Hello, Linux.
Your computer isn't finished yet.
Microsoft no longer updates Windows 10, and Windows 11 refuses many working PCs. Linux can keep them safe and useful. This site explains how, in plain language, and where Linux came from.
Is my PC ready?Read the HistoryStill on Windows 10? Start here.
1. Check your PC
In Windows, open Settings, then System, then About. Write down the processor, the installed memory (RAM) and the size of the disk. Linux Mint's installation guide lists what the system needs.
2. Try before you install
Linux Mint runs from a USB stick without changing anything on your disk, so you can try it on your own computer first. The installation guide shows how to make the stick and start from it.
3. Back up, then switch
Copy your documents, pictures and browser bookmarks to an external drive, and open a few files from the copy to make sure it works. Then install Linux Mint, and bring your files back.
Reference edition
The History of the Linux Desktop
From a 1996 Usenet want ad to 2026, when Linux Mint runs as a secure endpoint on computers Windows 11 refuses. 254 endnotes, 8 figures.
Read it freeDownload PDFHow to citeArticles
The series introducing Linux to Windows and Mac users runs on Substack.
Books
Three books, in progress.
Introduction to Linux
From Windows or a Mac to a Linux Mint desktop that does every job the old one did, then the terminal, then a secure endpoint.
Linux Backend Services
A second computer becomes a server you reach from your desk, lock down, back up and run, the way a contractor keeps a customer's server.
The Linux Professional
The rest of what the CompTIA Linux+ exam tests, the troubleshooting a contractor gets paid for, and the AWS Cloud Practitioner ideas.
Find help near you
End of 10
Volunteer groups that help Windows 10 owners move to Linux. Find a place
Repair cafés
Free community repair events. Find one
About Tom Adelstein
Tom Adelstein has worked with Linux since the 1990s. He wrote 24 books, including O'Reilly's Linux System Administration, and founded Bynari, which became IBM's first Linux Influencer Partner in 2001. More at tadelstein.com.