I’m considering switching to linux but I’m not a computer savvy person, so I wanted to have the option to switch back to windows if unforeseen complications (I only have 1 pc). Is it just a download on usb and install? And what ways can I get the product key or “cleaner” debloated versions.
If you feel comfortable swapping out the drives on your computer that would be the easiest way. You can buy a cheap ssd to install linux on it. If you really hate it you can just switch back to the windows drive. This also helps you avoid dual booting.
And if you don’t, you could just boot a live USB of Linux and some installers are capable of repartitioning your drive for dual boot.
But there’s always a small amount of risk to this, but I’ve never had an issue in my 25 years of doing it.
When I first wanted to try Linux out I made a small 50gb partition for it. the logic was that this was the size of just one game and it was an entire operating system, so I wasn’t losing much. As I continued to use Linux I kept expanding that partition to correspond with the priority I gave the OS.
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Use this tool to debloat your windows: https://github.com/builtbybel/privatezilla , also, I heard that setting your region as English (International) during installation comes with less bloat-ware installed?
Also, lookup tutorials on how to Dual Boot.
Install: easy.
Seeing how much more annoying it is after using Linux: hard.
ESPECIALLY if you have gotten used to a fancy window manager or custom hotkeys… the amount of times i go “mod+q … oh, right… alt+f4”
Swear, although I’m more of a “mod+shift+q” kind of guy
i use a custom kill script with overrides such as dont kill firefox, and properly kill discord. then $mod+shift+q to use the standard kill as a fallback
Easy in terms of installing windows? No harder than a normal install in any situation. Easy in terms of usability? Can’t even imagine ever trying. Have a hard enough time using my windows cloud r at work.
Don’t use “debloater” versions as that is a violation of the TOS and can create significant issues.
To install Windows just write it to a USB and then boot from the USB. Follow the on screen instructions from there
If you have a flash drive and an external disk you can boot into Rescuezilla (a disk cloning/backup/restore distribution) using the flash drive, save/backup your OS disk as an image in the external disk, and restore it as needed. After restoration, you will have your OS disk as it was at the time you saved it.
You got a lot of responses, here’s some good ones:
@cyborganism@lemmy.ca wrote a good post that explains how to make an install usb from your existing windows
@TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml made a post about the wipe and reinstall method using a third party source and activation method
If you choose either of those ways, make a backup using the windows backup wizard. No matter how you choose to reinstall windows, having that backup lets you save your files and settings. Always have a backup!
I’m not gonna link them, but you got a lot of posts about using a second drive to install windows so that its update process doesn’t remove your ability to boot into Linux. Many people do that and there’s nothing wrong with it.
I think it’s better to let windows update mess up your bootloader and learn how to fix it (it’s always incredibly easy but the process varies slightly depending on your distribution). There’s no guarantee that windows update won’t mess up bootloaders on drives it isn’t installed on.
If I were you, and I could look into the future of what’s gonna work, speaking from a couple decades of experience, I’d make a windows install media or two, make a backup or two and pick a distribution to try off a live usb first then if I liked it, I’d install it dual boot so I could switch back to windows just by picking it when the computer starts up.
Other answers got you covered, but please back up your personal data before doing anything big, even if you are feeling confident
Story time, I once was reinstalling windows and I could not remember which drive had all my important data on it and I was getting ready to go out. But windows xp installer was on the disk selection screen and I couldn’t remember which disk was windows and which was my data. I said fuck it I’ll figure it out later. I get home and my monitor is off. I jam enter a bunch of times to wake it up. Woops. Installed windows on my data drive.
You need to buy a separate $25 SSD for Windows. Do not attempt to have both Linux and Windows on same HDD/SSD, Windows will always kill Linux.
A safe method to go about a debloated and privacy friendly (yes it’s possible) Windows installation is using AME Project’s playbook with their Wizard tool, on top of a fresh ISO you get from Microsoft. For activation, use the tools from https://massgrave.dev website, HWID activation.
After installing Windows, consider using simplewall as your program firewall and to limit Microsoft telemetry heavily.
Avoid installing random crap, and use a solid antivirus like Kaspersky (ignore political nonsense, merit matters) if you pirate TV shows, movies and software.
I cannot tolerate Windows other than how AME Project does it. Their playbook is better than AtlasOS and other playbooks.
Do not use Kaspersky, Avast or whoever else. Stick with the built in defender as that is the safest.
Also I think they were asking how to wipe Linux completely.
Defender is dogshit. Never rely on a cloud based antivirus, and never rely on one that cannot protect against ransomware. Putting Kaspersky alongside Avast is beyond disingenuous.
They all have downsides but since you have defender anyway you might as well use it
By using Defender, you stay in the illusion that it can protect your system from 0days, ransomware and other malware, and that it can protect you in case the internet is not working on your system for some reason.
Kaspersky is number one at defense from 0days, ransomware, can rollback the damage done by malware, and even when most of its components may get disabled, or even without internet, it can give an unparalleled level of defense against malware and protect your system and files. Nothing else is even remotely as good.
Kaspersky is just of of the companies that exploits fear. Also it is somehow more shady than pretty much everything else.
That is some alternate dimension reality, not the one I am living in. You probably also think malware is imaginary, and Linux is immune to it and Windows is some magical malware magnet. I do not subscribe to such ideas that belong to an extremist section of FOSS community. I am hardcore in my considerations of products/tools based on merit and performance.
With a platform like Windows that is risky to use without a condom (antivirus or on demand scanner), I refuse to entertain the ideas of stuff like ClamAV that does not work or cloud based Defender that is not good enough, just because it may provide privacy, but at the end is unable to protect your data, your privacy and security anyway.
I will probably just share this from 4chan.
Your the one pushing Russian greyware. I never said Linux is magically secure. You just need to be aware of things that are a security or privacy panacea.
Since you’re not computer savvy, I really think you should watch some YouTube videos on how to dual boot linux with windows. That way you can keep windows without having to reinstall it if you ever wanna go back.
Yes, you should look for hand-holding tutorials. I don’t mean that to slight you. The first time I installed Linux was way before the internet was fast or full of easy to access info and way before most had access to a secondary device (like a phone) when hitting a roadblock.
It booted to a text prompt. I had no idea how to login (probably root / root or root / password or root / [blank], but htf would I know that?) so I erased and reverted back.
The point is, if you have very little experience, there’re tons of resources to help you out. Search them out. Lean on folks here for help when needed. You’ll be ok.
Ok, so I’m assuming you have never installed Windows before. It’s not that complicated (especially nowadays that Windows finally learned how to automatically search for drivers, that used to be the most annoying part). First of all make a note of your current Windows CD Key, you will need it to reinstall and not every computer can retrieve it if you uninstall windows.
After that, you need a windows USB drive, just like the Linux one you’ll use to install Linux. You can get it from Microsoft website, but again I advise you to get it while on Windows (Microsoft hides the way to download the iso on Linux).
Finally I strongly recommend you DON’T uninstall windows, instead keep it and install Linus side by side. This is called dual booting, every time you turn on your computer it will ask you where to boot.
You can install Linux on a flash drive to test it out. Or spend $50 on a SSD and just have both
It’s not the fanciest solution, but if you’re really not sure what you’re doing, not wiping out your Windows in the first place could be the best option.
It isn’t all that difficult to install a dual-boot setup, so you can choose at startup which OS to use.
Bingo. I haven’t had a windows install mess up my bootloader in a while, granted I haven’t booted my windows partition in a while either. As long as you create a separate partition for the bootloader, it’s stupid easy to fix with a liveusb.
