Getting Started
Theory is nice — but Linux clicks the moment you sit in front of it. Here's how to try it risk-free, install it properly, and pick the right way to run it.
Step 1 · Try Linux without installing — the Live USB
Every major distro offers a live session: boot the whole operating system straight from a USB stick, play with it, and shut down without touching your hard drive. Nothing is installed, nothing is changed.
Grab the image file
From your chosen distro's official website — e.g. a file like linuxmint-22-cinnamon-64bit.iso
(a few gigabytes). Only ever download from the official site.
Write the image to a stick (8 GB+)
With balenaEtcher (Windows/macOS/Linux — select ISO, select USB, flash) or Rufus (Windows, pick the ISO and press Start). This erases the USB stick, so use an empty one.
Restart and open the boot menu
Keep the USB plugged in, reboot, and tap the boot-key during startup — usually F12,
F9, Esc or F11 depending on your PC brand. Pick your USB drive in the menu.
Welcome to your live session
Select “Try” (not “Install”). You'll get a full desktop: browse the web, open the terminal from topic 04, connect Wi-Fi — everything works, straight off the stick.
Step 2 · Install for real (when you're ready)
The installer lives right on that same live session desktop — double-click Install Linux when you like what you see. Modern installers are easier than most Windows installers:
- Back up first. Copy anything you care about to an external drive or the cloud. Always.
- Language, keyboard, timezone — the usual wizard screens.
- Disk setup — the big choice: “Install alongside Windows” (dual boot), “Erase disk” (Linux takes over), or “Something else” (manual, for later).
- User account — your name, username and a password you'll remember (it's also your
sudopassword). - Install & reboot — remove the USB when asked, and GRUB (topic 08) will greet you.
The whole thing usually takes 10–20 minutes — including copying. Welcome home.
Step 3 · Dual boot vs virtual machine
Two popular ways to keep your current OS and run Linux. Both are legit — pick per your patience and hardware.
Dual boot — real metal
Both OSes live on your drive; GRUB asks which one to start at boot. Linux gets 100% of your hardware: full speed, GPU, battery life.
Choose if: you want the real, permanent experience.
Watch out for: partitioning needs care (and a backup), swapping OSes means rebooting.
Virtual machine — a PC inside a window
Apps like VirtualBox or GNOME Boxes run Linux as a program inside your current OS. Zero risk to your disk — delete the VM and it's gone.
Choose if: you want instant experiments with zero commitment.
Watch out for: noticeably slower, needs spare RAM (8 GB host recommended), and 3D graphics are limited.
| Dual boot | Virtual machine | |
|---|---|---|
| Risk to existing system | Small (partitioning) | None |
| Performance | Full speed | Shared/slower |
| Setup time | ~30–60 min | ~15 min |
| Hardware access | Everything (GPU, battery) | Virtualized/limited |
| Best for | Daily driving Linux | Quick try-outs & testing |
Which distro is for you?
Four quick questions. One honest recommendation. Take the quiz — your answer stays right here in your browser.
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