<div dir="ltr">The one I had laying around is a 4GB, and I seem to recall the file I downloaded was 1.9GB. Here's what I did:<div><br></div><div>1. Google brought me to this download site: <a href="https://linuxmint.com/download.php">https://linuxmint.com/download.php</a></div><div><br></div><div>2. Choose 32 or 64 bit (mine is 32) and choose one of the GUI's aka "desktop". Mate was recommended, so I took that one.</div><div><br></div><div>3. Save the download to the hard drive of the machine that's doing the downloading (in my case, it's my Win 10 machine at work... NOT the laptop in question)</div><div><br></div><div>4. Next, download and install Etcher on the machine that's doing the downloading: <a href="https://www.balena.io/etcher/">https://www.balena.io/etcher/</a></div><div><br></div><div>5. Etcher is extremely simple. You point it to the Linux file, then you point it to the thumb drive, then hit Flash!</div><div><br></div><div>6. When done, you now have a Linux bootable thumb drive. </div><div><br></div><div>As others have pointed out, some older machines can't boot from USB; some can, but you have to hit F12 on power-up; some will go automatically to the USB if it has a bootable OS. The latter is how mine worked. Stick the thumb drive into the laptop, turn it on, and a mere few seconds later, you are running Linux.</div><div><br></div><div>SO</div><div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Feb 18, 2020 at 2:21 PM Mike M <<a href="mailto:meulenms@gmx.com">meulenms@gmx.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
Steve, unless I missed it, what size thumb drive did you need?<br>
<br>
Thanks,<br>
Mike M<br>
<br>
<div>On 2/18/2020 9:09 AM, Stephen Offiler
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">And... it worked! Just about as simple as it
sounded. Laptop just boots straight off USB, automatically, no
fuss, no F12 or anything else needed. And fast!
<div><br>
</div>
<div>One detail, the "USB Image Writer" runs under Linux. The
equivalent that runs under Windows is "Etcher"<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>SO</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Feb 18, 2020 at 7:20
AM Stephen Offiler <<a href="mailto:soffiler@gmail.com" target="_blank">soffiler@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">THANKS! Will check that out!
<div><br>
</div>
<div>SO</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Feb 18, 2020 at
6:58 AM cgs <<a href="mailto:oxygenfarm@gmail.com" target="_blank">oxygenfarm@gmail.com</a>>
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div> <font size="+1">Linux Mint has an accessory named
'USB Image Writer' which will put the downloaded image
of your new operating system onto your USB. A good
instruction for Mint is at <u><a href="https://www.linuxmint.com/documentation/user-guide/Cinnamon/english_18.0.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.linuxmint.com/documentation/user-guide/Cinnamon/english_18.0.pdf</a></u><br>
I use its Mate version whose latest is 19.3 on older
computers.<br>
</font><br>
<div>On 2/18/20 5:13 AM, Stephen Offiler wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">Yes, I have one SATA connector on the
old laptop. I am hearing several votes in favor
of Mint/Mate. Since I don't have a ton of free
time, hoping maybe someone can provide a decent
overview of the process. I'd like to ignore the
hard drive on the laptop and try to boot off a
thumb drive as we've been discussing. Basically
treat the laptop as if it were already dead. I
have a fully modern, fully functional desktop
workstation running Win 10 for downloads and
manipulations of the thumb drive. So what are the
basic steps? Download to the workstation and then
send files over to the thumb, or download straight
to the thumb? In either case, how do I make the
thumb bootable?</div>
<div dir="ltr"><br>
</div>
<div>Thanks in advance...</div>
<div>SO</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Feb 17,
2020 at 9:53 AM cgs <<a href="mailto:oxygenfarm@gmail.com" target="_blank">oxygenfarm@gmail.com</a>>
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div> <font size="+1">Most versions of Linux
are free and legal to download; some charge
for a prepared thumb drive and/or a phone
help service.<br>
I have several computers that age which will
run the lighter Linux versions. A new solid
state drive (120 GB) can be found online or
at MicroCenter for $25 (be sure your old
iron has SATA connectors!)<br>
</font><br>
<div>On 2/17/20 5:20 AM, Stephen Offiler
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">Hi Phil:
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I've got a Dell from about 2009 or
so, perhaps a 3000-series (?), running
XP. At the time it was a
workstation-class laptop, capable of
running 3D CAD software. I don't use
it much anymore, but it definitely
comes in handy sometimes. Nothing
important is stored on it. Hard drive
has given me a few scares over the
last several years, but it comes back
every time (on it's own; I have not
done anything heroic). This bootable
thumb drive thing is intriguing
because you don't need any hard drive
at all with it. In your scenario,
with the hidden partition, you still
need a functional hard drive. Plus,
there's been enough discussion of
Linux here on ATIS (and elsewhere)
that I'm curious.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>SO</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>On Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 5:08 AM
Phil Auten <<a href="mailto:pga2@basicisp.net" target="_blank">pga2@basicisp.net</a>>
wrote:</div>
</div>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<p>Hi, Stephen,</p>
<p>I don't remember what brand of PC
you have, but several
manufacturers provide a "hidden
partition" on the hard drive that
can be used to restore the PC back
to factory settings. On both of my
Acer laptops the <Alt-F10>
keys are pressed together during
boot. This enables the restore
function. That would, however,
wipe out your files. But if there
is no other alternative it would
be worth a try. The laptop I am
using to type this suffered a hard
drive crash a couple of years ago.
The hard drive was no longer
recognized. Using the Acer part
number, I was able to find the
exact same hard drive on eBay. I
had to completely rebuild my
setup, but still much less
expensive than a new laptop.</p>
<p>If that $35 thumb drive is
bootable, that would still be a
good option for me.</p>
<p>My 2¢</p>
<p>Phil in TX<br>
</p>
<br>
<div>On 2/16/2020 5:44 AM, Stephen
Offiler wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">Hi farmer: When
you say no reason to buy
anything, I assume you refer to
that $35 thumb drive device I
mentioned. As I understand it,
the thumb drive is bootable,
circumventing the hard drive and
whatever OS is on the machine.
The sales pitch is that it will
take a machine that's bricked
and bring it back to life. Do
you have a way to accomplish
that for free?
<div><br>
</div>
<div>SO</div>
<div><br>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sat, Feb
15, 2020 at 10:39 PM Indiana
Robinson <<a href="mailto:robinson46176@gmail.com" target="_blank">robinson46176@gmail.com</a>>
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>No reason to buy
anything, Most
distributions of Linux
will read Windows files.
You can copy, paste move
etc. and you can download
anything for free. I don't
putter with old stuff as
much as I used to but I've
used Knoppix for such
things for many years. I
don't know if Windows 10
can read Linux files yet
or not but I once read
that it was soon to be an
option. If you install
Linux as a dual boot with
Windows you can just
access your Windows files
without having to reboot
back into Windows to find
them or work with them.</div>
<div>Half of the Linux
learning curve is
terminology... If you have
become comfortable using
Android you are half way
there. Android is just a
mobile (and tablet)
version of Linux. Android
is built on and running
the Linux Kernel but your
desktop box won't run
Android.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>.<br>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sat,
Feb 15, 2020 at 9:33 AM
cgs <<a href="mailto:oxygenfarm@gmail.com" target="_blank">oxygenfarm@gmail.com</a>>
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div> <font size="+1">Look
at <u><a href="http://www.linuxandubuntu.com/home/5-best-data-recovery-tools-for-linux-to-recover-data-or-deleted-partitions" target="_blank">http://www.linuxandubuntu.com/home/5-best-data-recovery-tools-for-linux-to-recover-data-or-deleted-partitions</a></u></font><br>
<br>
<div>On 2/15/20 7:12 AM,
Stephen Offiler wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">Good to
hear it's all set.
I've been seeing
ad's for a device
called "XtraPC"
which, it turns out,
is some flavor of
Linux burned onto a
thumb drive for
something like $35.
You can bring back
most troublesome old
machines from the
grave (assuming the
problem is hard
drive/boot software,
not some hardware
failure of course).
What I do not know
is whether you can
access your Windows
files under Linux.
Curious about that.
<div><br>
</div>
<div>SO</div>
<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
<pre cols="72">--
Charlie</pre>
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<br>
-- <br>
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>-- <br>
<br>
Francis Robinson<br>
aka "farmer"<br>
Central Indiana USA<br>
<a href="mailto:robinson46176@gmail.com" target="_blank">robinson46176@gmail.com</a><br>
<br>
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