I've installed Linux Mint Cinnamon in VMware on Windows and want to start learning it without giving up Windows. Is the VM enough, or should I dual boot or use a separate drive? Will Mint's tools work in a VM?
Should I learn Linux Mint in a VM or install it alongside Windows?
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Rilwick.3e
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Stick with the VM for now. It's a good place to learn the terminal, install software, configure the desktop and experiment without changing your Windows boot setup.
Most Mint tools will work there, but not literally everything behaves the same as on a physical machine. Give the VM enough RAM and disk space to be comfortable, while leaving enough for Windows. Check that your VM is configured to keep changes between sessions, and back up anything you don't want to lose.
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The main gap is hardware. Mint in a VM sees virtual devices rather than all the actual hardware directly, so graphics performance and peripheral behavior may differ from a native install.
VMware can connect USB devices to the guest and share audio, but whether a particular device works the way you need depends on the device and configuration. If learning hardware setup is the goal, running Mint directly on the machine will teach you more.
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Dual booting on one drive is possible, but it adds partitioning and bootloader maintenance to the learning curve. A Windows update can sometimes affect the Linux bootloader, so keep backups and be prepared to repair the boot setup if needed.
A separate drive can make it easier to keep the installations apart, though you'll still need to pay attention to the boot configuration. There's no need to buy one just to get started.
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Whichever setup you pick, actually use Mint for the things you want to learn. A VM is plenty for getting familiar with the desktop and command line, and you can decide later whether you need native hardware access.
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3y~notary_817:
Also, take the time to understand commands before running them. A VM makes experimenting less risky, but it doesn't make every command harmless to your files.