Question Linux on a USB or VM?

[biostud]

View attachment 126676

I think the 'weekly' tickbox and accompanying number is literally the only setting I've changed in Timeshift.

How much space do they use?

 

[mikeymikec]

How much space do they use?

73.4GB apparently.

 

[lxskllr]

What desktop environment do you use, and how have you customized your Linux setup?

My desktop is always the same. I first started with ubuntu using gnome2. I thought it was an amazing setup for a desktop, and I still do. It's a two panel system. Top panel has some quick launchers, access to the system, and informational widgets. Bottom panel is a task switcher. Screenshot is xfce. My plasma setup at work is largely the same. In the past, I played around with enlightenment a fair amount, and it too was setup the same way. If a desktop couldn't be setup this way for some reason, it's an immediate dismissal. I won't entertain any other setup aside from a special purpose computer.

 

[biostud]

What to do now....

So, I finally decided to try to install Mint but had to give up during installation as it all became too complicated. Obviously, I couldn't just choose regular install, so very quickly I got confused to have to create different partitions to /, /home, /swap and where to place bootloader etc. very confusing.

 

[lxskllr]

The only required partitions are / and swap, and maybe not even swap. Some are going with swap files a la windows, and that makes sense to me, but I don't know specifically how to make one. Last time I did an install, swap partitions were standard, so that's what I used.

 

[biostud]

Maybe I should just choose install alongside windows, as it seems to choose the correct drive for installation?

Nvme0 being my Windows drive and Nvme1 being my new SSD.

 

[lxskllr]

I'm having a hard time making out the screenshots, and it's been awhile since I did an install, so it isn't clear in my head without sitting there looking at it.

There's a bunch of ways to do this, with many scenarios. Going back to my first(I think) post, I mentioned pulling your windows drive before install keeping everything ignorant of what's installed. That's the most clearcut for installing, and foolproof as far as causing lasting damage goes, but it makes selecting an o/s at boot more of a hassle, though that can be simplified by letting linux handle everything, and leaving windows ignorant.

What's your ideal situation? Keeping o/ss on one drive, and using the second as a data drive has some appeal, but I don't like the idea of linux using ntfs. Everything works fine with that ime, but I suspect it's suboptimal for speed and robustness since it isn't native linux tech :shrugs:

 

[mikeymikec]

Is the use of fish-eye lens to convey your discomfort at the situation?

Also, remind me what setup you wanted to end up with please.

 

[biostud]

Is the use of fish-eye lens to convey your discomfort at the situation?

Also, remind me what setup you wanted to end up with please.

Windows drive on nvme0, Linux on nvme1 + 1tb ntfs partition. And I've decided on using Grub as boot manager.

Not fish eye, but 1024x768 stretched to 32:9

 

[mikeymikec]

I wouldn't bother making the second ntfs partition on the Linux drive until Linux setup is done, personally.

I have a swap partition but considering that I would like to have a crack at making hybrid sleep work on Linux, I think in hindsight I would have preferred a swap file.

 

[biostud]

Well, I'm up and running, and posting from mint

I think it put the GRUB on my new disk as I from the BIOS boot menu can choose either to boot windows or ubuntu, on my two different drives, and if I boot Mint I can choose Windows boot manager as an option, so I got two boot managers (an EFI partition on each disc). But as they reside on their own discs it might actually be the best, as each can boot independently of the other

But apparently 240Hz is not usable out of the box...

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[biostud]

My Soundblaster AE-7 didn't work with my headphones right out of the box. Had to use alsamixer to make it work.

 

[Indus]

My Soundblaster AE-7 didn't work with my headphones right out of the box. Had to use alsamixer to make it work.

I just find the LMDE (debian edition) a lot less buggy. (I classify that headphone driver not working as buggy).. but now that it's working.. I would just stick with it.

If it works, don't fix it!

 

[biostud]

I just find the LMDE (debian edition) a lot less buggy. (I classify that headphone driver not working as buggy).. but now that it's working.. I would just stick with it.

If it works, don't fix it!

Couldn't choose headphones, only speakers with the regular sound settings. With Alsa mixer I had access to all the settings which came with the sound card (but not very polished), but I can't make custom settings. :/

Sound worked fine in my VM, so it was not something I had thought about.

 

[biostud]

I just find the LMDE (debian edition) a lot less buggy. (I classify that headphone driver not working as buggy).. but now that it's working.. I would just stick with it.

If it works, don't fix it!

If it wasn't for this guy, it would just be a brick in my computer. The SB AE-9 doesn't work under Linux.

Linux 5.10 To Get Creative SoundBlaster AE-7 Audio Card Driver

linuxreviews.org

Also had a single round of World of Tanks, had similar fps as under Windows. But haven't installed any mods yet.

 

[Zepp]

Do you use it in your Linux systems? And if so how have you set it up?

Also I tried installing KDE plasma on Mint, just to get a feel of the flexibility of Linux, but reverted back to Cinnamon, as I don't think I need to over complicate it from the start. What desktop environment do you use, and how have you customized your Linux setup?

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Yeah I never really liked KDE either. Cinnamon is one of my favorites and feels a bit like KDE light.
Surprisingly though I settled on Budgie for my primary desktop. It feels polished and modern with all the customization options I want and none that I dont. it became my momma bear DE if you will. My work machine has cinnamon.

 

[Indus]

Yeah I never really liked KDE either. Cinnamon is one of my favorites and feels a bit like KDE light.
Surprisingly though I settled on Budgie for my primary desktop. It feels polished and modern with all the customization options I want and none that I dont. it became my momma bear DE if you will. My work machine has cinnamon.

I was trying out Fedora Cinnamon and Fedora KDE.

KDE felt very polished and cinnamon would have crashes/ bugs/ didn't update. Go figure as I felt comfortable with cinnamon but some distros just don't polish it enough or just focus on 1.

That's where KDE gets huge love as KDE and Gnome are 2 DE's which cover like 90% of linux users.

 

[biostud]

Somehow I managed to get the steam shortcut in the start menu (or whatever it is called) made unworkable. Nothing happens if I use it. If I write 'steam' in the console, steam launches as expected ...

 

[mikeymikec]

Somehow I managed to get the steam shortcut in the start menu (or whatever it is called) made unworkable. Nothing happens if I use it. If I write 'steam' in the console, steam launches as expected ...

Removing the package and reinstalling it should work I would think.

I'm curious to know how you altered a 'Start' menu entry though, I had to hop through a few hoops to ensure that my 'normal' Firefox launcher icons always open the correct Firefox profile (I have multiple), but I don't think I came across a way to do what you apparently did.

 

[biostud]

Removing the package and reinstalling it should work I would think.

I'm curious to know how you altered a 'Start' menu entry though, I had to hop through a few hoops to ensure that my 'normal' Firefox launcher icons always open the correct Firefox profile (I have multiple), but I don't think I came across a way to do what you apparently did.

I haven't done anything intentionally, but I have messed around, and done things I didn't fully understand, and now I can't start steam, except from the console. I uninstalled it from software manager and downloaded the newest installer from valve and also ran 'steam --reset' in the console, and here we are...
Is this a good time to roll back with timeshift?

 

[mikeymikec]

I haven't done anything intentionally, but I have messed around, and done things I didn't fully understand, and now I can't start steam, except from the console. I uninstalled it from software manager and downloaded the newest installer from valve and also ran 'steam --reset' in the console, and here we are...
Is this a good time to roll back with timeshift?

I've never rolled back with Timeshift before, let me know how it goes if you try it! There must be a way of messing with entries in the application launcher menu.

I guess you didn't fancy testing your experiments out in a VM first

- edit - how to modify the application launcher 'Menu':

Right-click on it, configure, go into the 'Menu' section, then click on 'open the menu editor'.

 

[lxskllr]

I'm not familiar with cinnamon, so I can't tell you exactly how to do it, but as a workaround, you can create a launcher, and give it the appropriate commands to launch steam, then put it somewhere.

This is in my top panel. It launches my music player from a directory in /home...

 

[biostud]

I've never rolled back with Timeshift before, let me know how it goes if you try it! There must be a way of messing with entries in the application launcher menu.

I guess you didn't fancy testing your experiments out in a VM first

- edit - how to modify the application launcher 'Menu':

Right-click on it, configure, go into the 'Menu' section, then click on 'open the menu editor'.

I still have a working Windows environment, and there is no motivation to learn as a broken OS in a live environment, you need to fix

 

[Indus]

Somehow I managed to get the steam shortcut in the start menu (or whatever it is called) made unworkable. Nothing happens if I use it. If I write 'steam' in the console, steam launches as expected ...

I'm actually having the same problem and it's my only gripe with LM. I posted about it on their suggestion forums and they called me "stupid" as Linux Mint's "pure purpose is stability and being slow to update - i.e. keep things same forever whenever possible, and if I want a game distro, I should go with Arch/ Fedora".

Well after being called "stupid", I downloaded Nobara KDE on VM with a 150GB space and tried to setup the stuff that matters to me, Steam/ Epic/ Proton/ VLC/ and a exfat partition. With steam I first installed Morrowind to go slow, then Skyrim, then Elder Scrolls Online.

I'm quite impressed as Nobara just works!

Also it's made by a Fedora/ Red Hat Developer.. for his own father.. so it's quite nicely configured for us soon to be "older people".

P.S. I like my desktop clean have added the steam shortcut to "favorites" in the taskbar.

 

[mikeymikec]

I still have a working Windows environment, and there is no motivation to learn as a broken OS in a live environment, you need to fix

I took a while to parse that sentence, and I think you mean that when something is broken in a live environment then you're more motivated to fix it?