Running Linux on an older, secondary machine This software offers good performance and a smooth experience. VMware Workstation Player Free for Windows is proprietary software, but is available free of charge for personal, non-commercial use. See below for more details regarding SATA drive controllers, RAID mode, and AHCI mode.) Running Linux as a virtual machine (VM) guest under VMware Workstation Player Free for Windows
LINUX OS ISO AHCI INSTALL
However, you will not be able to read files on the Windows hard drive, or install Linux to the hard drive. (If your laptop’s SATA controller is configured for RAID mode, you will still be able to boot the live operating system from the Linux installer on a USB stick. The live version of Linux on a USB stick is impractical for day-to-day use. If you click “Try Ubuntu” the operating system will run using the USB stick as its storage. The interface on Mint, for example, is quite different from the Gnome 3 desktop experience on Fedora and Ubuntu.Īn example: the boot screen of a “live” distribution of Ubuntu. The live version of Linux on a USB stick is useful to test the hardware on your laptop, and to get an idea of how a Linux distribution feels hands-on. Running Linux as a live desktop boot on a USB stick
I suggest you start with Ubuntu or Fedora. There are many distributions of desktop Linux. Links for Ubuntu and Fedora distributions This post aims to provide ideas and a roadmap for a current Windows consumer considering a switch to desktop Linux, but unsure how or where to start. There are several ways to experiment with Linux as a desktop operating system without making a full commitment to re-formatting your laptop, or giving up access to Windows.