Bits and Bobs from Windows to Linux

Introduction

March 17th, 2025

Yesterday I was musing with an aquaintance about the lack of entry-level resources for someone switching from Windows to Linux. There are guides, to be sure, but there's always the assumption of base-level knowledge or understanding that just isn't always there. I wanted to create a blog for me to more thoroughly dump my thoughts (and maybe organize them?) as a psuedo-resources for people interested in, or in the midst of, switching to Linux from Windows.

If you somehow missed who I am (which, fair), my name is Seraph and I'm a hobby artist and coder. I do Human Resource Information System work for a living, and I have a degree in HR Development and am currently back in school for Computer Science. I decided to switch to linux because I was simply very tired of how Windows was acting and what it was pushing with it's spyware and forced AI. I wanted more control over my experience with computers, and I also just think it's fun. I've been vocal about my switch and the challenges thereof on other platforms, and I've had a couple people ask me about it as well. So, I figured it might be nice to type up my thoughts, and maybe have something to point at when discussing my journey. Plus it's always nice to journal, and while I have plenty of paper and other physical options, that doesn't really help others, now does it?

Some information about my setup: I currently dualboot Windows 10 home and Linux Mint 21.3. If you're unsure what these terms mean, you are encouraged to look them up in either the broader web space or my term glossary. Mint is installed on a 2TB nvme ssd, win10 is on a 500gb nvme (ish- they're never upfront about how much is actually on there), and I have three additional mounted drives: 1TB ssd, 8TB hdd, and 2TB hdd all in NTFS. For additional details, see my specs section {{INSERT LINK HERE}}. If you're someone who doesn't know what CPU, GPU, PSU, threads, cores, and vRAM mean, I suggest doing some basic research on how your computer works from a technical level. These aren't necessary to run linux, (or operate a computer period, obviously), but you're going to be much better off when you understand the high-level overview of what you're dealing with.