How to Prepare to Install 'Linux'?

Calm down! I will explain — actually, it's pretty simple! You just need:

• USB Drive: At least 8 GB of storage.
• Internet Connection: A fast connection is preferable.
• A Computer: (We can install Linux on Android too, but that's a story for another tutorial!).

Yeah! That's all!

Ready? Let's Find Your Distribution!

Power up your PC and choose a Linux distribution.

💡 Not sure which one to pick? You can test them directly in your browser on DistroSea!

• For Beginners: Ubuntu or Linux Mint.
• For Gamers: Nobara Linux or Bazzite.

Where to Download the Distribution?

Simply search on Google (or your preferred search engine) for your distribution's ISO file (e.g.: Nobara Linux ISO Download).

Download the .iso file directly from the official website.

Creating the Bootable USB Drive

Now, you need a tool to make your USB drive bootable. You can use either Rufus or Ventoy.

💡 Recommendation: I strongly recommend Ventoy if you think you might want to try or switch distributions in the future!

Option A: Using Rufus

1. Download Rufus from the Official Website and launch it.
2. Plug in your USB drive.
3. In Rufus, configure the settings as shown below:

⚠️ WARNING: This process will ERASE ALL DATA on your USB drive! Backup any important files first.

4. Under Device, select your USB drive.
5. Under Boot selection, click SELECT and choose the downloaded ISO file.
6. Leave the default settings as they are (unless your distribution specifies otherwise).
7. Click START, wait for the process to finish, then close Rufus.

Option B: Using Ventoy

1. Download Ventoy from the Official Website and launch Ventoy2Disk.
2. Plug in your USB drive and select it under the Device section.

⚠️ WARNING: Clicking Install will ERASE ALL DATA on your USB drive!

3. Click Install.
4. Once installed, you will see Ventoy In Device displayed with status details (e.g., exFAT MBR).
5. Open your File Explorer: a new drive named Ventoy will appear.
6. Simply drag and drop your ISO file directly into the Ventoy drive.

Dual-Booting: Preparing Space for Windows & Linux

If you want to keep Windows alongside Linux, you need to create free space on your hard drive.

1. On Windows 10 or 11, press Windows + X and select Disk Management.

2. Right-click on your primary Windows partition (usually C:) and select Shrink Volume.
3. Choose how much space you want to allocate to Linux.

   💡 Tip: A 50/50 split works well. For a 500 GB drive, enter 250000 MB to shrink.

4. Click Shrink. You will now see a black box labeled "Unallocated space". Leave it as it is!

Booting into Linux

1. Shut down your computer.
2. Find the key needed to open your motherboard's UEFI/BIOS or Boot Menu (usually F2, F11, F12, DEL, or ESC).
3. Plug in your USB drive and power on your PC while tapping the Boot Key.
4. In the Boot Options, select your USB Drive.
5. Save and exit (usually F10) to restart.

What Happens Next?

• Ventoy Users: A menu listing your ISO file will appear. Highlight it and press Enter twice.
• Rufus Users: The drive will boot directly into the installer.

You will see the GRUB menu:

Select "Try or Install [Distro Name]" and press Enter. Your PC will boot into a live Linux session!

Completing the Installation

Once the live environment loads, open the "Install [Distro Name]" application on your desktop.

⚠️ CRITICAL STEP FOR DUAL-BOOT USERS:
When choosing the installation target, select "Install alongside Windows" or manually select the Unallocated Space you created earlier.
DO NOT select "Erase disk", or you will completely wipe Windows and your personal files!

📖 Need help with partitioning? Check out this Dual-Booting Guide for Ubuntu.

🎉 Congratulations! You've Installed Linux!

You made it! Installing a new operating system is a big step, and you did it! Welcome to the Linux community!

Now you can customize your setup, explore new software, and tweak your Desktop Environment to your liking.

📖 Quick Vocabulary Guide

• Distribution (Distro): An operating system built on top of the Linux kernel (e.g., Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch).
• Desktop Environment (DE): The graphical user interface (menus, windows, panels) of the OS (e.g., GNOME, KDE Plasma, XFCE).