I'm considering switching to Linux while keeping Windows 11 available through a dual-boot setup, but I'm nervous about damaging or locking myself out of the laptop. It's a Lenovo C13 Yoga Gen 1 with an AMD Ryzen 5 3500C, integrated Radeon Vega 8 graphics, 8 GB of RAM, and only 119 GB of storage. Windows was installed by the shop where I bought it instead of ChromeOS.
I mainly use the laptop for college and don't care much about gaming. Windows seems to use a large portion of the available memory, so Linux Mint sounds appealing. I've watched several installation tutorials but still don't feel confident. I'm also curious which version of Mint would work best and what applications or packages people typically install for school and general work.
The touchscreen and pen currently don't work either. I tried checking Device Manager in Windows, but that didn't fix them. I'd appreciate advice on testing Linux safely, setting up a dual boot with such a small drive, and troubleshooting the touch hardware.
5 Answers
Linux Mint XFCE would be a good starting point for this hardware. It’s lightweight, familiar if you’re coming from Windows, and should run comfortably with 8 GB of RAM. Cinnamon would probably work too, but XFCE leaves more resources available for your applications.
The 119 GB drive is the main limitation. Windows, Linux, updates, and personal files will make a dual boot feel cramped, so check how much free space you actually have before resizing the Windows partition. Keep a reasonable amount of space for both systems rather than giving nearly everything to Linux. LibreOffice, which is included with Mint, is usually enough for college documents and presentations.
Before installing anything, create a bootable Linux Mint USB and choose the live-session option. That lets you test Wi-Fi, sound, graphics, suspend, keyboard, and hopefully the touchscreen without changing the internal drive. Also make a complete backup and create a Windows installer or recovery USB so you have a way back if the installation goes wrong.
The live USB is especially useful here because you can confirm whether the touch hardware is detected before committing to a dual boot.
If the touchscreen and pen are also broken in Windows, Linux may not be the cause. A Lenovo-specific embedded-controller reset can sometimes restore devices such as touchscreens or touchpads; commonly this involves fully shutting down, disconnecting the battery for about a minute, then reconnecting it, but follow Lenovo’s exact instructions for your model. Back up important files first and avoid opening the laptop if you’re not comfortable doing so.
You generally have a recovery path as long as your files are backed up and you keep Windows installation media available. The most common problems are choosing the wrong partition or not leaving enough free space, not permanently destroying the laptop. If dual boot still feels too risky, use Linux in a virtual machine or on an external drive first.
KDE Plasma or GNOME could also run acceptably with 8 GB, but XFCE is the safer choice if you want the system to stay especially light.