I'm making the switch to Linux Mint from Windows and I've already created a bootable USB for it. My internet speed is really slow, and I want to avoid the hassle of downloading my entire game library again. I plan to use Discord, Firefox, and a library manager for ebooks, plus I need a virtual machine for any games that aren't compatible with Linux. Can anyone provide advice on how to make this transition smoother? Here are my specs: CPU - Ryzen 5 5500, GPU - Radeon RX 5700 (non-xt), Motherboard - ASRock b450m Steel Legend, RAM - 32GB DDR4, with various drives including HDD, SSD, and M.2 NVME.
4 Answers
For managing ebooks, Calibre works perfectly for that purpose. I've used it on Windows, so I was curious if it was supported on Linux. Now that I know it is, it’ll definitely be my go-to going forward!
I'd recommend just redownloading your games for the best results. If you have the actual install files, you can run them using Wine, Proton, or Steam on Linux. A virtual machine won't allow for GPU hardware acceleration, so if your games are graphics-heavy, they probably won't run well. If possible, set up Linux on a different drive than your Windows drive to keep things separate and avoid complications. You can even snag a cheap SSD to dedicate to Linux—it'll be worth it for the flexibility!
If you plan to keep using NTFS, just know it may not perform the best on Linux, but it could still work. If you have an extra drive, consider copying your game folder over to a drive formatted as EXT4—Steam can verify the files as long as you direct it to them. Just keep in mind that a VM isn't great for games with anti-cheat software, so those might not work out well.
I hear you! I'm thinking of keeping a small partition just for Windows games if the VM route is problematic.
Steam has a great backup and restore feature. You can back up your games to an external USB drive and then restore them once you're on Linux. It takes some time, but it's the most dependable way to keep your games without redownloading them. I have an old system running as a 'game server' on my home network. I install the games there first, and then I can share them with my other devices without having to redownload everything. Something to think about for the future!
I don't have a spare system for that right now, but I'll keep it in mind. Thanks for the tip!
I've been using Calibre on Windows too, glad to hear it's available on Linux!