To Win 7 Users: Install Linux Mint

[D. Flame]

First off it sucks what Steam is doing to you. Not making this post to shame you, but just to try to help.

Mint actually feels a lot like Windows 7 or Windows XP, but it is more up to date. It has a software store so installing stuff like Steam is super easy.

I have also installed it for non-tech savvy 60 and 70 year olds, and even they can use it without problems.

As for games, I wanted to test it with an lower end machine, so I took a Dell Optiplex 3040 as a base and worked from there. I got a refreshed Intel Core i5-6500 on Amazon for like $50, and I got a new RX 6400 for like $150 and put them in the Dell.

To install Windows games in Linux you just need to do a few extra clicks. On the page with the install button for your game -> click the gear icon near the right side of the screen -> click properties -> the properties box will open -> click the compatibility tab -> put a check mark in that box, and leave it set to "Proton Experimental" and close the popup. Then just click install like normal.

As for how well the game will work when installing this way. It should work just as well as the Steam Deck does, since the deck is also using Linux. As for that Dell machine that I tried, I was even able to run newer games like Resident Evil 4 remake and Armored Core 6 on it. I was playing them at lower settings and 1080p, but they were running on Linux. Older games like DOOM (2016) were running at a full 60 FPS on higher settings.

You can even put Linux Mint on a USB drive or burn it to a DVD and boot it from that to try the it out before committing to the change.

[FullOfLife]

I made the move from Windows 7 to Mint about 2-3 years ago and haven't looked back. The interface is just like Windows, you'll feel right at home. I was pressed to abandon Windows 7 because Blender had dropped Windows 7 support (officially).

If you're hesitant about making the move on your main PC, either try Linux Mint on your laptop OR buy a $25 SATA SSD and install Mint onto that. That way you can always just boot back to your WIndows installation if you feel like Linux isn't for you.

[Ulfrinn]

Cray lähetti viestin:

Ulfrinn lähetti viestin:

I've been using Linux for about 18 months now (Arch, not Mint, screw Mint) and haven't found a game that doesn't work with DXVK/Proton.

Heck, not only do all but one of my games work (so far, haven't tested every single one), but when it comes to managing dependencies etc. it's also been an easier experience. Lots of games just wouldn't work on a stock Win7 or Win10 installation because of windows service packs and updates the games quietly depended on, even though they usually pull their dependencies with them automatically or tell you something's missing.

Could've just let windows update download a few dozen gigs, rebooted 8-10 times and waited for all the installers to run, but, like.. bleh.

On Linux it just pulled everything out of the box and worked. I had to laugh a little, having come to the point where installing something on Linux was actually easier than windows. Still got some distance to cover, but it was a fun start.

Yeah, and in some cases, the DXVK translating older versions of DX into Vulkan gave better performance than they originally had on something like DX9. For example, Assasssin's Creed 1 could barely maintain 60fps on Windows. It was a steady 120fps on Linux.

[lsdninja]

There is some stuff it makes harder than on Windows. I went through hell trying to make it launch an instance of regedit centred in the correct wine prefixes so as to adjust the registry entries to unlock to difficulty options in the Max Payne games and I gave up trying to get the downgrader/patcher run within the San Andreas directory in order to install the various patches for that and god help you if you're dealing with anything on disk or disk images, but for the most part it works pretty well.

[D. Flame]

lsdninja lähetti viestin:

There is some stuff it makes harder than on Windows. I went through hell trying to make it launch an instance of regedit centred in the correct wine prefixes so as to adjust the registry entries to unlock to difficulty options in the Max Payne games and I gave up trying to get the downgrader/patcher run within the San Andreas directory in order to install the various patches for that and god help you if you're dealing with anything on disk or disk images, but for the most part it works pretty well.

Most people just want to install and play. 99% of the time 99% or more people will never mess with registry edits anyway.

[Iron Knights]

If steam sucks I need to get rid of steam not windows.
If Linux ran 3D games with builtin drivers and/or a VM emulator 100%, I am 100% behind this.
But as most of my games are no longer on steam, your article is not helping either.
Other than that, if you're some Linux Genius, I have a spare drive, come make my PC work on Linux & run all the games I have. I prefer Linux Mint Cinnamon as a Desktop GUI.

[>>]

every os got spyware, and if you basically not delete all your data, someone will find it "weird", ie people who operate spyware are monkeys, like all other people, and subjectevely decide what stuff on your pc is "weird" thus you get hacked on anything, ie solution is simply take as a given that some chimps have control of your pc 24/7.

[D. Flame]

>> lähetti viestin:

every os got spyware, and if you basically not delete all your data, someone will find it "weird", ie people who operate spyware are monkeys, like all other people, and subjectevely decide what stuff on your pc is "weird" thus you get hacked on anything, ie solution is simply take as a given that some chimps have control of your pc 24/7.

Not evey OS has it baked into the OS itself

[libadwaita (she/her)]

Iron Knights lähetti viestin:

If steam sucks I need to get rid of steam not windows.
If Linux ran 3D games with builtin drivers and/or a VM emulator 100%, I am 100% behind this.
But as most of my games are no longer on steam, your article is not helping either.
Other than that, if you're some Linux Genius, I have a spare drive, come make my PC work on Linux & run all the games I have. I prefer Linux Mint Cinnamon as a Desktop GUI.

That is a very specific problem that 99% of people will never experience.

[HerbalNekoTea]

Has someone who daily Arch for years and had been into linux for almost 15 years, i totally agree with Mint being the easier solution for Windows 7 user. If they just want to game and get the most torq of their game, Nobara might be the better solution, but for general use, Mint's the best one. Just be sure that when you load steam for the first time, to go in the steam client's setting, select the compatibility and check the force proton on every game, even the incompatibile one. Otherwise you will be like "Why is there none of my game there", i still fail to understand why valve had not enable that by default yet, when almost everything run fine for years.

[Heraclius Caesar]

HerbalNekoTea lähetti viestin:

Has someone who daily Arch for years and had been into linux for almost 15 years, i totally agree with Mint being the easier solution for Windows 7 user. If they just want to game and get the most torq of their game, Nobara might be the better solution, but for general use, Mint's the best one. Just be sure that when you load steam for the first time, to go in the steam client's setting, select the compatibility and check the force proton on every game, even the incompatibile one. Otherwise you will be like "Why is there none of my game there", i still fail to understand why valve had not enable that by default yet, when almost everything run fine for years.

Well said

I'm seeing good things about Linux Rhino as well, that it's basically Mint with rolling releases which sounds sensational

[warriorofthewind]

I had a friend who sold me on Linux Mint but the second SSD in the new rig was not formatted when I had it built and I have no idea what format to use I've seen so much contradictory information, and my friend for whatever reason decided to ghost/block me across all platforms so I haven't been able to consult him for advice. I'm frustrated because he spoke so highly about Mint then hung me out to dry and it does work nicely for generic stuff like internet access but I haven't installed anything from steam yet because I wanted to put all games (nearly 1tb of my current library) on a dedicated ssd. I've seen some things work just fine, they don't, its hit and miss and I don't want to deal with ifs and maybes I need absolutes before I try anything. I've tried to reach out to him to no avail and I'm running out of patience I was willing to wait a week for him to get things sorted out but finding out he blocked me for no specified reason is infuriating.

[D. Flame]

warriorofthewind lähetti viestin:

I had a friend who sold me on Linux Mint but the second SSD in the new rig was not formatted when I had it built and I have no idea what format to use I've seen so much contradictory information, and my friend for whatever reason decided to ghost/block me across all platforms so I haven't been able to consult him for advice. I'm frustrated because he spoke so highly about Mint then hung me out to dry and it does work nicely for generic stuff like internet access but I haven't installed anything from steam yet because I wanted to put all games (nearly 1tb of my current library) on a dedicated ssd. I've seen some things work just fine, they don't, its hit and miss and I don't want to deal with ifs and maybes I need absolutes before I try anything. I've tried to reach out to him to no avail and I'm running out of patience I was willing to wait a week for him to get things sorted out but finding out he blocked me for no specified reason is infuriating.

NTFS is the standard for windows.
Ext4 is the standard for Linux.

[Zefar]

Looking at the Hardware survey now it shows all Linux versions going down.

I suppose people tested it out and saw the flaws it had and moved to Windows again.

[D. Flame]

Zefar lähetti viestin:

Looking at the Hardware survey now it shows all Linux versions going down.

I suppose people tested it out and saw the flaws it had and moved to Windows again.

It is down by TWO THOUSANDTHS OF ONE PERCENT.

Meanwhile Macs dropped by 450% more than Linux did.

[warriorofthewind]

D. Flame lähetti viestin:

warriorofthewind lähetti viestin:

I had a friend who sold me on Linux Mint but the second SSD in the new rig was not formatted when I had it built and I have no idea what format to use I've seen so much contradictory information, and my friend for whatever reason decided to ghost/block me across all platforms so I haven't been able to consult him for advice. I'm frustrated because he spoke so highly about Mint then hung me out to dry and it does work nicely for generic stuff like internet access but I haven't installed anything from steam yet because I wanted to put all games (nearly 1tb of my current library) on a dedicated ssd. I've seen some things work just fine, they don't, its hit and miss and I don't want to deal with ifs and maybes I need absolutes before I try anything. I've tried to reach out to him to no avail and I'm running out of patience I was willing to wait a week for him to get things sorted out but finding out he blocked me for no specified reason is infuriating.

NTFS is the standard for windows.
Ext4 is the standard for Linux.

For sure? Like will it run most everything on my library with proton enabled? He pointed me to ProtonDB to see which games will work but I see so much about using different partitions, it won't work unless its on the same drive as the OS, it works on this format on that format etc when the old rig had a dedicated 2tb SSD for all the steam stuff. See this is why I wanted him to walk me through this stuff but I have no idea what happened with him he dropped into the twilight zone around new years.