It’s on my To-Do list, but I’m so backed up trying to keep up with technology that this goal slips farther down my list.
Curious why you are asking us?
Looking to start some new threads on the topic?
Casual conversation?
What is your experience with Linux, and why do you apparently prefer it to whatever?
It’s on my To-Do list, but I’m so backed up trying to keep up with technology that this goal slips farther down my list.
Perhaps if you took the plunge it would ease your “backed up” burden 
Looking to start some new threads on the topic?
It is quite some time since the topic has been raised and I thought it would be ideal during the holiday period when users usually have some spare time.
Casual conversation?
Besides the numerous points I raised in the initial post, I thought users would be interested with the vast improvements and in how easy it is to get started.
What is your experience with Linux and why do you apparently prefer it to whatever?
I have covered these points in posts in this topic. My only regret is the graphic programs are not as good as PhotoShop 
I usually use Google to search for Torrent Linux Mint and links to the latest version will appear.
Also if anyone wants an easy solution this very busy site has a list of many Linux Distros and it appears as though it has a builtin Torrent application because it only takes about three minutes to download. Just search for the Linux Distro and select Torrent
Please note that Torrent is very respectable and safe because it only downloads files. It is advisable to validate all downloads and check for malicious content - you have been warned
Hi there John,
I did a time comparison between my download link in post #40
and the torrent provided by distrowatch.
The torrent’s download time of seventeen minutes was, as you
rightly claimed, the quicker by about two minutes on my system.
Personally though, I have never found time saving to be a really
important issue for downloads, or anything else when I come to
think about it ! 
Quicker, bigger, better, smarter, easier; these are stock-in-trade
words used by the mind manipulators to beguile the unwary. 
coothead
I agree about the time saving and if elapsed time is previously known schedule for coffee making, etc. That is about the only time I multitask
Also it’s “horses for courses”, a Torrent application is not only quicker but ideal for resuming broken connections.
Did you manage to boot from a thumbdrive?
I am awaiting delivery of a 250GB 2.5" SATA III SSD.
I have no reason to not use a torrent for any further
LInux versions that I may decide to use.
coothead
The thumbdrive can be used not only to install the operating system but also to try virtually all of Linux Mints features. (During my last Linux install I logged on to this forum and replied to a users post, bet you could not do that while installing Windows
The Linux virtual operating system takes about a minute to load from a thumbdrive and runs entirely in memory. The Bios will probably require setting to bypass the normal “boot from harddrive”.
It is advisable to try this option because a Bios UEFI(whatever that means) utility has recently been introduced in the last couple of years and may require disabling… one less problem to resolve while waiting.
Hi there John,
I have now managed to boot Linux Mint with an old 2G USB. 
It’s like waking up in a foreign country in just my under pants.
coothead
Congratulations
I am envious so much so I will install Linux Mint this morning and sincerely hope to emulate your experience
Edit:
Did you post from the thumbdrive?
This is what I did after @James_Hibbard - ( see post #56 ) - kindly
verified my ISO download - ( see post #40 ) - for me…
coothead
Well, I have to say that I was rather underwhelmed by my
first experience with Linux Mint
I had two, what I assumed would be simple, tasks for my
first tests of this strange new O.S.
These were accomplished and tested, so feeling slightly
less like a beginner I shut down and returned to Windows
to do some forum tasks.
Later in the day, on my return to Linux Mint, I discovered
that my keyboard had returned to English(us) and my
Thunderbird settings had all disappeared into cyberspace.
Is this problem the result of my having used quite an old
2GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive or have I made some other errors
when setting up the keyboard and the email program?
coothead
Please correct me if I am wrong… I assume you now have a desktop or laptop with two hardrives installed, one with Windows and the other with Linux Mint installed on a SSD which has a single partition?
I am surprised both settings disappeared and perhaps other Linux users can suggest solutions.
I have never used Thunderbird and prefer a web browser for my email mostly because the email is available on other devices.
Why was it necessary to revert to Windows to reply to forum posts? As mentioned during a Linux installation Firefox was available… when logged on to this forum a post could then created. replied, etc.
Edit:
I installed Linux Mint on a spare 50 GB partition on a Samsung 250GB 2.5" SATA III SSD.
Linux Mint is far too busy for my simple tastes and I prefer Ubuntu/Fedora with the Gnome Desktop because it is far cleaner. The “Tweak” application was used to setup the desktop similar to an Apple Mac with the most popular utilities on a bottom centered task bar.
Seldom installed utilities can be easily activated by hitting the “Window Action Key” and typing the required application name into the search box. Really seldom applications, if installed with a forgotten name, are revealed with “Taskbar → Show Applications” icon.
May I suggest creating another topic requesting information on how to perform tasks similar to Windows because as you an well imagine basic functionality is quite different. There are usually a wealth of different applications and options. It took me quite some time to setup my system but now the majority of tasks are easily performed. I am hoping to perhaps find suggestions which are even superior to my setup!
Sounds like you were using Linux Mint Live, meaning you booted from the USB drive and used it from the USB drive. Which is fine, but as you’ve discovered your changes won’t be persisted. For that you need to install Linux on a hard drive (or re-partition the USB stick so you get a partition for permanent storage, but that’s harder to do than just installing to a hard disk).
FYI, chose your Linux Mint Tessa edition from here and you will find the torrent option.
If anyone wants to try a torrent download, I just found this:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BitTorrent
(The article lists other torrent products, not just Bit Torrent.)
I just found this topic yesterday. Ironic timing since I had left a note in the check-in thread about trying to install Linux again. I’ve not finished reading this topic, yet. It may answer all of my questions 
I am getting close to the point where I will end my experiments
with Linux unless someone tells me how to install it on my p.c.
This is what I have done so far…
My problem starts when I click the Install Linux Mint icon and
eventually arrive here…
…and don’t know where to find the root file system.
coothead
Select sda1 and change the Mount point to / (where the root file system will be).
All other options are optional.
If you want to hibernate I suggest you create a swap partition a bit larger than the ram memory.
Then hit the Install Now.
Wait…
That partition seems too small.
I suggest you chose the partitioning menu and create a new partition for the root.
Then also make a partition for memory swap minimum the size of the RAM.
Then back to this step and chose / for the new partition and swap for the swap partition.
Then hit the Install Now.
That’s because I had to use a very old 2 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive. 
I intent to use a 64 GB USB 3.0 Memory Stick when it pops through
my letterbox, hopefully tomorrow.
I will then be able to fully test your methods fully.and will let you know
how I get on. 
Many thanks,
coothead
That step doesn’t make sense. Just boot from the USB, and then install it from the USB drive.
