Hey everyone! I'm excited to finally switch to Linux on my 12-year-old desktop since Windows 10 support is ending. My setup includes 16 GB of RAM, a 1TB HDD, and a core i3 CPU with integrated Intel HD Graphics. I've decided to go with Linux Mint because it looks beginner-friendly and well-supported. I'm considering the XFCE desktop environment because it should run smoothly on my older hardware.
My primary uses will be browsing the web, watching videos, light gaming, coding, and using office apps. I'm planning to transition from MS Office to LibreOffice, which I think will be the biggest change for me.
For the installation, I'm looking at the "Something Else" option for partitioning and thinking about these setups:
1. EFI partition at 550MB with FAT32 (for the bootloader).
2. A root partition (/) at about 100GB with ext4, combined with the home partition.
3. Using the remainder of the HDD for /media with ext4, to store my documents and media files without losing them in case I reinstall or change distros.
I also plan to create a 2GB swap file instead of a dedicated swap partition for flexibility. Does this partitioning look okay? Should I consider making the root partition smaller, around 80GB instead? Any other tips would be awesome—thanks in advance!
6 Answers
Separating the root and home partitions is a smart choice. This way, your files stay safe even if you have to reinstall your OS! Plus, for newbie users, having a separate home makes everything less risky during major updates or changes.
Using a swap file is a great idea! Also, if you're feeling adventurous, you might want to look into using BTRFS for combined partitions. It allows for things like snapshots which can help with backups. Just a thought!
Consider not using a disk-based swap at all; swap to zram could be beneficial. It uses RAM instead of disk space and doesn't take up resources unless you really need it. It can be quite advantageous for older hardware!
For your partitions, you really should separate the /home folder from the root partition. Keeping your personal files and configurations separate can save you a lot of hassle if you ever need to reinstall the OS or switch distros. Also, remember that the /media directory is typically for external drives, so naming your personal storage something like /data or /files might be better!
Got it! So if I use a different name for my content partition instead of /media, would that help me achieve the organization I’m aiming for?
XFCE is a solid choice! I’m running a similar setup from 2011 with great results. The kind of light usage you mentioned works just fine on it, so you should be good! Just keep your browser updated for web stuff.
I’d suggest bumping your root partition to 120GB. A little extra space can be really helpful for future updates and installations without running into space issues! Better to have a bit more than not enough.
That sounds interesting! How exactly do snapshots work with BTRFS for backups?