Windows keeps reminding be that I have to switch to Linux if I want to keep using my computer. It’s a rugged tablet from about 2011 that I still use daily for internet and some light Photoshop. Core i7 1.2 GHz, 4GB RAM, and the important part, a built-in touchscreen and Wacom digitizer. Keyboard is an external device that I don’t generally have attached. I grew up on DOS, so I’m not afraid of fiddling, but I’d rather this machine just worked. Any recommendations?
I’d recommend just getting a live version of a distribution that you don’t have to install, that way you can play around with it before committing.
This is the way. It may take a few tries to find something that works on this particular machine. But that’s the beauty of Linux. You can try before you don’t buy.
Do distros generally have live versions? Or is there a way to set that up?
How the vast majority of Linux desktop installs work is that you:
A. Download ISO file from distro website
B. Flash ISO onto removable flash drive. This basically installs the os onto your flash drive.
C. Restart your computer with removable flash drive plugged in and boot into the flash drive.
D. You will now be experiencing the OS, while it is installed on the flash drive. This is the live version they are talking about. You can do everything here that you can on the actual install that we will do in the next few steps. The only problem is that you are limited by the size and speed of the flash drive/USB port. Play around and make sure your hardware doesn’t have any issues with the distro’s packages.
E. On the live version, you will have an app to install the OS. This will usually auto pop up when you boot into the flash drive. Follow the steps on that app to copy your install onto your actual hard drive (HDD/SSD).
F. You can restart, remove the flash drive, and boot into your new installation.
My distro recommendations are Linux mint and Debian.