I Tried Installing Linux on a Surface Laptop, Here's How It Went

My Surface laptop yet started showing its age, and effort arsenic I might, determination wasn’t overmuch I could bash to amended its performance. So I took the eventual step: I installed Linux connected a Microsoft Surface laptop.

Why Install Linux connected an Old Laptop?

Linux is simply a “lighter” operating strategy than Windows. In general, it requires less resources to tally well, and arsenic a result, it tin breathe caller beingness into older hardware.

It is besides much flexible. If you privation a Linux operating strategy with each the fancy bells and whistles, you tin bash that. If you request thing highly minimalist that would tally connected thing similar a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, which is not overmuch bigger than a instrumentality of gum, you tin bash that too.

It each conscionable depends connected which mentation of Linux—called a organisation oregon “distro—you choose.

How To Pick a Linux Distro for a Laptop

There are dozens oregon hundreds of Linux distros retired there, but for an mundane PC, you’re a spot much limited. Most options retired determination are built connected 1 of the large three: Debian, Fedora, oregon Arch.

Arch (and different distros built connected it) is designed to connection the implicit cutting edge, but that comes astatine the outgo of convenience. Even conscionable setting up Arch requires a batch of manual fussing.

Arch is an fantabulous mode to larn the ins and outs of Linux, but ultimately, I wanted thing that conscionable worked retired of the container that I could usage time successful and time retired with ease, overmuch similar radical bash with Windows oregon macOS.

I utilized Fedora arsenic a workstation OS for respective years, and it was stone solid. I virtually can’t deliberation of a clip erstwhile thing inexplicably broke. I’ve besides been precise funny successful giving Nobara, a user-friendly Fedora distro, a try.

However unchangeable Fedora is, I’m yet conscionable much acquainted with Debian, which pushed maine towards Ubuntu and each of its downstream distros. I’m partial to KDE Plasma implicit Gnome for my desktop environment, truthful I opted to install Kubuntu alternatively of Ubuntu. Kubuntu besides comes loaded with the KDE applications, which are fantastic.

To Dual Boot oregon Not Dual Boot?

When you instal Linux connected your PC, you’ll request to determine if you privation to dual footwear oregon reinstall Linux implicit Windows.

Dual booting allows you to run some Linux and Windows connected the aforesaid laptop, but it is often troublesome. For example, if your Windows thrust is encrypted with Device Encryption oregon BitLocker, you’ll person to cautiously enactment astir it truthful you don’t permanently fastener yourself retired of Windows.

You besides request to resize your Windows partition truthful that Linux really has determination to “live” connected the drive, which tin sometimes beryllium difficult.

Settings similar accelerated startup tin marque your Linux instal hard to access, and Windows updates person been known to interruption things.

I’d lone see dual booting if I had 2 antithetic drives to use, which is casual successful a desktop, but uncommon successful a laptop.

If I request Windows again, I'll instal it connected an outer SSD oregon tally it successful a virtual machine.

Installing Linux connected a Windows Laptop

Before you get started, determination is simply a abbreviated database of things you need.

What You Need

• A 16GB (or larger) USB Drive oregon External SSD
• A Linux ISO of the mentation of Linux you program to install
• Rufus, to make a bootable USB drive

Realistically, you tin astir apt get distant with an 8GB USB drive, but it ne'er hurts to beryllium safe. I person a tiny portable SSD I usage for things similar this normally, but I wanted to effort it retired connected an aged 8 GB USB 2.0 thrust for fun.

Since I’m going to beryllium installing Kubuntu, I’ve downloaded the Kubuntu ISO. You’ll request the ISO for whichever distro you privation to install.

Making a Bootable Linux USB Drive

To begin, insert your USB thrust into your PC, download and instal Rufus, and marque definite you person your ISO handy.

First, motorboat Rufus, past prime the instrumentality you privation to usage by clicking the “Device” drop-down menu. In my case, it is an 8GB USB Drive. Click “Select” to prime your ISO, and marque definite that the partition strategy is acceptable to GPT, unless you’re installing this connected a precise aged PC. In that case, usage MBR.

Once you’re satisfied, click “Start.”

It could instrumentality a fewer minutes to finish.

Installing Linux connected a Laptop

Once it is done, insert the USB thrust into the PC you privation to instal Linux on.

Next, you person to alteration the footwear bid of your PC from your mean thrust to the USB thrust truthful that you tin really instal Linux. The easiest mode to bash that is to restart your PC, past pat F2, Delete, oregon whichever cardinal your PC uses to entree the BIOS oregon UEFI. From there, look for thing similar Boot Options, past alteration the footwear bid truthful the USB thrust is first.

Once your PC restarts, you’ll beryllium met with the installer for whichever Linux distro you chose. These are each a small antithetic but they incorporate the aforesaid basal elements. Most of the screens aren’t precise important, but determination is 1 you request to wage attraction to: the partition options.

I’ve selected “Erase disk” since I’m wholly replacing Windows. I besides made definite to prevention immoderate important files from the laptop to different location.

If you privation to dual boot, you request to prime “Install alongside,” oregon immoderate the equivalent enactment is for you.

Once I’d picked my username and password the installation process was amazingly quick—about 6 minutes.

There Were No Problems

Despite a consciousness of anticipation erstwhile I started, perfectly thing went incorrect during the installation process. It “just worked,” arsenic I’d hoped. All of the buttons connected the keyboard worked arsenic they should, and I had nary issues with the trackpad, an contented I’ve encountered doubly successful the past.

From commencement to finish, the full process took little than 30 minutes, and astir of that was waiting for Rufus to make a bootable Kubuntu USB drive.

I besides got the show uplift I was looking for. It is hard to measurement snappiness and responsiveness, but my laptop surely feels amended to use.

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As Windows 10 rapidly comes up connected its end-of-life date, October 14th 2025, millions of PC owners are going to person to take betwixt upgrading to Windows 11 oregon switching to a Linux operating system. If Windows 11 isn't for you, determination are present plentifulness of Linux distros that enactment arsenic drop-in replacements