I'm planning to move from Windows 10 to Linux soon. Before installing it, I want to back up my photos, videos, and other multimedia files from my phone folder to a flash drive, then copy them back to my computer after Linux is installed. Is that a reliable way to transfer them?
I also need advice on choosing a distribution. I know very little about Linux, but I'm willing to learn and would like to keep gaming, including online games such as Overwatch, Rocket League, and Street Fighter 6, as well as emulation and Windows games through compatibility tools. I'm considering Bazzite, Nobara, Zorin, Linux Mint, and possibly CachyOS.
My hardware is an MSI B550 Tomahawk motherboard, Ryzen 5 5600X, 16 GB DDR4-3200 RAM, an Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti, a 1 TB NVMe SSD, and a 2 TB SATA SSD. Which distribution would be the easiest and most reliable choice for a beginner with this setup?
3 Answers
Linux Mint is probably the safest starting point if you want a familiar desktop and straightforward troubleshooting. Zorin is another beginner-friendly option. Bazzite and Nobara are more gaming-focused, but they introduce more specialized choices and may be less simple when you’re still learning the basics. CachyOS can work, but I would save it for later unless you specifically want to spend more time maintaining and customizing the system.
Your hardware should run any of those distributions well, although you’ll want to install the proper proprietary Nvidia driver rather than relying on a basic open-source setup. If you install games on the second SSD, use a Linux filesystem such as ext4 for the Linux game library. Keeping a Steam library on an NTFS drive can cause permission, launcher, shader, and compatibility problems, so it’s better to back up the data and reformat that drive if you plan to use it mainly with Linux.
Yes, copying the folder to a flash drive first is a perfectly reasonable way to preserve your photos and videos. Just make sure the copy finishes successfully and open a few files from the flash drive before wiping Windows. If possible, keep a second backup as well, since one drive can fail.
For gaming, Steam with Proton handles a large portion of Windows games, while Lutris or similar tools can help with other titles. RetroArch is a convenient option for emulation. Check each online game’s current anti-cheat support before switching, because compatibility can change and some games may not work even when others do.
Thanks! I’ll verify the files on the flash drive before installing Linux. Is there anything special I need to do when copying them back afterward?