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Linux Mint installation the first time, if you only have Windows

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Category: Linux

Published: 25 July 2024

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Linux installing stuff
First Published: 11.04.2020 | By Super User | Hits: 4277
Revised edition in 25.07.2024

First remember to take backups to a big usb-memory stick, of your photos, texts, videos, music etc.
Get your Linux Mint iso file from here, try first the 64-bit version, if it don´t boot try the 32-bit version
(Mint 19.3 is the last that has 32-bit support).

I use the Mate desktop which I recommend, but there is also Cinnamon which is the flagship a little heavier. 
The latest Linux Mint version is 22 .

With Windows 10 the dualboot worked, but NOW Windows 11 update BREAKS BOOT 

so DON´T INSTALL DUALBOOT systems WITH WINDOWS 11,

instead FROM NOW ON INSTALL LINUX SYSTEM IN PLACE OF WINDOWS, as

the only system on the harddrive. I suspect , that the Windows 11 update breaking dualboot has

a lot to do with Windows 11 starting to encrypting the whole harddrive as the default action and not asking anything from the user, so if you can prevent Windows 11 from encrypting harddrive you could

have a workaround, but I have no longer Windows machines, so I can´t test it.

If your boot is already screwed, you can try this fix, but it is not tested, so no quarantees:

 If linux don´t boot you can try this:

 https://linuxhint.com/linux_mint_boot_repair/

Anyway download Linux Mint .iso file from here and follow the instructions on the pages:

https://www.linuxmint.com/

How to make the Linux Mint install usb-stick on Windows 10

The solution: rufux.exe (or etcher if you like that better), download it and install it and use it to burn the linuxmint.iso file to a usb-memory stick, from:

https://rufus.ie

or etcher from

https://etcher.balena.io/

Howto boot the usb-memory stick

For the first time, you usually need to change the boot order in your machine, you have to change

that the usb-stick you use is the first boot media, so you connect the usb-stick to the machine, and

then when you boot you need to know what function key to press to get to bios on your machine.

It varies: on HP laptops it is F10, on many others it is F2 or F12, or it can be ins or del, but you can google your machine details and find out for sure or just guess and try, but you have to keep tapping to that key while the machine is booting, you will notice if that is working and the bios screens opens.

Then go to the boot order and change your usb-stick the first boot media.

Then you are ready to go.
Should you disable from bios the secure boot or not ?

Linux Mint can now handle the UEFI secure boot, so you don´t have to disable secure boot with Windows 10 , but after Windows 11 update now screws the boot it is maybe the only way to fix the dualboot to disable secure boot, not tested but somebody suggested it.

If you are installing a dualboot with Windows 10 you absolutely must not disable the secure boot.
 How to dualboot with your existing installation of Windows 10

You will need 2 usb-sticks, one for the later Linux Mint install and one for the tool linux that you will be using.

On the newer versions of Linux Mint you can also do everything with the Linux Mint installation stick, but
to open Gparted in that you have to open terminal in it when you have booted of it and give the command gparted, to
open it. In Gparted distro stick it opens that automatically after booting from Gparted stick.

I used this method before if I have to do it from scrach: First I download the Gparted live from

https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=gparted

 .

Burn it to usb-stick with rufus.exe

Boot one of them the same way I described for Linux Mint, and start Gparted. Find the partition where your Windows 10 C: drive is located, and make it smaller, but leave there at least 32 Gb space for windows, because it is the minimum.

Leave the rest of the space empty. That is where you are going to install the Linux Mint. Shut down.

Insert your Linux Mint usb-memory stick to the machine and boot and follow the instructions, but don´t format the Windows partition. Don´t install to the whole hard drive. Install to the empty space.

When you next boot Windows let it do the harddrive checking, after that it should work allright.

 If linux don´t boot you can try this:

 https://linuxhint.com/linux_mint_boot_repair/

It will also fix the Windows boot if needed.