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Microsoft really wants Local accounts gone after it erases its guide on how to create them
(www.xda-developers.com)
this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2024
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I was able to circumvent all of this on my Windows 10 machine, by installing Linux Mint.
I didn't even have to throw out my PC for not being good enough for Windows 11.
Microsoft is unable to track local accounts as thoroughly.
I was finally going to attempt installing Linux Mint only to find out it is not as simple as some say. I know less than nothing about computers and then there are mirrors you have to choose from to download. I have no idea what would be a safe secure mirror.
Then you have to install other software I have no knowledge of to make a bootable drive....I am just not intelligent enough I suppose. I was hoping it was a simple download process.
I am just a tad bit frustrated!
This is good feedback, the Mint team could definitely streamline things, maybe even with a "help pick".
Because it's not immediately apparent which to use (Cinnamon/MATE/Xfce).
I'm not sure how the resolve the mirror issue, sadly.
The cost of serving the data directly would be very high, but doing so would avoid scaring people. Unfortunately, it's hard for them to 100% guarantee every mirror is safe (even though they are!), which means they have to leave instructions on how to verify.
Selling pre-loaded USB sticks would be very cool, but people would have to be interested enough to spend £20.
I am one that would happily purchase something like that. I finally made the bootable drive but am not sure if the install is verified. There was no sha txt file to compare. I just haven't figured it out yet
The sha txt file should've been available alongside the iso file from the mirror you downloaded it from. Honestly, as long as you used one of the mirrors that the Linux Mint website provided, you should be perfectly fine.
Is there a way to check it after install before it is connected to the internet?
I did use one of the mirrors on the Linux download page.
It should be fine. If you're truly worried, go here:
https://ftp.heanet.ie/mirrors/linuxmint.com/stable/
And click the version of Linux Mint you downloaded - it's probably 21.3 - and then download both sha256sum.txt and sha256sum.txt.gpg by right-clicking -> "save link as..." to download the files themselves.
After that, verify the iso you had in your downloads folder by following the instructions here:
https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/verify.html
Again, as long as you downloaded from one of the mirrors linked on the Linux Mint download page, you should be absolutely fine. This step is a just-in-case, for your personal ease of mind. It will, however, need you to open cmd.exe and copy the code inside the green boxes into the terminal and press Enter. There's a pictoral guide if you're doing the verification on Windows still, right here:
https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=291093
Let me know if you get stuck!
Thanks. These are the instructions having a time with. I am going to take a break. I think I have just stared at it too long overthinking it!
No problem, and again - if you experience any confusion during the process, just let me know! I also had to get help with installing Linux Mint myself when I first got started.
I am still unable to verify the iso. I installed gnupg but it keeps saying file not found.
Were you ever able to figure this out?
Yes! Thank you. I have it installed and everything seems to work now, if a bit slow.
I am working on what type of security/virus stuff to use other than basic common sense. Windows once installed a virus in an update. Lots to learn. Once I get passed the security hurdle I will use it for a while until I am confident enough with the system to replace Windows on my main laptop. I really look forward to that day!
Awesome! Linux Mint's welcome page should have given you directions to setting up the built in firewall. If you really want an antivirus, ClamAV is a good one for Linux. However, whether you need one on Linux is actually a complicated question: https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=358408
Really depends on your use case, at the end of the day. Good luck, and let us know if you have any questions!
Did you make sure that you opened the terminal inside the folder where your iso and txt files are, or at least navigated to that folder after opening the terminal? Basically, it'll say "file not found" if you run the CertUtil command while not "inside" the folder containing both the iso and the txt files. Same with running the gpg command.
Usually, if you just open cmd.exe by itself from the searchbar, you'll see something like this:
PS C:\Users\your_username>
If you instead opened the terminal inside the folder, you'll instead see this:
PS C:\Users\your_username\Downloads\ISO>
Or whichever folder your iso and txt files are located in.
CertUtil and gpg are pretty tunnel-visioned - they can only see stuff that's in the same folder as they're being run in, unless you give them specific directions to get to a different location. That's why it's easiest and best to have everything in a single folder and open the terminal "inside" that folder.
Again - all this verification stuff with the terminal is, in my opinion, optional as long as you downloaded from one of the mirrors on the website. But since you still want to do it, this is the easiest way to go about it.
All the directions are here: https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=291093