this post was submitted on 08 Nov 2024
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Got an old laptop from a friend I'd like to rejuvenate, the plan is to set up a light distro so it wouldn't be as slow as it is right now with windows 10.

Now, I'm aware windows updates can fuck up a dual boot system, so i have a few questions about how to minimize the threat of that happening.

What i think of doing is running a few scans to check the disk, then setting up Linux Mint, because it is beginner friendly, and (relatively) light weight.

What I'd need help with is trusted guides and also tips for setting up dual booting, I'm sure I'll need to do disk partitioning and I've done that before but I'd still want to make sure I'm doing it correctly.

Any help would be welcome.

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[–] daisyKutter@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 week ago (3 children)

A couple of days ago I setted up my pc with dual boot; I recommend to install Windows first and then install the distro you want with a swap partition of at least 16Gb and on the linux install options choose GRUB as bootloader

[–] BlackRoseAmongThorns@slrpnk.net 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Thanks, a few questions, what is a swap partition, and why is it needed?

Also i have a ton of free storage so the linux install will probably have over 200gb in its partition

[–] rhys@mastodon.rhys.wtf 7 points 1 week ago

@BlackRoseAmongThorns @daisyKutter Swap is a place on disk that gets used as a slow, temporary place to put memory when your RAM is full. Windows uses a swap file on an existing partition, while Linux generally uses a dedicated partition instead (although you can use a swap file if you really want to).

Appropriate sizes for the swap partition are hotly debated. Twice the size of your RAM if you have a small amount, or the same size as your RAM if you have lots is a good approximation.

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