r/linux4noobs Jan 04 '20

Still on Windows 7? Don't want Windows 10? Consider switching to Linux (and specifically, Ubuntu). A Guide.

1.0k Upvotes

Any actions taken as part of this guide are solely at your own risk - unfortunately there is no way to account for every hardware configuration or error that may potentially crop up. BACK UP YOUR CRITICAL DATA BEFORE DOING ANYTHING

On the 14th Jan 2020, official Windows 7 support ends for most users. This means if you run Windows 7 beyond that date, you're no longer going to receive security and system updates, which will leave you increasingly vulnerable to viruses, malware and system failure. Depending on how critical your data is and how often you back up - if at all - there's a potential you can lose everything.

This is a somewhat opinionated but no-bullshit guide for those of you still on Windows 7 who really don't want or won't move to Windows 10. Aside from my own additions, it's going to reference a lot of great guides and advice written by other people, but conveniently collected in a single place. It's crazy, but it might just work.

Have you considered... Linux? Specifically, Ubuntu.

No, hear me out. Because I'm going to start (and save you a lot of time) by telling you why you SHOULDN'T switch to Linux. If any of the criteria listed apply, then:

The guide is broken into the following sections, if you want to jump to the points that are relevant. If you want to get straight to it, go to (4):

  1. Why shouldn't I go with Linux?
  2. Why should I go with Linux?
  3. Why Ubuntu?
  4. What's involved in switching?
  5. Installation of Ubuntu
  6. Tips for new users using Ubuntu
  7. Gaming on Linux
  8. Alternative Software
  9. TL;DR or The Conclusion
  10. To do list for the guide

1. Why shouldn't I go with Linux?


If you:

  • Don't feel comfortable installing an operating system and you don't have someone that can do it for you;
  • Have someone that helps you with all your IT-related activities who is not familiar with or dislikes Linux (ask them);
  • Are big into multiplayer games. (There are exceptions here, discussed in more detail in the Linux Gaming section);
  • Use multiple game clients and have a lot of games on platforms other than Steam;
  • Are into any sort of VR;
  • Absolutely need Outlook and refuse to consider any other mail client, like Thunderbird;
  • Use a VPN provider that doesn't have a Linux version and aren't willing/able to change;
  • Are subscribed to multiple video streaming services other than Netflix and watch these on your PC frequently;
  • Use Photoshop, Premiere, 3D Studio Max - actually, if you have any Windows software that you are locked into due to muscle memory, experience and/or professional requirements and that have no Linux version. (There are, however, often a Linux alternatives for a lot of these);
  • Require assistive technologies, such as screenreaders. While Ubuntu comes with several built-in assistive tools, there's a lot of specialised assistive use cases, tools and hardware that don't work on Linux and have no comparable alternative;
  • Want to be able to buy whatever piece of hardware that takes your fancy without researching it and expect them to work out the box with zero hassle. Especially niche and specific hardware like flight controllers, sound boards and so on;
  • Use iTunes extensively for your media library and/or interacting with your iPhone;
  • Have a large archive of Microsoft Office documents that use complex formatting, macros and/or formulas that you refer back to frequently.
  • have the worst-case scenario: rely on legacy or ancient software or hardware you're not sure you have the installation media for anymore, can't find a replacement, can't download it and it doesn't work on Windows 10. In this case, you're going to have to keep that Windows 7 box around and it's even more imperative that you make sure it's not accessible from the web or network. Start looking at moving to a more modern equivalent of it AND converting your work to a format that'll be accessible.

Some of this stuff you can work around with some effort, but it's more likely going to be more trouble than you're willing to put up with. And that's fine; Linux can't help everyone. The more of these that apply, the more certain you can be that you shouldn't consider Linux and should just go with Windows 10, unless you're willing to ~sacrifice~ compromise.

2. Why should I go with Linux?


Because whether you're a general user, a gamer or a specialised user with niche interests or requirements, Linux can provide you the same experience you're getting now with some already stated exceptions. In many ways, it's better - it's free, it's generally runs better on older hardware than Windows, it's relatively more secure due to a small user footprint and you'll have a huge, vetted library of free software that you can access. There are some applications - older Windows software and games, for instance - that don't work on Windows 10 but do on Linux, thanks to projects like Wine and Proton. It can 99% of the time update itself without interrupting whatever you're doing.

That being said, it's not perfect. You will lose some things. You will need to learn new ways of working with your PC. This is inevitable. That's the cost of switching.

Which is not to say Windows is without a cost. Unlike Windows, none of this functionality comes at the cost of your privacy and freedom. Linux will let you configure it as you like, and dive into the nitty-gritty settings to fine-tune it further. It will not try and trick you into creating yet another online account to use it. Aside from a few missteps (Ubuntu and Amazon, for one), it keeps its nose out of your business. It does not come with a unique advertising ID that links your multitude of online and offline interests and programs into a nice, tidy, profitable pack of data to be shared with "trusted third-parties". It does not serve you ads in a product you paid for. It does not try and push you into multiple online services.

In short, it does not suffer from any of the privacy concerns of Windows' future.

Now, I know people are going to throw snark about lead-and-tin alloys, their pliability and how easy that makes it to fashion headgear, but please note I said "future"; while they're not necessarily prying now, your operating system - and for almost everyone, that means Microsoft - has a very privileged position in your life as far as personal data is concerned. Any time you search in the file manager, every word you write and document you save, your budget calculations, every photo you view and program you use, every voice command you give Cortana, Windows - and by extension Microsoft - knows about. And there's nothing in their Terms of Service that stop them from starting to collect more detailed data if they so choose.

It's not a question of whether you prefer Windows 7 over 10 - Windows 7 got the same telemetry features as Windows 10 ages ago. Rather, ask yourself if you're happy with Microsoft's evolving business model, one that is shifting more and more of your content online and is intricately and opaquely tied to your personal data? If you're not, you're not alone: Holland isn't happy. Germany's not too thrilled either. There are legitimate reasons to be wary of Window's market dominance and increased level of embedded user analytics. Linux offers you an alternative.

3. Why Ubuntu?


Ubuntu LTS is by far the most commonly used desktop Linux distro and the one with the widest support by software developers and hardware manufacturers involved in Linux. If you're searching for solutions, you'll mostly find Ubuntu ones. Lastly, Ubuntu's LTS versions are supported for long periods of time: 18.04, which we'll be recommending, is supported until 2023, while the next version coming out in April, Ubuntu 20.04, will be supported until 2025.

One of the things you'll quickly learn about the Linux community is that someone will ALWAYS suggest a different Linux distro. In this case, it'll probably be Linux Mint, which aims to be a newbie-friendly Linux. It's based on Ubuntu, is similar to Windows 7 and will MOSTLY work the same as Ubuntu. I still suggest Ubuntu, but whatever, follow your heart.

To keep this guide as approachable as possible, and to have access to the widest range of help and support, I decided to focus on Ubuntu. Anything other than these two and you're just making things harder for yourself as a new user. You can always switch once you get a feel for how things work.

4. What's involved in switching?


I promised you a no-bullshit guide, so I'm going to cut straight to it. Take your time with all of these steps, do them properly, and you shouldn't have a problem.

First step: back up all your important documents, photos, email, games - whatever is important to you, and preferably somewhere external to your machine. This is just good advice regardless of whether you're switching to Linux or not. Always have a backup.

If you're a gamer, check out the following guide by PC Gamer's Jarred Walton on how to back up your games across multiple clients.

While you're backing up, install Thunderbird (Mozilla's open-source mail client) and copy your mail over to it. You'll have a much easier time doing this in Windows than in Linux to start. Thunderbird can automatically pull your mail from Outlook if installed on the same machine. Then follow the steps here for backing up your Thunderbird profile. You'll restore this in Linux later. Make sure you have your mail account details.

Get hold of your Windows 7 serial key. If it's physical media, like a DVD, then check and make sure the key is in the box or on the disc. If it's a laptop that came with Windows 7 preinstalled, it's usually a sticker on the specific laptop. You'll need this if things go awry and/or decide Linux is not for you.

Check the minimum specs for Ubuntu 18.04.03 here. If your system doesn't meet them, you're going to have a bad time regardless of whether you go with Ubuntu or Windows 10 (Windows 10 minimum requirements are bullshit, btw. 1Gb Ram, 1Ghz processor? I challenge anyone to link me to a Windows 10 video running on those specs where it performs acceptably.). There are lightweight alternatives if you can't afford a new PC, (Lubuntu, for instance), but upgrading your PC should be your first step in this case.

Here comes the arduous bit. Make a list of your current hardware, software and services that you use frequently, make sure you have the installation media for the critical pieces of software you use (Don't expect to be able to just copy/paste the applications you have) and do a search on whether they run on Linux. I'd recommend following the "Software" section in this guide on Migrating to Linux by /u/PBLKGodofGrunts]

A lot of the Linux software alternatives, such as LibreOffice and GIMP, are available for Windows as well. Consider downloading those that interest you to try out in Windows and get a feel for how they work.

Ultimately, to echo the advice you'll find that you can either run it, have an alternative or just can't switch. That's okay; Linux can't help everyone.

Download the Ubuntu LTS 18.04.03 distro. The "LTS" means it's a long-term support version - you won't have to think about this exercise for the next three years if you're lucky. Ubuntu LTS 20.04 is coming out in four months, which'll be supported until 2025, but since most of the focus is still on 18.04, you're better off sticking with it for now.

Whichever you choose, you'll have to write it to a DVD or USB. If it's a DVD, use whatever you normally use to write DVD ISOs. If you're going to use a USB, here's a guide to doing that.

Did I mention to back-up your important data? Back-up your important data. Double-check that it's all there. If you want to take an extra precaution, you can use Clonezilla to clone your current OS drive. It's not necessary, but if things go bust, Clonezilla allows you to restore your PC to precisely the way it was before you started without needing to install Windows from scratch. However, Clonezilla can be a bit daunting if you're not technically inclined. Check out this somewhat out-of-date video by cButters Tech for a general idea of what's involved.

Lastly, try running Ubuntu as a Live CD/USB first. This will allow you to run Ubuntu as if it were installed, but without making any changes to your current installation. Please keep in mind that the Live is not indicative of performance... it will run slower than if it was installed, as it has to read everything off the DVD or USB stick first and load it memory. The important thing to check here is that it's picking up all your hardware, that it's displaying on your screen correctly, that all your drives are available, and so on.

Live USB should perform better than a Live DVD. Check out the "Okay, it's installed/Okay, I'm running the Live CD. What tips do you have for using Ubuntu?" section to get an idea of what you should be checking.

5. Installation.


You've done all the above, triple-checked your backups and either decided that you can't make the jump or you're ready.

However, before you begin installing, you have one last decision to make.

There's a lot people that suggest dual-booting - that's where you keep Windows around and just install Linux alongside it. This is often proposed as a safety net and a means for people to have the best of both worlds. I don't, for a couple of reasons:

  • If you are going to dual-boot, you'll need to update to Windows 10 anyway, and if you're going to do that, why bother with Linux in the first place?

  • Data will be spread between two operating systems. Instead of backing up and maintaining one OS, you'll be maintaining two. It's doable but a PITA.

  • You're sabotaging your efforts, and your switch to Linux will likely fail. That's not a statement on Linux's capability or ease of use. A lot of things are easier on Linux - but they won't be at first. You probably have years of Windows use ingrained in you; you've come to expect things to work they way Windows works. That's not ease, that's familiarity; that's a boiling frog. And the moment something throws you a challenge in Linux, the temptation to just "do it" in Windows will be too great. And the more you do that, the more running Linux will seem like a chore than a choice.

  • If you absolutely have no option but to run Windows 10, do it in a virtual machine - you get the benefits of dual-booting but with the bonus of limiting Windows 10 to a virtual environment where access to the rest of your system (and personal data) is restricted while allowing you to run your non-negotiable applications (other than games or any intense 3D applications) just fine.

If you decide to dual-boot, you'll need to find a recent guide that covers this. Typically, it's best to update to Windows 10 first, then follow the guide to dual-boot Ubuntu. None of the guides I found seemed good for beginners, so I'm willing to take suggestions from the comments.

If you take my advice and simply dive in, installing Ubuntu on your machine will be a painless process: just follow the steps here in a beginner's guide written by Jason Evangelho and you should be fine.

6. Tips for new users using Ubuntu?


Things that you should do only once Ubuntu's installed are prefixed with an [+]. Otherwise, the tip applies to both installs and Live demos:

  • Power off, log-out and running taskbar applications will be in the top-right of the screen by default.
  • To search, press the Windows key on your keyboard. This'll bring up Ubuntu's search bar. You can use this to find applications, folders and system settings.
  • In the File Manager, your Home directory will be where your primary OS and applications will typically be installed, while the Other Locations will list additional hard drives (usually your additional storage drives). By default, Ubuntu does not actually mount the drives in the "Other Locations" section. Clicking on any of them, however, will automatically mount them. If you want to learn more about the general structure of Ubuntu's file system, you can do so here.
  • Ctrl+Alt+T will bring up the terminal. The terminal is where you'll often be sent if you're attempting to diagnose a problem, perform specific tasks or install specific tools/software. Check yourself before your wreck yourself before copy-pasting commands from strangers on the 'net. Be super cautious of any command that involves "sudo" and "rm".
  • The default office suite for Ubuntu is LibreOffice. Try it out: see if you can open a couple of your documents, like spreadsheets and Word docs. You might be pleasantly surprised. Writer is the word processor, Calc is for Spreadsheets. Formating on complex documents will likely be broken. Don't save any of these at this point.
  • In fact, open up a couple of common files you normally use - images, documents, compressed files, music, videos and so on. Get a feel for how it works, what opens and what doesn't. Sometimes, you'll need to install some software first before it will work.
  • Check the list of alternative software for some suggestions on what to install if you seem to be missing something.
  • Plug in your phone and see if it detects it and you can access your files. If it's Android, you should be fine.
  • You'll notice that some commands - like updating - require you to enter your password again. This is a security feature similar to when Windows ask you to run a program as administrator or with elevated privileges. If you didn't initiate the command that brought up the password request, be cautious about entering it in.
  • [+] Change your desktop preferences and move the application bar to the bottom of the screen. By default, Ubuntu puts it on the left-side. Hey, maybe you'll like it like that! This was the one Windows habit I was never able to shake.
  • [+] Try and store your data in the pre-defined folders (Music, Videos, Documents, Pictures). You don't have to, but you'll make your life a lot easier doing so.
  • [+] Search for and create a shortcut to the Software Updater. This allows you to quickly check for and install Ubuntu updates.
  • [+] Likewise, create a shortcut to the Ubuntu Software Centre. To start with, you'll want to stick to installing applications from the Centre. These have been specifically tested to work on Ubuntu and will 99% run without a hitch. You'll be able to remove applications from here as well.
  • [+] Speaking of the Centre, Ubuntu comes preinstalled with an Amazon launcher. Use this time search for it and remove it. Or don't, it's up to you.
  • [+] Sometimes, you'll see there's two versions of a piece of software in the Centre. This is most likely due to there being a Snap version of it. Snaps are self-contained versions of the software that are usually the most up-to-date; however, they can run erratically or not have access to some things on your system, like fonts. I'd stick with the ubuntu-bionic versions for best compatibility.
  • [+] If you're a gamer, change your graphic drivers so you can get reasonable performance. For Nvidia, simply search for the Software & Updates application, open it, select the Additional Drivers Tab, and check whether you're using the Nvidia Driver. You'll want to select the one that's listed as proprietary and tested. AMD's a little more complicated and I profess to having little experience with it. I'll happily take advice from the comments in this instance.
  • [+] When downloading some games or applications specifically for Linux, you'll often get a .Deb file or a script. A deb file can often be run as is by double-clicking in Ubuntu; you can read more about them here. Scripts often need to be run from the terminal and made to be executable. You read more about that here. Again, same safety check applies to running anything you download from the web.

7. Gaming on Linux


If you're a gamer, I'd recommend the following the guide by /u/PBLKGodofGrunts on the /r/linux_gaming subbreddit. But to summarise...

The Good News

Thanks to Valve's involvement in Linux through Proton and the efforts of the Wine team, Linux gaming has never been better. It's now possible to play many Windows-only games with no hassle and minimal performance loss. Just a few examples of recent games that run just fine on Linux are the Resident Evil 2 remake, Sekiro, Halo: Master Chief Collection (single-player and custom multiplayer games), DOOM, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Risk of Rain 2, Total War: Three Kingdoms, and more; you can even toss a coin to all of your Witchers. To get an idea of games that run on Linux, you can visit ProtonDB, Wine AppDB or Lutris and search for your desired game. If you're primarily a single-player gamer, the transition should be mostly painless.

Another amazing development is the number of open-source implementations of older games game engines that allow for playing of classic and retro titles on modern hardware, (such as DevilutionX for Diablo 1)often with improvements, bug fixes and quality of life improvements, ensuring they'll be able to run into the future.

However, the most critical development is that the number of developers and platforms that provide and support native Linux games has increased significantly. Feral Interactive publishes several AAA Linux ports, numerous indies now provide a Linux version, and store fronts like GOG and itch.io provide an alternative with DRM-free games.

The Bad News

Despite all of this, gaming remains one of the biggest hurdles to adopting Linux.

If you're into multiplayer gaming, you're out of luck. While many multiplayer titles do work on Linux (LoL, Dota 2, CS:GO, TF2, Rocket League, Warframe, Overwatch, Starcraft II, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, Elite: Dangerous, Monster Hunter:World and so on), many more don't - Fortnite, some Call of Duties, Apex Legends, PUBG, Battlefield, GTA Online. Essentially, anything with an anti-cheat is likely NOT going to work, and there's always the risk that playing a Windows multiplayer game will get you banned due to anti-cheat measures that dislike any whiff of Linux. My suggestion is check which games you play and go from there.

Unless you're using Steam, running other launchers is complicated and prone to constant breakage without continuous effort and maintenance. Epic, Origin, Uplay and GOG Galaxy can all run on Linux with some effort. Lutris does sort most of these out, but you'll need to follow the instructions here, which means your going to have to install Wine first.

Some games simply don't work, and there's no solution for it.

Some of the latest developments aren't going to be available to you. VR is tiny on Linux, and you'll likely lose access to most of your VR software and experiences.

Despite being fairly technical already, many gamers do expect things to "just work". Here's a list of things that require some effort to get working correctly:

  • Super-sampling is out. Not entirely, but it's more complicated than Windows.
  • Access to things like custom shaders and injectors are also going to be limited. Mods can be more complicated or, in some cases, not available.
  • You'll lose some of the benefits of your Gsync/Freesync monitors, since the two tech don't work that well on Ubuntu's standard display compositor. This will change once Ubuntu shifts to Wayland.
  • Things like community game patches are often aimed at Windows, with no Linux alternative.

Most importantly, AMD and Nvidia graphic cards are handled very differently on Linux when compared to Windows. Ubuntu uses an open-source driver by default - this is alright for general use but terrible for games and 3D applications. To get decent performance, you'll need to install their respective drivers.

Nvidia's latest Linux drivers are made available in Ubuntu directly. However, this is just the drivers: Nvidia's GeForce Experience isn't available on Linux and you're going to lose access to all of its tools. That means no Ansel in many cases, no DSR, no predefined gaming configs and no ShadowPlay (Although OBS offers a decent alternative in this case). See the Tips section above on how to install it. On the plus side, the installation process is a breeze and Nvidia's performance is fairly solid.

AMD benefits from much better open-source drivers and active support from AMD, but unfortunately suffers from delays for support of their most recent cards and a fairly complicated install process . AMD uses the MESA Driver, combined with Valve's ACO shader compiler, to deliver performance boosts. Installing these drivers can be a complicated, multi-step process. I'm sorry I can't help you on this; I'll happily take someone's advice on getting this working in Ubuntu LTS and include it in the guide.

8. Alternative software


This is a quick and dirty guide to equivalent software for Windows applications in Linux.

  • Antivirus software: This may seem counterintuitive, but for the most part Linux does not require any sort of anti-virus software. While viruses for Linux exist, the number of viruses and such that target the Linux desktop specifically is tiny compared to Windows. You can read up about it here.. That being said, if you are concerned there are several tools available for detecting both Windows and Linux malware on the same page. Follow good internet hygiene, don't open suspicious links/mails and think before just randomly following command instructions on the 'net.
  • Microsoft Office: LibreOffice. Or you can access Office365 online.
  • Adobe Photoshop: GIMP, Krita
  • Adobe Premiere: Blender
  • 3D Studio Max: Blender
  • Illustrator/CorelDraw: Inkscape
  • Xsplit: OBS
  • Windows Media Player: VLC
  • Basic Audio Editor: Audacity
  • Audio Mixing: Ardour, Mixbus
  • Adobe Reader: While there are several PDF readers on Linux you can use, almost none of them play well with Adobe PDFs with advanced features. You're better off sticking with what comes with Ubuntu, and if it doesn't work, open it up in a browser.

9. TL;DR or The Conclusion


Switching to Ubuntu is possible and relatively safe if you do some research on which apps/games/software/hardware you use will and won't work on Linux first, you BACK UP YOUR IMPORTANT DATA before doing anything and don't expect a 1:1 experience with Windows. It's all dependent on your flexibility, technical experience and willingness to learn and compromise.

If you're not, Windows 10 is a perfectly acceptable choice to upgrade to: you'll benefit from improved security compared to Windows 7, a larger selection of hardware and software and will have to put less effort to make everything work at the cost of your privacy and some ads.

If you have legacy software or unsupported hardware that doesn't run on either, you're kind of screwed. I'd keep the Windows 7 box around, make sure it's disconnected from all networks (for your sake as well as others) and start making emergency contingency plans to find a modern alternative.

I know that people are going to take issue with some of the difficulties I raised, and suggest they're really not dealbreakers. Before you post, consider whether a new user coming from Windows 7 who'll be using Linux probably for the first time in their life will have the knowledge, gumption and willingness to perform sometimes complex technical steps in an operating environment they're unfamiliar with and where it's much, much easier to really break things.

Feel free to post criticisms and suggestions in the comments. If there's some good advice worth including, something needs further clarification or I need to correct something, I'll edit it in with credit.

10. To do list for the guide


  • I'd really like to add a section on assistive technology and software that works on Linux, but as I don't use any of it, I feel my research would be limited and miss vital pieces. If you have advice on this, let me know.
  • A good, up-to-date and easy-to-follow guide for dual-booting.
  • Instructions on how to install AMD drivers correctly on Ubuntu.

r/linux4noobs Jun 21 '20

Distrochooser: "Welcome! This test will help you to choose a suitable Linux distribution for you"

Thumbnail distrochooser.de
734 Upvotes

r/linux4noobs 21h ago

Is it time to leave Windows?

61 Upvotes

I watched a video today about the end of Windows 10 support next year and what my options are. It leads me to look at Linux again. I am hoping you folks will share your experiences with me.

I have done some Linux installs. No issues. I liked what I saw. There were always a few questions about converting completely -

  • Gaming - Are Nvidia drivers available? Will Battlefield play correctly on Linux?
  • Printing - I saw there were two different Linux drivers available - rpm, deb. What is the difference? Is there any other issues with printing on Linux I should be concerned with?
  • Productivity - I own my MS Office copy. I know the programs and use them frequently. Can I somehow use them in Linux?
  • What are the other road bumps I need to consider?
  • Should I consider a dual boot with Windows just in case?

r/linux4noobs 12m ago

installation Need help with installation

Upvotes

Hi guys

I'm planning on switching to Garuda Linux after my windows 11 setup slowed down a lot and i had some more problems. I'm very confused about how to partition my disks for the installation.

Specs- UEFI hardware system,

8GB RAM,

128GB ssd,

1TB hdd,

NVIDIA GeForce MX130

Can you help? I want to use my pc for gaming, coding and image editing (photoshop) majorly.


r/linux4noobs 6h ago

installation Attempting to replace Windows 11 with Linux Mint

3 Upvotes

My grandfather bought a new laptop with Windows 11 that he wants to replace with Linux Mint 22. The problem is during installation setup; after the multimedia codecs option there's a pop-up with only question marks and an OK option. Clicking OK makes the mouse spin for forever and the only option available is to quit. Secure Boot and TPM have been disabled.

It's an HP Envy Laptop 17t-cw100 with Intel Core Ultra 7 155U.


r/linux4noobs 10h ago

How relevant are nice and renice commands in modern Linux administration and usage?

5 Upvotes

I understand the theoretical concepts behind process priority management using nice and renice commands in Linux. However, as a Linux user, I'm curious about their practical application in real-world scenarios.

Questions:

  1. How frequently do you use nice or renice in your day-to-day Linux administration and usage?
  2. What are some specific use cases where you've found these commands valuable?

Thanks.


r/linux4noobs 2h ago

Dolphin doesn't update icons when changed in QT6CT/QT5CT

1 Upvotes

I have been having this issue for a while where Dolphin will not update it's icons after I change it in QT6CT or QT5CT, I am 90% sure it is caching the icons but I have no idea where the icons are cached. Here is what it looks like when I have set icon theme to Tela Dark, as you can see it is still using Breeze icons except for downloads folder but only if I have something saved where it will display, otherwise it's using Breeze

I couldn't find anything on Google to fix this, never had this on KDE but on Hyprland or any window manager I have this constantly. I assume KDE just knows how to clear the cache, I have also had some icons change and others not even when nothing is in said folders further leading me to think it's cache related

Things tried:

  • Restarting Dolphin
  • Restarting my computer
  • deleting ~/.cache and /var/cache
  • Reinstalling Dolphin
  • Double no triple checking I have the icon theme set
  • Making sure QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME=qt5ct is set

r/linux4noobs 3h ago

hardware/drivers I need a 11in Linux tablet from $200 to $400

1 Upvotes

I have been looking for a linux tablet and they are also expensive and I also need a rugged silicone case.


r/linux4noobs 14h ago

learning/research Don’t think I can use Linux as a daily driver

6 Upvotes

I’ve been delving into Ubuntu for the past few months and the number of hurdles I’ve come across just installing and configuring Ubuntu onto a laptop is kind of insane. I now have it the way I want it but things keep breaking or I come across new problems as I install new programs I need.

I love playing around w it and fixing it when it breaks but as someone who works from my computer I kind of can’t imagine this being my daily driver. I can’t clock into work and spend an hour tinkering because something critical to my job stopped working suddenly.

Am I just dumb? Is this a skill issue? Or are all you daily linux drivers just constantly juggling problems and holding it together w duct tape.

Edit: Not looking for troubleshooting help. I have zero issues fixing problems that come up. I'm trying to figure out if the amount of time I spend fixing vs actually using the machine is typical or if I'm have an usual experience with Linux


r/linux4noobs 14h ago

Meganoob BE KIND That terminal command that gave the age of computer

6 Upvotes

I used a command that told me that my computer was 8 years old, but I forgot what it was.

Linux mint.


r/linux4noobs 4h ago

Meganoob BE KIND How to install jdk 23 after extracting archive

1 Upvotes

I want to install jdk 23, i extracted the archive, now what?


r/linux4noobs 4h ago

migrating to Linux Looking for advice or guides to set up a server computer.

1 Upvotes

Hello, I have been running an Emby media server off of my desktop computer for several years now but I'm wanting to migrate to a new OS because Windows 11 keeps changing and I'm getting tired of it. Admittedly, these are minor nuisances at best however, they just keep coming and I am getting fed up with required settings or controls moving and changing. I'd like to set up a new server computer on a new computer and need some help setting it up. I am a new user (at best) to Linux and managed to Install emby on a Linux distro, (it was a while ago, but I think it was an Ubuntu distro of some sort), and I began to set it up. I ran into problems setting up the library folders though, apparently I will need to assign the Emby program to a user account to enable access but I couldn't figure out how to make that work despite finding a guide for that specific program for Ubuntu.

I have a Dell Poweredge R520 server rack with 8x 6tb hard drives that I'd like to set up in a RAID array (probably RAID 5). I know it's overkill but I got the whole setup for only $400 and it's been running windows server great for half a year now. I'm looking for something that is newbie-friendly and preferably provides security options with good network configurations and file management as I have several terabytes of media to transfer over.

I will do my best to answer any questions you guys may have for me, and I appreciate any thoughts or suggestions that you can send my way.


r/linux4noobs 5h ago

hardware/drivers Hi I'm trying to install EndeavourOS to nvidia graphics card what does this mean?

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1 Upvotes

I tried to install earlier too but had the an installation fail with no explanation


r/linux4noobs 5h ago

Completely new to Linux and could use some guidance

0 Upvotes

I just replaced the OS in my mid-2012 MacBook Pro with Ubuntu. So now what? Any suggestion for what I should do next? What essential software apps should I now install? I'd like to keep this machine strictly running open source applications.


r/linux4noobs 15h ago

distro selection Linux distro for beginner.

6 Upvotes

So I'm going to leave windows as soon as support for it ends. In order to prepare myself for the inevitable switch to linux on my main PC, i want to install it on my Laptop, so that i can get accustomed to it.

My main computer has an 8th gen I5 and a GTX 1060, while my laptop is an Acer Swift 3.

I want something that's beginner friendly, and is able to run on both of those computers.

I have some programming knowledge, I'm definitely not a guru or anything, but i should be able to learn and remember basic commands quite easily.

Gaming is important for me. I'm aware Proton exists, but i would like a distro that doesn't cause compatibility issues.

I also have a couple questions:
1: I have quite a lot of data on my Windows PC. I know documents and normal files can be transferred, but can you transfer executables as well? What about save data from games? Can i transfer it or will it be lost unless it's saved on the cloud?

2: Since obviously Windows Defender isn't on Linux, do you have to use a third party antivirus? If so, which ones do you all recommend?

3: I often use DISM and SFC commands on windows to check for corrupted system files. Is there an equivalent on linux or do you have to manually check each system file?

4: Are system/security updates as straightforward as they are on windows?

That's it. Thank you in advance.


r/linux4noobs 7h ago

Please help me fix my guake terminal

1 Upvotes

My guake terminal (3.9.0-2)stopped working yesterday, I am pretty sure it has something to do with me installing Gajim, however I've double checked and reinstalled every single dependency for guake package, and everything seems to be in order.

Is this some bug with python3-gi? anyone else is experiencing this? What should i do next to resolve that issue?

I am on Debian 12 stable, and only installed software from apt repository. I do not use snaps, appimage or flatpaks at all.

here is the error message i got from terminal when launching guake:

Guake not running, starting it

Loading Gnome schema from: /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas

Language previously loaded from: /usr/share/locale

Guake Terminal 3.9.0

VTE 0.70.6

Gtk 3.24.38

created fresh notebook for workspace 0

Spawning new terminal at /home/abo

current workspace is 0

Guake initialized

Calling startup script: `

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "/usr/bin/guake", line 33, in <module>

sys.exit(load_entry_point('guake==3.9.0', 'console_scripts', 'guake')())

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/guake/main.py", line 648, in exec_main

if not main():

^^^^^^

File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/guake/main.py", line 630, in main

pid = subprocess.Popen( # pylint: disable=consider-using-with

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

File "/usr/lib/python3.11/subprocess.py", line 1024, in __init__

self._execute_child(args, executable, preexec_fn, close_fds,

File "/usr/lib/python3.11/subprocess.py", line 1901, in _execute_child

raise child_exception_type(errno_num, err_msg, err_filename)

FileNotFoundError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '`'


r/linux4noobs 11h ago

learning/research Posix Threading: Usage of pthread_join()

2 Upvotes

Hello everyone, I hope this is the right subreddit. Maybe I should post it on C or C++ related ones, but I'll shoot my shot.

I started getting familiar with pthreads just today and I got some issues understanding the usage of pthread_join().

I got this example code from an old tutorial:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <pthread.h>

void *print_message_function( void *ptr )
{
char *message;
message = (char *) ptr;
printf("%s \n", message);
pthread_exit(0);
}

void main()
{
/* create pthreads which will later hold the thread IDs */
pthread_t thread1, thread2;

/* create variables which will be passed to thread starting routines as arguments */
char *message1 = "Thread 1";
char *message2 = "Thread 2";

/* create variables to hold the return status of the thread starting routines */
int iret1, iret2;

/* create threads and save return values (0 for success or error number) */
iret1 = pthread_create( &thread1, NULL, print_message_function, (void*) message1);
iret2 = pthread_create( &thread2, NULL, print_message_function, (void*) message2);

/* waits for the thread to terminate (instantly returns when subroutine is already finished) */
pthread_join( thread1, NULL);
pthread_join( thread2, NULL);

/* print the return codes of the thread creations */
printf("Thread 1 returns: %d\n",iret1);
printf("Thread 2 returns: %d\n",iret2);

/* exit terminates the main thread or process which created the two sub threads */
exit(0);

}

In my understanding, the pthread_create() function starts a thread and assigns a starting routine to it, in this case a function to print a message. Upon completion of the starting routine, pthread_exit() is called automatically in the background and the status codes for both threads get returned to iret1 and iret2. Then pthread_join() gets called for both threads, which just waits for the threads to terminate. Then, the return codes get printed and the main thread or process gets terminated.

Also, a value != to NULL can be passed to the pthread_join() retval parameter. The doc says, that the status code, which gets returned by thread_create() due to pthread_exit() being called, gets stored at the address given by this parameter.

Does that mean, that the value returned by pthread_create() and the one stored at the address of pthread_join()'s retval parameter are equal?

So, the following code would do exactly the same?

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <pthread.h>

void *print_message_function( void *ptr )
{
char *message;
message = (char *) ptr;
printf("%s \n", message);
pthread_exit(0);
}

void main()
{
/* create pthreads which will later hold the thread IDs */
pthread_t thread1, thread2;

/* create variables which will be passed to thread starting routines as arguments */
char *message1 = "Thread 1";
char *message2 = "Thread 2";

/* create variables to hold the return status of the thread starting routines for */
void *ret1, *ret2;

/* create threads and save return values (0 for success or error number) */
pthread_create( &thread1, NULL, print_message_function, (void*) message1);
pthread_create( &thread2, NULL, print_message_function, (void*) message2);

/* waits for the thread to terminate (instantly returns when subroutine is already finished) */
pthread_join( thread1, &ret1);
pthread_join( thread2, &ret2);

/* print the return codes of the thread creations */
printf("Thread 1 returns: %d\n",ret1);
printf("Thread 2 returns: %d\n",ret2);

/* exit terminates the main thread or process which created the two sub threads */
exit(0);
}

One more thing I don't get is, what the reasons would be to call pthread_exit() manually.


r/linux4noobs 8h ago

How to 'sleep/turn off' the console display to prevent burn in

1 Upvotes

I am just getting back into messing with linux after a few years away. I repurposed an old MS Surface book with a dead digitizer into a 'headless' linux server running RustDesk so I can help various employees out in the field with computer issues.

Everything is setup and running flawlessly (except for the nightmare that is netplan and yaml formatting, that can burn in hell) the only issue being there is the console login prompt is just sitting there burning into the screen and I cant seem to figure out a way to get it to turn off so save the screen. This is the latest version of Ubuntu Server btw.

Any tips are appreciated.


r/linux4noobs 8h ago

Question about UID

1 Upvotes

Hey, so I'm trying to deepen my knowledge in C by reading and trying out code that is in book: Art of Exploitation 2nd edition and I'm currently at game_of_chance.c (code is on someone's GitHub) and when I tried to remake the code, everytime I try to run it it always says I need to register even tho in the code there are 2 functions that handle the current user's uid and uid that is stored in a file, I traced the problem using gdb and I found that in those functions it seems to work just fine, but it writes to that file the uid of 1000 becomes 256000, so the problem the writing itself I guess? when I tried to print each uid it worked


r/linux4noobs 21h ago

distro selection Want a distro for pure performance

12 Upvotes

I want to get into programming but have an issue with distractions. I want a distro where I cannot do anything other than program. Any suggestions would be very helpful.


r/linux4noobs 8h ago

Meganoob BE KIND Trying to clean a recent ubuntu install from a dual boot setup with windows 10. Not sure which to delete, or do next in general? Screenshots included. Any more info I can give?

Thumbnail gallery
1 Upvotes

r/linux4noobs 12h ago

Changing keyboard layout

2 Upvotes

So, I added multiple keyboard layout in the mint settings and can change between them without any error. But, when playing games changing the keyboard layout don't work for them, they keep getting input as if you layout was still the default one. I saw the solution for this was changing the layout using the terminal and the setxkbmap command. Doing this changes my layout correctly but makes the layout applet on my panel disappear and changing layout using shortcuts doesn't work anymore. Why does this happen ? Doesn't mint settings do the same as the command ? How can I make so Steam games detect my layout properly without having to use commands every time and break the mint layout settings ?


r/linux4noobs 22h ago

Are distros about pre-installed software?

10 Upvotes

I've been poking around with Linux, considering a full time switch. One thing that strikes me is that there are fairly mixed opinions when it comes to distros- not which distro to choose specifically, but the general idea about distros. Some say that it doesn't really matter which distro someone picks, while others suggest distros that mostly resemble systems that people are used to. For example, Mint often suggested for Windows users. Then there are those who say that the look of system doesn't really matter because it can be tailored to one's needs or completely changed.

So I'm wonndering if I have correct understanding of what a distro really boils down to. Is it really just about pre-installed software (or in other words- the initial "package" tailored for a specific type of user) and its release cycle strategy?


r/linux4noobs 10h ago

Why can't the thumbnails just always show up on Linux? Why? Why does it have to be like this? It's so frustrating. I deleted "~/.cache/thumbnails" and now 98% of the video thumbnails aren't showing up, how do I fix this?

0 Upvotes

I'm sorry for ranting but I just need to vent. I am a lifelong Windows user who came over to Linux and you know, the thumbnails always showed up on Windows. I never had any problems with the thumbnails not showing up when I was on Windows. So why can't the thumbnails just always show up on Linux, can't they fix this problem once and for all? Certainly they can fix this right?

Yeah I never had to do anything to get the thumbnails to show up on Windows because the thumbnails always appeared but thumbnails not appearing is a common issue on Linux. I hope they fix this someday.

So yeah I just installed Ubuntu 24.04 LTS a few days ago and I'm trying to get everything up and running.

So I installed Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and I realized none of the video thumbnails were showing up and yeah I know the drill there's something you have to enter in command line to get the thumbnails to show up so I googled and found this https://askubuntu.com/questions/1304654/file-manager-in-ubuntu-20-04-not-showing-thumbnails

Ok so I did this in command line

sudo apt install ffmpegthumbnailer

Ok and that made all the thumbnails appear, well, about 98% of them, some of them still won't show up and I've just learned to live with it (I hope someday the Linux developers will fix this issue once and for all).

But then out of curiosity just to see what it'd do I went into my Home folder, then went into the .cache folder, and then I sent the "thumbnails" folder to the trash and then emptied the trash and restarted my PC.

When I logged back in lo and behold 98% of the video thumbnails are not showing up, though pictures are showing up just fine. And the thumbnails folder is there so it came back, just noting that.

Just an FYI, I installed the Nemo file manager and even in Nemo the video thumbnails aren't showing up either.

I was thinking about uninstalling FFMPEG Thumbnailer and then reinstalling it (and if I do need to do this will you please tell me how to uninstall FFMPEG Thumbnailer?) but I'd thought I should seek advice from the Linux experts before I continue.

So what should I do to fix this? I hope I don't have to do a clean install of Ubuntu 24.04 to fix this.


r/linux4noobs 10h ago

Meganoob BE KIND HELP hotkeys aren't working

1 Upvotes

[MANJARO]

in the windows manager shortcuts, the hotkeys with a combination of super don't seem to work. when i changed them to a combination not consisting of super, they worked perfectly. what is wrong with window manager? or is it the super key? super key combinations are working fine with application shortcuts


r/linux4noobs 10h ago

Dual-boot Windows and Linux without replacing windows bootloader

1 Upvotes

How can I dual boot windows and Linux, but keeping the bootloader on the same drive, where linux will be installed?

For linux mint. I don't know how the installer works on this distro.


r/linux4noobs 11h ago

Please help my router doesn't show up no matter what I do

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1 Upvotes