ve just installed linux mint on a laptop whose windows os was corrupt. Seems to work quite well. Anyone else using it? Might need a bit of help installing stuff.

I’ve been using Linux on my laptop for a few years. Ubuntu 10.04 initially, but then i had some problems with Unity on 11.04. After that i installed Mint 11, and i’ve never looked back!

If it’d run steam and have DX11 support, i’d install it on my Desktop.

I fell out with Unbuntu when they foisted the Linux-for-Preschoolers interface on us, presumably to try and compete with Metro. Keep meaning to have a look at Mint, it’s supposed to be well regarded.

Been running 10.4 for at least a couple of years now and I’m a complete numpty and manage ok.

Might try Mint 11 if it’s that good as I’ve a new hard drive waiting to be installed.

Back to running the last Mint, since the new one with the new desktop was too unstable for my liking. Not sure if the latest has got better since release as a result. Apart from gaming and a decent video editor, Mint is my primary OS. It’s “slower” than windows where flash video is concerned because video drivers for onboard intel graphics suck, but if you can fit a 2-2.2ghz C2C in your older laptop, it’s a simple fleebay job.

Easy to find instructions for doing everything, use “ubuntu” in your search term rather than “mint” and accept the gaming install services don’t generally work with Mint. If you installed the DVD version whilst connected by ethernet you got every codec you’re going to need for media auto installed. There’s a fair few blogs that may perk some interest on new/patched software:

Omgubuntu
UbuntuHQ

Mint can be broken if you play around too much doing strange things, so be careful to always follow peoples instructions to the letter, after letting someone else check it out first 🙂 Don’t upgrade unstable software if you can avoid it, since strange things happen there too. There are a few pieces of software I install outside of the Software Manager, but nothing OS changing.

Mint is a good choice for a desktop machine. Like Ubuntu was before all recent releases.

I’m running Ubuntu for pre-schoolers on a couple of laptops – I quite like it.

I tried Mint but something about it ( I can’t remember what ) annoyed me.

If you dont like the new ubuntu desktop then try something else.
Personally i still mainly use windows on my laptop but have it dual booted with xubuntu which is a light weight no nonsense install. works very well on my gf old shitty laptop.

also run ubuntu server which has been solid from day one unlike freenas

I’m running mint 11, I like it. I’ve heard bad things about the main line Mint 12 core being a bit unstable, I’ve downloaded the LXDE version to have a play with as a VM and to use as a dev environment though.

Easy to find instructions for doing everything, use “ubuntu” in your search term rather than “mint”

I search for ubuntu instead of mint for everything! Hasn’t failed me yet. I’m not sure if mint uses the ubuntu packages but I haven’t found an ubuntu package I couldn’t apt-get yet!

I also keep meaning to give arch linux a go, something about only installing what you want is pretty appealing.

What’s LXDE when it’s at home?

As far as I can tell LXDE is just a Window/Desktop Manager, the Mint version seems to ship without some of the bits of the main one that I’ve been told are a bit unstable though.

I use Xubuntu on my desktop and laptop (It’s Ubuntu with the XFCE desktop environment). I had used Ubuntu for a while but Unity ruined it for me. I’ve heard good things about recent versions of Unity though so I might give it another whirl one day.

mrdestructo – Member
Apart from gaming and a decent video editor, Mint is my primary OS.

Not a gamer but I used to be the same as far as video went. Recent releases of Kdenlive have changed that though. Haven’t felt the need to go back to windows to play with video for a while now.

Cinelerra is powerful too, but the interface and workflow suck a big one.

slainte 💡 rob

Gaming is gradually improving too, most of the valve source games now run pretty well through wine and I’ve had a few other games such as civ 4 playing OK.

i think LXDE is an even lighter weight desktop enviroment for linux. same sort of thing as xubuntu but even more cut down faster and basic.

give xubuntu a whirl first i recon.

i think LXDE is an even lighter weight desktop enviroment for linux. same sort of thing as xubuntu but even more cut down faster and basic.

I think so, I spend half my time in terminal anyway so sounds ideal for me!

Running Ubuntu with Unity here, quite like it as a home and development machine, not so much for work where I do a fair amount of Office stuff. (And there’s no decent alternative to MS Office….) No problems with the interface, either.

Tried Fedora for a while sometime before xmas, but it crashed and died on me one too many times, so went back to Ubuntu.

Mint can go wrong too. When installing it you just need to create 3 partitions using manual installation mode. “/” “/home” and “swap” and then if it messes up, just reinstall to the “/” partition, choosing to format that one. You can install Mint on a 4gig flashdrive as “persistent” too, which means you can boot off it, and any changes you make to the OS on the flashdrive are kept between sessions, even on different computers. You just download the dvd version of Mint and get the relevant software to install to the flashdrive by googling.

1) When first installing (choosing manual) and setting sizes for partition, remember the sizes for future reinstalls, or at least make them different from each other. If you have data in a windows partition (pics/docs/vids/music) it’ll show up during install so be very, very careful not to select it or format it or you’ve lost everything. I use 40gb for “/” but I’ve currently got 32gb free (not installed major software/games/etc) 2gb for swap, rest for “/home”. I could have gotten away with 20gb for “/” tbh. Choose ex4 file system (think along the lines of fat32/NTFS) and tick any flags to format these partitions for your first install. Whilst installing you pick location, keyboard usage and a few other things but you don’t need any installs or messing around passed that.

2) when (not if) you reinstall, choose manual installation and manually mount each of the 3 partitions again, setting “ex4” type then click the flag to format “/” only. Installing the dvd version of Mint whilst connected to the internet gives you the equivalent of a Windows install, plus 2-2.5hrs of messing around. 25-45mins later you’re up and running. Also, software settings, accounts, etc are kept in the “/home” partition, many in hidden folders you can easily select to view. Sometimes you need to go wipe some of those folders on a new install when something really bad went wrong.

As a side note, I recommend with the cheapness of flashdrives nowadays that people get a spare one and put Mint (persistent) on it so if their main OS fails, they can boot off the flashdrive and access the files on their HDD easily. You can plug in an external HDD and just transfer the files to that. Mint becomes a salvage tool for Windows users. You don’t even need a HDD in your computer either, so a failed HDD means you’re back up and running office, browsing the web, etc whilst waiting for that replacement HDD to come from ebuyer. Since it resembles Windows so much, it’s fairly easy for Windows users to operate. It also allows you to boot off a “safe” OS for shopping online and banking, knowing you are safe from keyloggers, malware and trojans, whilst still using Windows for all your other day to day usage. Very important as many users here have a trail of online purchases.

Ubuntu mostly just works, I love(d) it, but Unity has effed me off royally (you can use Gnome3 instead – though that’s still a bit duff for Proper PCs). Just bought a refurbed Thinkpad to replace my Samsung Netbook but can’t quite decide what to put on it – Ubuntu or Mint or Somethingelsenix.

Awesome, thank you.

Persistent pendrive is the way I’d go. I’m building a multiboot rescue key (YUMI), and a generic Linux install + Caspar would be a useful addition I reckon.

Bez – what Thinkpad do you have – I’ve got an X60 with an SSD and run Ubuntu on it – it works very well as a dinky machine for browsing.

As a sligh hijack – what is the bestest way of permanently making available on the client a series of network shares on my NAS ( I’ve been using pyNeighbourhood, but it seems a tad forgetful and it doesn’t give me the write access that I have to the drive )?

There are many other options out there for a USB rescue key; Knoppix has always been regarded as one of the best for this.

On later versions on ubuntu that ship with just unity desktop you can install the classic desktop with

sudo apt-get install gnome-panel

You can then choose the classic desktop at the login screen.

I run it on both my laptops and use it at work for a lot of stuff. If I want to use windows, I run it in a virtual machine under virtual box. Generally only use windows to run excel mostly. Open office does not handle some of the fancy excel stuff that well. Well it didn’t last time I tried it.

Been using Linux for years, both professionally and at home.

Been a fan of Debian for ages (Think it if as the father of Ubuntu…).

Home PC is windows (shared computer with my wife), but my laptop runs Linux.

cranberry, it’s an X60s, I’ve fired it up with an Ubuntu stick and it works great. Anyone want an immaculate Samsung N220? 🙂

I’m really not a fan of the latest ubuntus and have switched to kubuntu, xubuntu and back to fedora on one machine.

Bez,

How much for the N220?

Or was that said in jest…

🙂

Kubuntu for mousy-clicky-computers and Debian CLI-only for servers. Went off Ubuntu when they introduced Unity. Aye you can disable it but you have to jump through too many hoops and I’m fickle.

I actually find Ubuntu/Kubuntu do a much better job of supporting stuff out of the box than Windows. Certainly much less faff.

There are many other options out there for a USB rescue key; Knoppix has always been regarded as one of the best for this.

That’s useful to know, thanks. What makes it better, any ideas?

No, not said in jest, though I’ve not thought of a price yet. I’ll have a google later and see.

Bez- drop me a line when you’ve had a think.

Oh yes, and Ubuntu for me, but playing around with a whole bunch of other distros.

Gaming is gradually improving too

any performance improvement?
I’ve got a dedicated games PC so not too fussed but if it’s faster might give it a go.
Unity is mixed bag for me seems ok on a desktop but it’s right royally peeing me off trying to get it to play with my tv

Cobbled together an ubuntu server at work yonks ago and it’s bulletproof, good stuff.

Debian’s certainly not CLI only…. pah!