Also: 8 things you can do with Linux that you can’t do with MacOS or Windows Back in those days, installing Linux on a laptop was something only the most skilled users could pull off. The problem was (at the time) Linux didn’t have a great deal of support for things like Wi-Fi cards, sound, and video. Because of that, it was pretty hit-and-miss. You might try to install your favorite Linux distribution, only to find out it didn’t support your video card. Try a different distribution that did support your video card, but not your sound card. If you were really good with the command line, you could install firmware for the hardware to get it running. Eventually, Linux caught up to the competition until it found support for most hardware (save for maybe cutting edge graphics and some newer peripherals). Even then, the Linux community has been doing a great job of keeping pace with the likes of Windows and MacOS. Also: The best Linux distros for beginners And so, if you have a laptop that was built within, say, the last 10 years, you shouldn’t have any problem installing Linux on it. But how? Let me show you just how easy it is.
How Linux can revive your aging laptop
The first thing to keep in mind is that we’re going to wipe away the current operating system on your laptop. Because of that, make sure you’ve saved every file and directory that you want to keep onto an SD card or external hard drive. If you don’t have either of those things, upload those files to a cloud storage account. Once you’ve backed up all the data you need to keep, you’re ready to install.
Requirements
To make this work, you’ll need the following:
A laptop that was made within the last decade.A bootable Linux USB drive
I’m going to demonstrate by installing the daily release of Ubuntu Desktop, which means it uses the new installer that will debut with Ubuntu 23.04 (Lunar Lobster) that will be released April, 2023. Also: How to create a bootable Linux USB drive That’s it. Let’s make it happen. The installation will complete and require you to reboot. During the reboot, make sure to remove the USB drive, so the laptop boots from your hard drive. Once you reboot, log in with the user you created and start using your new Linux laptop. If your machine doesn’t immediately boot to the USB drive, you’ll have to reboot the computer, access the boot menu (how this is done will depend on the make and model of the laptop, so you’ll have to google it), and select the USB as the boot option. During the boot process, the first thing you must do is select Try or Install Ubuntu and hit Enter on your keyboard. Also: How to create a Linux virtual machine with VirtualBox Since you’re working on a laptop, make sure to select your wireless network and, when prompted, type the password for the network and click Continue. Also: The most important reason you should be using Linux at home Once you’ve finished that, click Continue. Also: How to install Ubuntu Server in less than 30 minutes This process shouldn’t take more than 15 to 30 minutes (depending on the speed of your machine and network connection). Congratulations, you’ve just revived that aging laptop with a very powerful, flexible, secure, reliable, and user-friendly operating system. Enjoy!
