Best Linux distro for a laptop?

[jamesdsimone]

I have an old Dell laptop with Windows 7 that is having problems booting to a stable desktop. It boots to safe mode without a problem but will not boot to a stable desktop even after multiple repair attempts. I got a replacement so I don't need to repair it any more. I think the problem is the Windows install so I wanted to wipe the hard drive and try a Linux install. It has a a i7 4800MQ 8gb ram 320gb hard drive and a Radeon 8790M. I use Mint for my desktops.

 

[JackMDS]

If the cause of the problem is Hardware Linux would work well too.

I do not know how Old is your Dell but since it is i7 it would work well with Win 11.

Make a Boot Flash Drive using Rufus with the By pass the demands and install Win11.

Search results - The Portable Freeware Collection

www.portablefreeware.com

Than be welcomes to the 21st Century.

P.S. You can get SSD in the size that you need, the old types are very inexpensive these day, then your Renwed Dell will work much faster.

 

[jamesdsimone]

I have absolutely no desire to install Windows 11. I want to install Linux. I grabbed Rufus and downloaded Mint 21.1 LTS. cinnamon. I'll go with that unless someone has a compelling reason for a different distro.

 

[lxskllr]

Mint's fine. Linux is linux. If one distro works on particular hardware, any of them will, but with perhaps more or less work. I'd suggest downloading a few and trying them live. Lets you try different desktops and philosophies without committing to a full install right away. You can have multiple desktops installed and select which you want at login, but it slops the system up a bit, and of course uses room on the drive.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Do let us know about your Linux adventures!

 

[jamesdsimone]

Installed Mint and it is working fine except I get can't access my network. I will need help with that. I hate networking it is always a major pain and never works right. I get distro overload. You could spend years testing them all.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Installed Mint and it is working fine except I get can't access my network.

Maybe your WiFi driver got installed by Mint incorrectly or not installed at all.

If you don't mind installing one more distro, try POP_OS!

Pop!_OS by System76

Imagine an OS for the software developer, maker and computer science professional who uses their computer as a tool to discover and create. Welcome to Pop!_OS

pop.system76.com

It's very easy to use (almost like the UI was designed for people who know nothing about computers) and I didn't have any issues with it.

 

[mikeymikec]

@jamesdsimone IMO you're setting yourself up for failure if you're attempting to use an unfamiliar OS on hardware that isn't 100% trustworthy. If I were you I'd take the time to figure out what the problem is, and if/when that problem is dealt with, then experiment with Linux.

 

[lxskllr]

You haven't really provided any info as to exactly what issues you're having. A good starting point is doing a web search using the term "'exact model of computer' ubuntu". Use ubuntu as a term cause it's close enough to mint, and you'll get more results. See if anyone's complaining about networking. No? Refine your search to "'exact model of computer' wifi linux mint" and see what you find.

 

[WelshBloke]

I think the linux distro that ships with Dells is Ubuntu.
I'm duel booting that and win11 on my XPS and tbh I haven't booted into win11 in a couple of weeks.
There are a couple of caveats. I had to use 22.10 not the LTS version, the LTS wouldn't even install. And the fingerprint sensor and webcam don't have linux drivers (this is very model specific and is more of a me issue for not checking).

Honestly with a bit of cosmetic tweaking Ubuntu looks and runs fantastically for me and I'm definitely not a linux wizard!

 

[WelshBloke]

P.S. You can get SSD in the size that you need, the old types are very inexpensive these day, then your Renwed Dell will work much faster.

This is a good idea, an SSD makes a laptop feel very different!
Blow all the crud out of the fans while you are in there! Maybe change the battery as well!

 

[igor_kavinski]

Honestly with a bit of cosmetic tweaking Ubuntu looks and runs fantastically for me and I'm definitely not a linux wizard!

Yeah for normal users who just use a few common or popular apps like Libreoffice, VLC, Chrome, Firefox etc., Ubuntu and its derivatives work nicely. It's only the tinkerers like me who want their various uncommon software and games to work flawlessly and that is not possible on Linux without messing with Wine or some other Win32 emulation layer. Or we would have to use VirtualBox or KVM. Too much of a hassle so that's why haven't made the switch to Linux so far.

 

[jamesdsimone]

@jamesdsimone IMO you're setting yourself up for failure if you're attempting to use an unfamiliar OS on hardware that isn't 100% trustworthy. If I were you I'd take the time to figure out what the problem is, and if/when that problem is dealt with, then experiment with Linux.

I have been using Mint on my desktops for years. This is the first time I tried it on a laptop. Everything looks the same so far and I have an internet connection. My desktops always connected to my network without me having to do anything. I already replaced the Dell with a Lenovo Thinkpad that I got as refurbished that turned out to be new. I have Windows 7 running on that so I didn't need the install on the Dell anymore. I got all the data off it. The hardware is working fine as far as I can tell. I ran a memory test before I installed Mint and it reported no errors. The problem was the windows install was broken somehow. I have 3 other laptops so I'm just playing around with the Dell and wanted to install Linux. It doesn't need to be reliable. I don't need it for anything important. WiFi works fine and I can always a wired connection which I prefer anyway.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I have been using Mint on my desktops for years.

Which edition of Mint is your preferred/recommended one?

 

[Muadib]

Which edition of Mint is your preferred/recommended one?

I just installed Mint 21.1 last week, and love it so far. You should run it from a USB drive, and see what you think.

 

[igor_kavinski]

You should run it from a USB drive, and see what you think.

From the screenshots, it looks like Cinnamon is the one to get.

I take it the LMDE version is for masochists?

 

[lxskllr]

I take it the LMDE version is for masochists?

Not at all. Never used it, but I have run debian >10 years. I'm assuming the experience will be similar. Debian doesn't set everything up the way the *buntus do. It isn't hard to deal with, but someone brand new to gnu/linux might find it challenging because they don't know where to look or what to look for when something doesn't work like they expect it to. They're still thinking "WTF, C: drive?!?!", and to throw on no print system installed by default, it can be a bit much to handle all at once. Someone willing to tinker, and not afraid of unfamiliar tech shouldn't have any problems.

The above /may/ not be valid. Perhaps Mint sets it up like old school ubuntu, and almost everything is done at first install. Only way to know is to try it. Once things are setup, debian and the *buntus are virtually indistinguishable in daily operation.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Is there some easy to understand online guide to Linux for Windows power users?

Something that's moderately technical for an experienced Windows'er but not so much that it scares them away.

 

[jamesdsimone]

Which edition of Mint is your preferred/recommended one?

I installed 21.1 LTS with the cinnamon desktop. I'm not sure if there is any reason to use an older version but you can. I did a USB install but you can burn the iso image to a DVD too. Live boot and look around. There is an install icon on the desktop if you decide to install it. I used to use Ubuntu but I really hate the Unity desktop.

 

[jamesdsimone]

Is there some easy to understand online guide to Linux for Windows power users?

Something that's moderately technical for an experienced Windows'er but not so much that it scares them away.

I have looked at countless guides since I started using Mint and mostly they are ok but I find that the people who write them make way too many assumptions about the readers knowledge level.

 

[lxskllr]

There was a good beginner book for ubuntu 8.04, but I'm reluctant to recommend it due to age. 14 years is an eternity in computer lifecycles, though much of it has stayed the same. Best way imo is trial/error. get it installed, and poke around. If you have questions, do a web search. If a satisfactory answer isn't found, ask.

 

[Muadib]

From the screenshots, it looks like Cinnamon is the one to get.

I take it the LMDE version is for masochists?

Cinnamon is the full feature choice. The other two choices don’t require the same amount of resources. I’m running Cinnamon on my old Dell XPS that I bought back in 1999 or 2000. It has 4gb of RAM so Cinnamon runs great on it.

 

[WelshBloke]

I'd say Ubuntu Gnome looks the nicest! I'm a total noob and my desktop looks like...

 

[lxskllr]

My two problems with gnome are oversimplification of tools, and the interface. I like the "classic" windows style interface, and more specifically, the old gnome2 default of having a top and bottom panel. I setup every system I use with two panels. Gnome's a quality desktop though, and if you like the way it works, it should work well for you.

 

[WelshBloke]

My two problems with gnome are oversimplification of tools, and the interface. I like the "classic" windows style interface, and more specifically, the old gnome2 default of having a top and bottom panel. I setup every system I use with two panels. Gnome's a quality desktop though, and if you like the way it works, it should work well for you.

Gnome comes with the top panel. It was the first thing I got rid of, I just couldn't get my head around that top panel!

I'm amazed at how configurable everything is coming from windows!

And I'm aware that my desktop looks like the bastard child of OSx and Windows11!