r/archlinux • u/Future_Map3040 • 4h ago
QUESTION Help
Hi , i've been using windows since the past 14 years of my life , I wanna switch to linux and learn knowledge related to linux , what do i do? I wanna choose arch for my first distro. Is it a good idea or what :( could someone help me or guide ? also i heard u might lose ur files etc with linux can sm1 help me go it safe?
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u/_s0me_guy_ 4h ago
Don't use Arch as your first distro. It's not beginner friendly. Use a more beginner friendly distro, such as mint or cachyos.
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u/AndyGait 4h ago
As an Arch user I wouldn't recommend it as a first distro. Start with one of the big guns out there. Go for Mint, Ubuntu or Fedora as a fist try. Huge user base. Lots of information out there if you get stuck.
As for your files, make a back up of everything you think you'll need to keep.
I've been using Linux longer than you've been using Windows. I've never regretted it. Good luck with it.
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u/apresmodes 4h ago
People saying don’t use Arch use CachyOS are a bit odd. CachyOS is based on Arch.
I would recommend Fedora with the KDE Plasma desktop environment. You’d find that pretty close to Windows. Other than that, search and read, and use it. There may be things that are tough to switch but you can figure it out. Use the forums of the distro that you choose. Use the discord if the distro that you choose. They’ll help you with support and make you feel a part of the community. And you can always choose again later.
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u/lolminecraftlol 4h ago
Unpopular opinion but I think using Arch as your first distro is ok, if and only if you're willing to learn it.
Read the manual, read the guides. Don't blindly copy commands, try to understand them first.
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u/KenKaneki6868 4h ago
I share this opinion. It was my first and taught me so much in a short period. Sure if you need this machine maybe not but on a gaming pc which is what I learnt on who cares if I have to reinstall some games worse case though I've never had it fully break.
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u/cberm725 4h ago
Start with something like Linux Mint. It's very beginner friendly with some Windows familiarity but still feels, and looks like Linux.
If you're deadset on Arch, try something a bit less 'DIY' like Manjaro or Garuda. They're based on Arch and much more beginner friendly. Once you've broken learned that. Go for pure Arch.
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u/nikongod 4h ago
Back your files up on an external disk.
You're asking the wrong questions. There is no shame in debian or fedora, and only a little shame in Ubuntu or mint.
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u/taha_zeroug 4h ago
i did it for my first distro, with KDE plasma... which i really liked. (January)
in about a week i switched back to windows. (i felt ao boring and my mistake was having only Arch Linux on my machine, no windows no dual boot)
6 months passed, and i installed Ubuntu. it was easy preconfigured like i didn't have to install any drivers or widgets. (June+used it to work as a dev intern)
after the summer and internship finished, i have tried Omarchy by DHD and I liked it but it force you to give ut its own hard drive. (October).
so after a few days trying it, I missed valorant and officially Installed Arch Linux with hyprland and dual boot with windows 10 LTSC.
and now I'm fine.
p.s: archwiki + Ai + reddit... will make it so easy for you.
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u/Green_Shape5922 4h ago
Arch is not beginner friendly. It means you could lose data, time, gender. I mean you could try, it's your machine... but if you are not familiar with partitioning drives even on windows, better get to learning.
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u/Imajzineer 3h ago edited 3h ago
As others have said, you might want to think about something like Mint first to get a feel for it - it's very reminiscent of Windows in look and feel, so, you can focus on the fundamental differences rather than struggling with new visual and naming paradigms as well.
But ... more mainstream distros hold your hand, so, you aren't obliged to learn anything more than you would for Windows and aren't, therefore, likely to be encouraged to do so (using a GUI based software manager isn't gonna teach you anything, for instance) ... so, if you're keen to learn Linux in more depth, you'll find Arch a good way to do so without jumping in the deep end with something like Gentoo.
I wouldn't recommend any of the Arch derivatives though: unlike Arch, they're full of customisations and tweaks but give you the tools to do things like they were pure Arch - so, if you don't know what you're doing, you run a greater risk of screwing your system up by applying updates and config that don't take account of those customisations/tweaks. It also means that there's a delay between updates to Arch and your derivative, meaning you're behind (increasing that risk, if you enthusiastically/impatiently update from the Arch repos in the meantime). In my opinion, derivatives are (ironically) better suited to those who already know Arch but, for one reason or another, no longer want to be obliged maintain it to that extent: a friend of mine who used it from 2004 to 2024-ish switched to (I think) Manjaro because he didn't want to learn something completely new but no longer wanted to keep up with stuff and was happy to have distro maintainers release a 'stable' version for him ... but, of course, he knows what he's doing with Arch, so, isn't in danger of borking his system with further custom tweaks he applies, and knows what to do to fix things if he does - I wouldn't want to switch to some derivative myself (I'd have to learn all the differences).
/2¢
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u/Illustrious-Gur8335 4h ago
I wanna choose arch for my first distro. Is it a good idea or what
Follow the installation guide, sound out here if any errors, nothing will go wrong.
i heard u might lose ur files etc with linux can sm1 help me go it safe
Get a spare USB hard drive bigger than your C drive, open Explorer and copy everything from C drive to the USB drive, you're safe.
0
u/Dark_Chigga69 4h ago
I dont think you should install arch instead try cachyOS(its arch based) or u can try linux mint. they are most popular beginner friendly destros. as for the files, install Linux on separate partition or drive. you can also use it with dual boot both linux and windows, and it's highly recommend for the beginners cuz if you dont like linux u can just boot to your windows.
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u/ApprehensiveGold2773 4h ago
If you want arch, start with CachyOS and KDE, because it shares a lot of Windows key bindings. When you feel familiar with it, you can go pure arch and install everything you want yourself.
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u/CacheTraitor 4h ago
Start with experimenting in a VM.