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Run Linux Alongside Windows

If you want to run another system on your PC without removing Windows, this article is for you

By Raymond NgPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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Why we still use Microsoft Windows?

Microsoft Windows is the most popular desktop operating system in the world. At the office, at home, or while traveling, we run applications on the Windows platform. For a long time, the Windows operating system running on PCs dominates the market even there are some major issues that need to be improved, such as it is hardware demanding, weak in security control, and easy to be infected by the virus. The main reasons it still dominates the market are that Windows is widely deployed, can provide a large number of applications, as well as has an excellent user interface. Among all, the hardware demanding issue and security issue are the most critical ones. Would that be possible that we can run the latest version of Windows without upgrading the hardware? Would that be possible we don’t need to buy expensive software to protect the privacy of the data being stored on a PC? Until recently, I have found a solution for addressing those issues. That is a Linux distribution with a very good user interface, excellent security control, and a wide range of software applications.

Why Linux

Linux is another operating system that is safer, faster, and steadier than Windows. You can install it on as many computers as you like, as many times as you like. The benefits include:

  • Linux is an open-source operating system that is completely free to use.
  • Linux is lightweight and thus can easily run on most computers with a good performance. That means you do not need to upgrade the computer hardware so frequently.
  • There are lots of high-quality applications available. Most of them are free.
  • Compared to some popular operating systems, Linux is more secure and not easy to be infected by viruses.

Run Linux Mint with Windows on the same PC

Among all Linux distributions, Linux Mint can provide a user interface similar to Windows, which makes it easy for Windows users to adapt. Instead of replacing Windows completely, you may run Linux Mint alongside Windows on the same PC before you are completely comfortable with Linux Mint. Recently I have installed Linux Mint on some of my PCs. Some of them have replaced the Windows operating system, some of them co-exist with Windows. For the low-end PCs, Windows cannot be further upgraded to the latest version. So it is natural to migrate to Linux Mint with low-hardware requirements. For the high-end PCs, both Linux Mint and Windows can co-exist. Linux Mint is a good alternative if you look for a light-weight and secure system.

Linux Mint can run on any 64-bit PC

Basic requirements:

  • x86 processor (Linux Mint 64-bit requires a 64-bit processor).
  • 512 MB RAM (1GB recommended for comfortable usage).
  • 5 GB of disk space (20GB recommended).
  • Graphics card capable of 800×600 resolution (1024×768 recommended).
  • DVD drive or USB port.

Simplicity and mobility

If you have more than one PC with Linux Mint installed, you can always access the same information and applications by using a Firefox browser with Extensions added (Add-ons). This makes the operation very simple with a high degree of mobility. For example, with a Firefox browser installed on the Linux Mint system, you can always access the same files stored on Google Drive, Dropbox, or Evernote, as well as the same applications (e.g. the Open Office Writer) from the browser's toolbar no matter which PC you work on, as long as you log in to Firefox using the same user account. There are a large number of Extensions offered by Firefox.

A large number of free application software for Linux Mint

Compared to Windows, you can access a large number of free applications with high quality. You can search for software or find it under different categories through the Software Manager in Linux Mint.

A quick way to install Linux Mint on your PC

Installing Linux Mint on a PC is easy and quick. The simplest way is to store the installation image to a USB device and let your PC boot from that USB. However, it takes time to download the image from the website and burn it to a USB device. If you have little time, you may consider buying a Linux Mint installation USB from Amazon. The link to the Amazon product page is: Linux Mint 19.3 New Latest Version for 2020 on 16GB USB — 64 & 32 Bit

Be careful during installation!

Please remember to choose the option below while installing Linux Mint on your PC. Otherwise, your current system will be removed! After you have chosen this option during the installation, Linux Mint will allow you to chose which operating system to run while the PC is starting.

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About the Creator

Raymond Ng

A practitioner in knowledge management and digital transformation.

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