Is it worth the hassle to install Linux on my Acer Aspire laptop?
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TechWanderer98
I've been trying to install Linux on my 2016 Acer Aspire laptop, which has an Intel Celeron N3350, 8GB of RAM, and a 240GB SSD. My goal was to see if Linux would run faster than Windows 10 and to get some experience with it. Unfortunately, the installation keeps freezing. With Linux Mint, it often hangs after the live CD installer line, and I once got to the installation phase but ended up with a black screen partway through. I've also tried other distributions like Ubuntu and Debian but faced similar freezing issues. I wonder if I'm trying the wrong distros or if my hardware has some compatibility issues. Should I keep trying to install Linux, or should I stick with Windows 10 and look into Linux for my main PC instead?
Answers
Honestly, I doubt the issue is with high system requirements. It makes me wonder if there’s something wrong with your hardware. You might want to try booting a live DVD to run a RAM test and check your SSD's SMART status for any potential issues.
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Have you tried turning off secure boot in your BIOS? That could really help with the installation process.
TechWanderer98: Yes, I've disabled secure boot.
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Definitely disable Secure Boot and TPM in your BIOS. Additionally, reset to factory defaults just to be safe. I've got an older Dell that runs great after doing this. Also, using a lightweight Linux distro might help here. A USB drive like Ventoy should work fine, but make sure it's a good quality one—it could have an impact too.
TechWanderer98: I already disabled secure boot and some other settings, installed from Ventoy. Do you think a cheap USB stick could be causing issues?
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TechWanderer98: I ran some hardware tests already and didn't find anything, but I'll double-check this week.