Technology Software

Before You Install Linux: Backup and Select a Distro

The first thing to do when moving from Windows to Linux is to back up your Windows documents. This is the most important step because if at some point during the Linux install process something goes awry, your data could be lost or corrupted. Calmly make a complete backup of your system. Pay particular concern to email, images and documents. If your email is online with Google or Yahoo, then that is one less thing to worry about. Images and documents should be backed up to another hard drive, usb drive, or dvd. If you really want to do your backup right, then after backing up to hard drive, usb drive or dvd, then go ahead and use an offsite backup service so you'll have three copies of your stuff: one one your computer, one on external media (HD, usb drive, dvd, etc.), and one offsite.

2. Select a Linux distro. "Distro" stands for distribution. They are also commonly referred to as "flavors" of Linux. At the heart of every distro is the Linux kernel, but the looks and functionality of each distro can vary greatly. If you don't know which distro to use, then start with Ubuntu. Once you get used to Linux, you can begin to see the differences between the different flavors and can go from there. But early on, Ubuntu is a good choice because it is polished and usually works right out of the box.

If you want to check out all of your Linux options, then you can go to http://www.distrowatch.com, which tracks just about all of the Linux flavors. The great thing about Linux is that there are a million options for everything. Want a text editor? There are a bunch, each with its own set of power options and a fanatical following of users. Same with distros. There are a bunch and each one has its own set of particular advantages. Distrowatch.com lists the most popular distros. It also has a nice screenshot section so you can actually see what each looks like before you download it.

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