This guide will show you how to install Linux Mint step by
step. Mint is a distribution of Linux which is based on Debian and Ubuntu and
aims to be both powerful and easy to use. As the most popular Linux
distribution according to distrowatch, it seems to be achieving these goals.
Download Linux Mint
First you’ll need to download a Linux Mint ISO. I’ve already
covered this in detail so check out that full guide if you need help selecting
an ISO to use.
Linux Mint Requirements
Ensure that the machine you are installing Linux Mint on
meets the requirements. Currently for version 18.1 with Cinnamon, the
requirements are as follows:
• 512MB RAM
(1GB Recommended)
• 9GB of disk
space (20GB Recommended)
• 1024×768
resolution or higher
I’ll also note that when I attempted to install Linux Mint
with an 8GB disk it noted that it needed at least 10.3GB to install, so you may
find you need more than the 9GB noted as the minimum requirement.
Mount Boot Media
In this example I’m installing Linux Mint in a virtual
machine (VM). I have created a new VM and attached the downloaded Linux Mint
ISO to it.
If you need to create bootable USB media from Windows I
suggest using Rufus.
Install Linux Mint
After powering on the VM, we are presented with the following
splash screen.
You can either wait for the 10 second countdown, or press the
enter key to bring up the Linux Mint welcome screen. By default, “Start Linux
Mint” is highlighted. With this selected, press the enter key to boot the Linux
Mint live CD.
Linux Mint will now proceed to boot. Note that at this point,
nothing is being installed on the disk. Linux Mint is simply running as a live
CD in memory. Once system boot completes, double click “Install Linux Mint” on
the desktop to start the installation process.
The install window will now open to the welcome screen.
Select your language and then click the continue button to proceed.
Next you can optionally select if you want to install
third-party software. This may not be an option for you if you don’t want to
install proprietary software, so the choice here is up to you. Make your
selection and click the continue button to proceed.
Next we select how we want to install Linux Mint. By default,
installing Linux Mint will erase the current disk in order to install Linux
Mint, so any existing operating system will be cleared. You can optionally
select to encrypt Linux Mint for additional security, or to setup Linux Mint
using LVM which is a more flexible method of partitioning the disks. The “Something
else” option can be used if you’re planning on dual booting with another
operating system, however we’re only installing a fresh copy of Linux Mint
here. Once you’ve made your selection, click the Install Now button to
continue. For this example, I’ve left the default selection.
You’ll now be prompted to confirm that you want to write
these changes to the disk, if you’re sure click Continue to proceed.
For the purposes of setting the timezone, select where the
Linux Mint installation is located in the world.
Next select the layout of your keyboard that you’ll be using
to interact with Linux Mint.
At this stage you will create the user account used to login
to Linux Mint. Select a username and strong password. You also need to define a
hostname for the installation, which is basically just the name of the
computer. Click the continue button to proceed once you’ve set these.
Linux Mint will now start installing. You can click the arrow
icon next to “Copying files…” to view the log of what’s happening. Otherwise go
and make a coffee while the installation takes place.
Once installation has completed, you’ll be advised with the
following prompt. Click Restart Now to reboot the system and boot into your
freshly installed instance of Linux Mint.
After initiating the restart, you’ll be advised to remove the
installation media before proceeding. In my case I detached the ISO from the
VM, however if you’re installing on a physical machine simply remove the USB
stick or eject the CD that contains the installation media. Once removed, press
the enter key to continue.
Once Linux Mint boots up, you can click the username that you
created and enter the password to login.
Once you login, you will be presented with the welcome
screen. This provides some useful links to help you get started with using
Linux Mint. Simply close the welcome screen when you’re done, and optionally
untick the “Show this dialog at startup” option if you don’t want to see it in
future.
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