Linux Mint通常被认为是摆脱Windows和Mac并进入开源操作系统美妙世界的最简单方法。凭借简单的安装过程、出色的界面和许多易于使用的功能，没有什么能阻止您尝试这个出色的Linux版本，尤其是如果您想避免使用 Windows 11(Windows 11)。我们将在本Linux Mint指南中向您展示其中的技巧。
请注意，这是从头开始安装Mint的指南。(Mint)如果您已经是Mint用户，我们会提供重新安装 Mint(reinstalling Mint)的指南，而不会丢失您的任何偏好。
如何安装 Linux Mint
要开始使用Linux Mint，您首先需要下载安装文件并将其传输到USB驱动器或其他形式的可移动存储设备上。
下载薄荷
- 访问linuxmint.com并单击您在屏幕上半部分看到的下载(download)按钮。该文件大约 2GB，但安装Mint需要大约 12GB。
- 下一个屏幕让您从Mint的三个版本中进行选择。这可能看起来令人困惑，但这几乎是您获得哪种类型的界面之间的选择。如果您来自Windows，请选择Cinnamon（最上面的）。如果您来自Ubuntu，那么MATE可能是正确的选择。最后一个选择Xfce可能留给Linux资深人士，因为它严重依赖终端的使用。
- 下一个屏幕为您提供了即将下载的内容的摘要，但没有下载按钮。要下载(download)，请向下滚动到镜像列表，然后选择(pick the location)离您最近的位置或离您最近的国家/地区。选择位置后，等待文件下载。
关于Linux Mint版本的快速说明(Quick)
如果您走上述路线，您将始终获得最新版本的Linux Mint。在我们的例子中，在2021 年 10 月(October 2021)上旬，它是 20.2 版，称为Uma——每个版本的Linux都有一个女性名字。这是一种方便的方式来记住它们。
但是，在某些情况下，可能是新版本有点太新并且存在一些初期问题，或者可能无法与您的硬件配合得很好。如果发生这种情况，您可能需要下载较早的版本。为此，请单击屏幕右上角的下载选项卡并选择(download)所有版本(all versions)。
这将带您进入一个包含所有可用版本的Linux Mint的新屏幕。如果您在使用Mint时遇到任何问题，只需返回一两个版本即可解决您可能遇到的任何问题。
安装 Linux Mint
- 要安装Mint，您首先需要获取下载的.iso文件并将其放在可移动存储设备上，例如拇指驱动器。对于Windows，我们有一个方便的方法来创建可启动的 USB 驱动器(bootable USB drives)。如果您已经在Linux上，则可以使用名为USB Image Writer的(USB Image Writer)Linux程序来完成此任务。
- 排序完成后，您需要在 BIOS 中更改设备的启动顺序(boot order in the BIOS)（我们有相应的指南）。完成后，插入USB，然后重新启动计算机。如果您将U(USB)盘设置为第一个启动选项，Mint将自动启动。如果您只想安装Mint，请选择顶部选项
- 接下来，您将被带到Mint的桌面。重要的是要理解这并不意味着Mint已经安装，它只是从拇指驱动器实时启动。在决定安装之前了解一下Mint就像是一次尝试。如果您决定继续，只需单击名为install Linux Mint的磁盘图标。
- 如果您曾经安装过Windows甚至Mac，那么接下来的几个屏幕至少应该会让人感到熟悉：您可以选择您的语言和键盘布局。
- 一旦这两个完成，第三个屏幕将让您选择是否安装多媒体编解码器(multimedia codecs)。我们建议选中该框(checking the box)，因为这一切都可以为您节省一些日后的繁重工作——无论如何，在大多数情况下您都将需要这些编解码器。如果您对编解码器非常挑剔，请不要选中它。
- 下一步有点复杂：您可以选择完全擦除当前安装(wipe your current install)（它在下图中显示为空白，因为我们使用的是虚拟机）或创建自己的分区等。我们将在此处使用首选选项，请查看我们关于如何双启动 Windows 和 Linux Mint(how to dual-boot Windows and Linux Mint)的指南，以获取有关第二个选项的更多信息。
6a。如果您想要一些额外的性能，我们建议您单击高级功能(advanced features )并选择使用 Linux 的逻辑卷管理(logical volume management)( LVM )。如果您愿意，以后更容易搞乱分区。作为一个额外的选项，如果您喜欢额外的安全性，您还可以为您的硬盘添加密码——这是一件明智的事情，尤其是在笔记本电脑上。
- 完成所有这些后，只需选择立即安装(Install Now)。
- 接下来，您需要选择您的时区。
- 安装开始前的最后一步是选择用户名和密码。密码设置后无法找回，因此请确保您可以记住它或将其写在其他人无法找到的地方。或者，您可以将Linux设置为自动登录(log in automatically)，但我们不建议将其用于笔记本电脑。如果您选择Encrypt My Home Folder，每次访问文件系统时都会提示您输入密码，这增加了一些安全性，但也很麻烦。
- 这样，您就完成了：只需选择继续(continue)，Linux Mint就会安装在您的计算机上。这一切几乎都是从这里自行运行的，所以只需坐下来欣赏一下幻灯片（大约 10-15 分钟，具体取决于您的系统）。无论您做什么，都不要点击跳过按钮(do NOT hit the Skip button)。
- 当Linux发挥了它的魔力时，您将被带回您的桌面，并可以选择继续测试会话，或者重新启动到Linux Mint。选择立即重新启动(Restart Now)并让计算机重新启动。你已经完成了安装，是时候看看你的新操作系统能做什么了。
熟悉Linux Mint
Linux重新启动后，您将看到桌面——这次没有安装选项——并且欢迎使用 Mint(welcome to Mint )程序将运行。
我们绝对建议您按照本程序中概述的第一步(first steps)自行完成，并仔细阅读所提供的文档和其他资源。这是因为Linux Mint需要您授权某些步骤才能使其顺利运行，这与Windows通常在未经您许可的情况下自动运行许多步骤不同。
您可以通过欢迎屏幕或菜单打开这些应用程序，就像过去的Windows 开始(Windows Start)按钮一样。默认情况下，只需(Just)单击屏幕左下角的Linux系统按钮，或键盘上的Windows键（如果有的话）。
您需要的大多数程序都位于“管理(Administration)”选项卡下，但您也可以通过在菜单顶部的搜索栏中输入它们的名称来找到它们。我们将在这里讨论最重要的那些。
请注意，在使用这些高级系统时，系统会一次又一次地提示您输入密码。这就是 Linux 确保没有人篡改系统的方式，除非他们知道自己在做什么。
薄荷更新管理器
如果您来自Windows ，那么最奇怪的体验之一就是更新管理器(Update Manager)，它为您提供了具有可用更新的应用程序、程序和操作系统部件的列表，并让您决定是否要更新它们。使用Linux，系统升级的日子已经一去不复返了。
也就是说，除非您知道自己在做什么，否则我们建议您将所有内容都选中并选择Install Updates。这对于Linux(Linux)内核的任何更新都是双倍的，因为它通常包含重要的系统级升级。
在 Linux Mint 中安装软件
安装新程序（或删除它们）是通过软件管理器(Software Manager)完成的。它包含大量旨在在Linux Mint上运行的应用程序和程序。您只需单击一次即可安装它们。(All)这是一个很好的集合，我们建议您浏览一下它以查看可用的内容。
例如，大多数主流浏览器都是可用的，还有一大堆知名程序的开源替代品，比如Adobe Photoshop的GIMP。甚至还有一些很酷的游戏可以玩。这里的一切都是免费的，所以尝试一下没有什么坏处。
但是，有很多程序在此数据库中没有条目。在这种情况下，有几种不同的方法可以让您掌握它们。最简单的，也是我们将在这里讨论的，是简单地访问您想要的程序的网站并从那里下载它。这里唯一的技巧是确保您正在下载 Debian 软件包（带有.deb文件扩展名），因为它与Mint配合得很好。
下载后，只需转到您的下载(Downloads )文件夹（您可以通过桌面上的计算机(Computer)图标访问该文件夹），然后单击那里的文件。将打开一个对话框；单击安装包(Install Package)，安装程序应该从那里获取它。虽然如果它需要任何额外的文件来安装程序 - 称为“依赖项” - 你必须没问题。
安装文件的另一种方法是有些棘手的地方，我们将在下面讨论。
Linux 终端
Linux以难以使用而著称，好吧，它应该得到它，或者至少除了Mint和Ubuntu之外的大多数发行版都是如此。这要归功于他们依赖终端，直到大约 90 年代中期，大多数计算机都是这样操作的。
但是，一旦您学会了如何操作终端，这还不算太糟糕。只是需要一些时间来适应。但是，Mint是开始使用Linux的好方法，因为您很有可能永远不需要使用终端，除非进行一些故障排除。
值得庆幸的是，有一种绕过航站楼的好方法。你的Linux用户对你很有帮助，你遇到的大多数问题应该已经解决了，你需要做的就是谷歌(Google)这个问题。
找到解决方案后，您只需使用Ctrl + CCtrl + Shift + V将其粘贴到终端中。让程序运行，这应该是你的问题的结束。
薄荷初学者指南
希望本指南能够帮助您顺利使用Linux Mint，这是一种用户友好且免费的Microsoft替代品。尽管它并不完美，但您很快就会爱上它的多功能性、速度和力量。
Linux Mint: A Beginners Guide and Pro Tips
Linux Mint is generally regarded as the easiest way to gеt away from Windows and Mac and enter the wonderful world of open-source operating systems. With a ѕimple installation рrocess, great interface and a lot оf ease-of-life features, there’s nothing stopping you from trying out this great version of Linux, especially if you wаnt to avoid Windows 11. We’ll show you the ropes in this guide to Linux Mint.
Note that this is a guide to installing Mint from scratch. If you’re already a Mint user, we have a guide to reinstalling Mint without losing any of your preferences.
How to Install Linux Mint
To get started with Linux Mint, you first need to download the installation file and transfer it onto a USB drive or other form of removable storage.
Downloading Mint
- Visit linuxmint.com and click on the download button you see toward the upper half of the screen. The file is about 2GB, though Mint will need around 12GB to install.
- The next screen has you pick from three editions of Mint. This may seem confusing, but it’s pretty much the choice between which type of interface you get. If you’re coming from Windows, pick Cinnamon (the top one). If you’re coming from Ubuntu, MATE is probably the right pick. The last pick, Xfce, is probably left to Linux veterans as it relies heavily on use of the terminal.
- The next screen gives you a summary of what you’re about to download, but no download button. To download, scroll down a bit to the list of mirrors and pick the location nearest to you, or a country close to you. Once you’ve picked a location, wait for the file to download.
A Quick Note About Linux Mint Versions
If you go the above route, you’ll always get the latest version of Linux Mint. In our case, in early October 2021, it’s version 20.2, called Uma — each version of Linux gets a female name. It’s a handy way to remember them.
In some cases, though, it could be that the new version is a bit too new and has some teething issues, or maybe doesn’t work too well with your hardware. If that happens, you may want to download an earlier version. To do so, click on the download tab at the top right of the screen and select all versions.
That will take you to a new screen with all the available versions of Linux Mint. If you’re having any issues with Mint, just go back one or two versions and that should fix any issues you may have.
Installing Linux Mint
- To install Mint, you first need to get the .iso file you downloaded and put that on a removable storage device, like a thumbdrive. For Windows, we have a handy how-to on creating bootable USB drives. If you’re already on Linux, you can use a Linux program called USB Image Writer for this task.
- Once that’s sorted, you need to change your device’s boot order in the BIOS (we have a guide for that). Once that’s done, insert the USB, then restart your computer. If you set the USB stick as the first boot option, Mint will automatically boot up. If you just want to install Mint, pick the top option
- Next, you’ll be brought to Mint’s desktop. It’s important to understand that this does not mean Mint has been installed, it’s just been live-booted from the thumbdrive. It’s like a trial to get to know Mint a bit before deciding to install. If you’ve decided to proceed, just click on the disk icon named install Linux Mint.
- If you’ve ever installed Windows or even Mac, the next few screens should at least feel familiar: you pick your language and keyboard layout.
- Once those two are done, the third screen will have you choose whether or not to install multimedia codecs. We recommend checking the box, as all this does is save you some busywork later — you’re going to need those codecs in most cases anyway. Only leave it unchecked if you’re very particular about codecs.
- The next step is a little more complicated: you can either choose to completely wipe your current install (it shows up as blank in the below image because we’re using a virtual machine) or create your own partitions and the like. We’re going with the top option here, check out our guide on how to dual-boot Windows and Linux Mint for more information on the second option.
6a. If you want some added performance, we recommend you click advanced features and select the use of Linux’s logical volume management (LVM). It makes it easier to mess around with partitions later on if you so choose. As an extra option, you can also add a password to your hard drive if you like the extra security — it’s a smart thing to do, especially on laptops.
- With all that done, just select Install Now.
- Next you need to select your timezone.
- The final step before installation starts is picking a username and password. The password can’t be retrieved after you set it, so make sure you can remember it or write it down somewhere nobody else can find it. Alternatively, you can set Linux to log in automatically, though we don’t recommend that for laptops. If you select Encrypt My Home Folder, you’ll be prompted to enter your password every time you access the file system, which adds some security, but also hassle.
- With that, you’re done: just select continue and Linux Mint will install on your computer. It all pretty much runs itself from here, so just sit back and enjoy the slideshow for a bit (about 10-15 minutes depending on your system). Whatever you do, do NOT hit the Skip button.
- When Linux has worked its magic, you’ll be brought back to your desktop and given the choice of either continuing with the testing session, or restarting into Linux Mint proper. Pick Restart Now and let the computer reboot. You’re all done with the installation, it’s time to see what your new operating system can do.
Familiarizing Yourself With Linux Mint
Once Linux has restarted, you’ll see the desktop — this time without the option to install — and the welcome to Mint program will be running.
We definitely recommend that you walk yourself through the first steps as outlined in this program and also rifle through the documentation and other resources provided. This is because Linux Mint requires you to authorize certain steps to make it run smoothly, unlike Windows which often runs many steps automatically without your permission.
You can either open these apps through the welcome screen, or via the menu, which works just like the Windows Start button of yesteryear. Just click the Linux system button in the bottom left of the screen by default, or the Windows key on your keyboard, if you have one.
Most of the programs you’ll need are under the Administration tab, but you can also find them by entering their name in the search bar at the top of the menu. We’ll go over the most important ones here.
Note that when messing around with these advanced systems, you will be prompted to enter your password time and again. This is how Linux makes sure nobody tampers with the system unless they know what they’re doing.
Mint Update Manager
One of the oddest experiences if you’re coming from Windows is the Update Manager, which gives you a list of apps, programs and OS parts that have updates available, and lets you decide whether or not you want to update them. With Linux, gone are the days of system upgrades being shoved down your throat.
That said, unless you know what you’re doing, we recommend you just leave everything checked and select Install Updates. This counts double for any updates to the Linux kernel as it often contains important system-level upgrades.
Installing Software in Linux Mint
Installing new programs — or deleting them — is done via the Software Manager. It’s a huge collection of apps and programs designed to run on Linux Mint. All you need to do is click once to install them. It’s a pretty good collection, and we recommend you browse through it a bit to see what’s available.
For example, most major browsers are available, as are a whole bunch of open-source alternatives to well-known programs, like GIMP for Adobe Photoshop. There are even some cool games to mess around with. Everything here is free, so there’s no harm in trying things out.
However, there are plenty of programs that don’t have an entry in this database. In that case, there are a few different ways to get your hands on them. The easiest, and the one we’ll go over here, is to simply go to the website of the program you want and download it from there. The only trick here is to make sure that you’re downloading the Debian package (with the .deb file extension) as that plays nice with Mint.
Once it’s downloaded, just go to your Downloads folder — which you can access through the Computer icon on your desktop — and click on the file there. A dialog box will open; click Install Package and the installer should take it from there. Although if it needs any extra files to install the program — called “dependencies” — you’ll have to okay that.
The other way to install files is where things get tricky, which we’ll talk about next.
The Linux Terminal
Linux has a reputation for being hard to use and, well, it kinda deserves it, or at least most distros other than Mint and Ubuntu do. This is thanks to them relying on the terminal, which is how most computers were operated until about the mid-90s.
Once you learn how to operate the terminal, it’s not too bad, though. It just takes some getting used to. However, Mint is a great way to get started with Linux because there’s a good chance you’ll never need to use the terminal, except for some troubleshooting.
Thankfully, there’s a good way to get around the terminal. Your fellow Linux users are a helpful lot and most problems you’re having should have been solved before, all you need to do is Google the issue.
Once you’ve found a solution, all you need to do is copy the necessary code from the web page with Ctrl + C, then paste it into the terminal with Ctrl + Shift + V. Let the program run, and that should be the end of your issues.
A Beginner’s Guide to Mint
Hopefully, this guide will get you well on your way to using Linux Mint, a user-friendly and free alternative to Microsoft. Though it’s not perfect, you’ll quickly grow to love its versatility, speed and power.
