I want to move to Linux Mint without losing data, can someone help?
Step 1: “Unlearn” everything you learnt about technology and pcs as a whole and embrace Linux with a open mind.
Step 2: Kill the bad habit (that only Windows gives you) of expect everything to “just werk” and to “solve” all your problems with left clicks. Yes, that is a bad, terrible habit and should not be accepted/be a daily habit for you and no sane user out there.
Step 3: Nah, you’ll lose everything – just YOLO it.
OP, this is absolutely not the case. If you install in a dual-boot configuration (recommended for beginners), not only will you not lose your data, you won’t lose the ability to boot into Windows. You’ll get asked to choose which OS you want each time you restart and Linux can access all files on Windows (but not vice versa). Secondly, not only is windows not the only OS that markets itself to Just Work™ (that’s been MacOS’s entire shtick since its inception), modern Linux does that as well. You can install software and drivers, manage system configuration, etc. without even knowing what a terminal is. Knowing how to use the terminal is never a bad idea, but rest assured that by no means do you have to, especially when starting out.
I sincerely doubt the person I’m replying to has used a distro marketed towards Linux newbies at any point in the last five years.
What data
If you have 1 backup, you have no backups; If you have two backups you have one backup.
Just make a backup of your data, it’s the easiest way. Can it be done without a backup? Yes, but it’s complicated and error prone. Better go the safe route.
Better go the safe route.
Yea but that’s boring, it’s more fun to YOLO it! Shrink the windows partition from Linux, create the new Linux partition and install, then move everything over from the NTFS partition to Linux, delete it then expand the Linux partition.
Ez-Pz and the added pressure makes it more fun! Lol
Sorry but downvoted. If you delete your thesis or your family photos while trying to install Linux w/o backup, there is no turning back.
You could dual boot and access your documents from linux by mounting your windows partition. Don’t forget to backup your data before you do anything, especially if this is your first time doing this.
DO NOT dual boot as a beginner. I did this when I started and would screw up something with the bootloader and be unable to boot one of the OSs (data can still be copied off, but installed app data isn’t easily recovered). Being a noob at the time, I even accidentally wiped the wrong drive during a distro hop.
For a beginner I would recommend you remove your Windows SSD and keep it safe in a drawer. Or clone the drive first. Then you can mess around all you want while keeping your original SSD safe.if the data and OS/app installs are valuable then don’t fuck around learning a new system with the drive in situ. Certainly don’t try to learn to partition and dual boot off the same drive. The noob risk is just too high.
The most important thing to do is backup your data to an external drive. Unless you are planning on dual booting (much more complicated) you will be wiping out the entire drive that has windows on it when you install Linux.
This guide goes through the whole installation process.
I would argue the point that installing in dual boot is any more complicated than a clean install, especially given the state of modern Linux installers
