Starting Free Software with Linux By Edward Willis (http://encw.xyz) Published Jan/28/2023 !!! DISCLAIMER: This article is for informational purposes only. The author is not responsible for any damage, data loss, or anything else, that may occur as a result of the application or misapplication of information presented in this article. !!! My intention with this article is not to replace the very good tutorials offered by Linux distributions themselves, but to offer supplemental advice for those looking to start their Free Software journey. * * * * CONTENTS: * INTRODUCTION * CONSIDERATIONS * WHAT YOU'LL NEED * ACCESSING THE BIOS * DISTRIBUTIONS * BACKING UP * CREATING LINUX INSTALLATION MEDIA * INSTALLATION * CONGRATULATIONS * RESTORING WINDOWS * * * * INTRODUCTION: So, you've decided to start using Free Software. Maybe you think big tech snooping has gone too far. Maybe you don't agree with the politics of the makers of your current operating system. Maybe your computer does not have a TPM module and is unsupported by Windows 11. Maybe you want to escape proprietary software for any of a million other reasons. Good for you. Let's get started. First of all let's be upfront about it: it much easier to move your laptop and desktop computing to Free Software than your mobile phone. So let's start there. If you don't have a laptop or desktop computer, then this artice, unfortuately, is not for you. Don't fret, there is information out there for you. I suggest searching on-line for "degoogled Android". If you are an iOS/iPadOS user, I'm afraid all there is to do is fret; Apple mobile devices are locked down, and you won't be able to take them on your Free Software journey. The main program your computer runs, and the one best leveraged to spy on you, and control you, is your operating system. For most people this will be Microsoft Windows. This article will therefore offer information on how to replace Microsoft Windows with the Free Software operating system GNU+Linux, also known as just Linux. * * * * CONSIDERATIONS: Now, let's be sure to look before we leap: * WARNING: Installing Linux on your computer WILL delete all data on your computer. Back-up your data! * Does Linux have all the software you need? A lot of Windows software does not have a version made to run on Linux. If you need to run a certain application for work, then you might not be able to make the move to Linux. Sometimes software made for Windows can be run on Linux, but this isn't easy for a new user to accomplish. Do you have files that need a Windows program to open? * Are you prepared to invest the time and mental energy to learn a new operating system? * Are you comfortable doing something different than most people? * Is this your personal computer? Does anyone else use it? How do they feel about this potential change? * Is this your only computer? It is much more easily advisable to explore installing a Free Software operating system if you're doing it for the first time on a spare or secondary computer. If your computer use is mostly inside a web browser, like Google Chrome, you are likely a good candidate for moving to Linux. Do some research: search for "FOSS alternative to x", and where x put the name of the Windows program you use. Learn about the software you'll be using on Linux before you install Linux. * * * * WHAT YOU'LL NEED: You are going to need some things before you start: * A backup method for your data. More on this below. * Removable media for the Linux installer. This will either be a blank DVD, or a USB flash drive with at least 2GB of capacity. The flash drive is preferable. Which one you'll be able to use depends on your computer. The problem is whether or not your computer will boot off of the flash drive. If your computer is relatively new, really anything within the last decade, you should be good to go with a USB flash drive. If you are unsure, check to see whether your BIOS boot menu contains options for booting from USB. If your BIOS does not have the ability to boot from USB, then you will need to burn an installation DVD. Your computer must have a DVD drive mounted in the system, not an external drive connected over USB. * * * * ACCESSING THE BIOS: At some point during this process you will likely need to access your computer's BIOS. In order to do this restart your computer, and just as it turns back on and starts booting, take a close look and see what key will open the BIOS. Press that key as the computer is starting during the time the computer displays which key to press. This might take a couple of tries to catch, as the information screen, and the opportunity to press the right button, can pass very quickly. Common buttons for this usage include enter, delete, F8, F10, F12 or another F-key. If you can't catch it, do a web search for how to access the BIOS on your specific computer. This software might be referred to as UEFI instead of BIOS, and that may be technically correct for your computer. UEFI serves, more or less, the same purpose as a BIOS: the first step of the boot process. * * * * DISTRIBUTIONS: Now, many Linux distributions, package their work with a Live USB/CD, which means that you can insert the installation media, and try it out without actually installing it. You may have noticed this yourself. However, be careful. If you're going to run a Linux Live CD or USB, make sure you read everything that pops up. My advice? For now, hold off if you please, and we'll look at this later. What is a distribution? Let me explain: Linux is unlike Windows in that the software is not made by one group of people. Different parts of the Linux system are made by different groups as separate projects. Distributions are collections of these free and open source softwares packaged together into a complete system. One thing all Linux systems will have in common is the Linux kernel itself. Another that almost all Linux systems will have are the GNU system utilities. But the rest is chosen by the distribution maintainers to fit their needs, and that of their community. The distribution I recommend you install is called Fedora, which has a focus on staying up to date with the latest software patches. There are plenty of others, each with their own focus. Some names to search on-line and research include Debian, PopOS, and Linux Mint. These distributions also make great first Linux experiences. * * * * BACKING UP: The first thing we're going to concern ourselves with is backing up data, both yours and that of anyone else who uses the computer. We need to copy data so it exists outside of the computer, on another computer or on removable media. That will keep our data safe. If you already have blank CDs or DVDs, an external hard drive or SSD, or a large enough USB flash drive, then you're good to go. It may be possible if you have another computer, and know how, to create a file share on another computer, and copy the files there, if you have space available. Whatever method you choose, systematically go through your folders, and copy the files to your chosen backup. If other people use the computer, then have them do the same. This is the most important part of the process, so take your time. Sleep on it. Think about it for a couple of days. Do you have EVERYTHING? Do you have locally stored emails you need to save? Precious pictures? Important documents? Do you have bookmarks to export? Do you have all your passwords saved outside of your browser? Your browser installation isn't coming with you, so be sure! NOTE: There is another way! You can add a new empty drive to your computer and install Linux on that. Only do this if you've got the experience and knowledge. If you don't, then ask a knowledgable friend or a computer technician to do it for you. IMPORTANT: Make sure you have a copy of your Windows product key, in case you want to go back to Windows later! Write it down and keep it in a safe location. If you bought your copy of Windows separately, you will already have it written down in the package. It may be on a sticker on the side of your computer. If it is in neither of those locations search up a quick tutorial on how to access your Windows product key. Make sure you have it correctly and securely recorded. * * * * CREATING LINUX INSTALLATION MEDIA: If you are sure you wish to proceed, and you've got everything backed up and ready, let's download a Linux distribution. The distribution I'm going to point you at is called Fedora. Navigate your browser to https://getfedora.com. The version you're looking for is called Fedora Workstation. Fedora offers the excellent Fedora Media Writer for MacOS and Windows users. This option will work for users who will be installing via USB flash drive. DANGER: Be aware that the contents of the USB drive will be destroyed. You CANNOT use the same USB flash you backed up your data onto. Use a separate drive. If you turned the drive you backed your data up onto into installation media for Fedora, do not use it to install Fedora: permanent data loss will occur. Safely remove the Fedora installation media drive from the computer, and put it in a safe place, and back up the data again on a separate medium, whether that is another flash drive or something else. If you cannot boot from USB, follow the instructions on the Fedora website to download an .iso and burn it to a DVD. Burning the file onto the DVD in the regular way will not work. You must burn the file as an image. * * * * INSTALLATION: Insert the Linux installation USB into a rear USB port, or if you are using a DVD, insert the DVD into the drive, and restart the computer. With luck, your computer will boot Fedora and you can start the installation process. If your computer does NOT boot Fedora, but instead boots Windows, you will need to change the boot order in your computer BIOS. Read the ACCESSING THE BIOS section above for information on how to access the BIOS. Then find the boot menu and change the boot order, also called the boot priority, so that your installation method is at the top of the list (highest priority). If you are using USB put all the items labeled USB at the top. The name of your USB flash drive might appear in the list, and if so, put it at the top. If you are using a DVD disc, put the DVD drive at the top of your list. Save and exit the BIOS. Fedora should now boot. Now that Fedora is booted up on your system, you can take a look around the Live CD/USB before you install. If you wish to proceed, use the installation program. It is an easy graphical installer, so I will not detail its use here. If you do have trouble, refer to the Fedora documentation. If you can't find the installer that popped up when you first started Fedora, simply restart your computer and it will pop up again. Once Fedora is finished installing, shut down the computer and remove the USB stick. Start the computer again, and it will boot into your new Fedora installation. Now you can go about copying your backed up files to your computer. * * * * CONGRATULATIONS: Spend some time getting used to Linux. Don't expect everything to be perfect or easy right away. It takes some time to adapt to a new operating system. There are many online resources and community groups for Linux users. Check out itsfoss.com to start. * * * * RESTORING WINDOWS: If you decide that you'd really rather go back to MS Windows, don't panic; it is possible to reinstall Windows. You are going to need to go to the Microsoft website and download Windows 10 or 11, the same edition you had previously, and create a bootable USB flash drive. Install it the same way you installed Linux. You did store your Windows product key, right?