I moved away from Windows about 2 years ago. I did a dual boot so i could keep windows in case I needed something that wouldn't run on Linux to but after awhile when I got used to Ubuntu I removed windows all together.
Hi Guys With some regret after many years on Mint I have gone back to Windows. Windows 11 is really nice but its still as annoying in most ways as previous builds. No KMS, keys are just £3 online if you look hard enough. Why have I gone back? Its all down to Secure Boot and other "Security" measures in the BIOS. Mint has given me a few error messages on boot in recent years but over time I have been getting more and more, Mint 21 throws up dozens, its running slower and the graphics are less crisp than 20, no one really knows why, lots of bugs never get addressed. If I still built my own machines and money were no object I could get around the problem but these days I buy the best deal I can get off the shelf as it saves me hundreds of pounds. Is Windows better than Linux? No, just on some machines and only because they are being built that way. Mint up to 19 was great on this PC, the last two builds not so good. Now that Windows is set up I am happy with it but its such a chore to install, setup and tame compared to Linux. If I learn to hate Windows 11 as much as I did with 8 & 10 Ill let you know. MX Linux runs a lot better than Mint on this PC, I may go down that route one day, its just so dated visually and bloated. I sat infront of the PC for some time with two installation drives in my hand, one was MX the other Windows 11, 11 won just.
Yeah, I feel your pain: for instance, my son's nVidia LAN card (built in) is a disaster! So much so that it doesn't work under Linux. I must deploy a WiFi stick... Sadly, Winblows monopoly pushed many not to deal with writing good quality drivers for Linux... Then, it's a nightmare... But overall, it's great to have and good fun, too! Maybe if you choose a different distro? ElementaryOS on its own (not as dual boot with Winblows) seems OK. Some Ubuntu variations are fine! See what you can dig up... Good luck!
Its the BIOS that's the problem, anything Ubuntu based either has the same issue as Mint or wont install at all. Just about all the legacy BIOS settings are missing, there is a button for "Other OS" but it doesn't seem to do very much. Its not Mint, its the BIOS. I also had issues with Manjaro before I settled on Mint. Mint for me is the best, its just that my PC has become allergic to it and probably just about everything else, MX seems to run OK live but I haven't installed it for years. I don't want to ditch my PC or change any hardware, despite it getting on its still pretty high spec. I have installed just about all the same software on Windows 11 as I use in Mint, all open source, nothing commercial, so now when I go to my PC its much the same to work on. I thought of flashing the BIOS but I don't see much point, Im pretty sure any updates wont suddenly be Linux friendly. The Linux Kernel has progressed and has become less compatible with my mother board over time, as it was built to support Windows thats what works best on it at this time. It always used to be that the older the hardware the more Linux friendly it became, that doesn't seem to apply in this case.
All this is very pretty, for me it would already be necessary that Linux installs before saying that I adopt it, for that I stay at Microsoft, all their OS installs without problem.
I don't get it, since my son's PCs are old and with BIOS. I have installed Linux on both, Mint and Ubuntu Studio... I burn a bootable Linux USB stick with Rufus for compatibility with both BIOS/UEFI and peace... What exactly is the problem? How did it "stop working"? They removed support... how?
Kim100, have you reported any of the errors you're getting to either Ubuntu or Mint forums? What errors are you seeing?
Mint 20 was a fresh install created with the USB creator within Mint 19, it ran fine but I had a lot of boot errors, some were resolved with help from the guys on the Mint Forum, others were issues for the developers of the Kernel & Ubuntu to address and beyond the control of the Mint team. The advise was "If its working OK just forget about it" I sort of did but the errors did bug me as the boot time was longer and I never found out what the underlying problem was. I upgraded to 21, there were far more errors and reduced performance. I thought the upgrade was duff but looking on the forum others were having similar problems, as 20 was never properly fixed for me I just thought "bugger it, time to move on" So from past experience with different operating systems on this PC I decided to go with either MX or Windows, Windows installed and is working perfectly, MX would probably have been ok too but its so dated. This is not an anti Linux post, on the right hardware its great but thats a lottery and its getting worse.
Seriously, try with Rufus and Ubuntu and see what happens... If it ain't working - change, search, test, experiment...
Ubuntu has many flavours, many look like Windows, old style, some like Mac OS, some just weird... From what I tested, one can easily avoid what you are pointing to. I don't like it, either... Ubuntu itself has as many options as you need, then Mint, too Etc. etc. But give credit where credit is due: Ubuntu is rather stable and good!!! When one compares Linux before Ubuntu - it's a huge difference! From installation onwards, things are just MUCH BETTER!!!