[Skybird]

Moonlight,

I am a newbie to Linux myself.

Consider this.

There is not that much more than what others already have said in many places or in that tutorial that I linked above as an example. Some initial questions I could answer then, yes - if you would care to get to even that point. That tutorial I just linked for you, says right what I would tell you, but it does so with screenshots, and in a generally more profound way.

I searched links with a booting-USB software for you. I searched the link for downloading the Linux Mint 18 ISO for you. I read through that tutorial and checked that it is understandable, and I thibk it is - I did install my first Linux ten months ago with a far inferior German text I had found. I linked you the two main forums where any questions especially on Terminal questions could be answered that i could not answer.

And I have posted all this two or three times before, in various threads over the past months.

But you want me to just sit down and write another long twisted text that maybe would include some content errord or flawed info because I do not know it better myself, errors, and spending time on what already has been said more competently by many others in many places on Linux, not to mention that in german there are really some very good introductory books on Linux, and I assume there are in English as well, and I said over the past ten months several times that i recommend to get one "Linux for Dummies"-style of book and get some basic overview before you start. I did the same. It helped. Initially did not even read the whole book, just the first 40 pages or so.

Its not too much asked for. Some work, two or three hours of reading and preparing yourself will be needed if somebodyody wants to get into Linux while also getting some deeper basic understanding into what it is and why and how things are going. But in principle, you already get started by what is in that tutorial link I posted. I used some text in german, that was much less detailed. I think it was from some German PC magazine, but I do not know exactly anymore.

Really. I showed you the direction. I recommended you the pace to walk at. I gave you the initial advises for what to expect. A weather report. I gave you a map. And also a list with telephone numbers to call for help, including mine.

But walking the walk you must yourself. I will not carry you around.

Use the link for downloading the ISO file. Read the information on that site. Get the Cinnamon version you need: 32 or 64 Bit, I do not know your hardware, but most likely it is 64 Bit. You better be sure on the Bits.

Use the link for downloading the boot-software file. Read the information there, it is not that much at all. With many screenshots, you get talked through the procedure.

Create that disk, and/or stick. Some older systems may prefer the one over the other method so maybe create both, to have them ready.

And then

- either go through that installation tutorial, step by step. That is what I did, and even if I write whole night long, more than what is written in that tutorial I could not tell you, too;

- or set your BIOS to boot from stick, and then the system should launch from stick in Linux even without having installed Linux to HD. You can then check it out, look at things, it is fully functional. Get a first impression, whether it meets your taste or not. Check drivers onboard, play around. Learning by doing.

And when then you run into some problem, then precisely describe it and ask, and I will see whether I can help. Most likely I will not be able, then you have to ask the same question, as precisely, in the English main forum for Linux Mint that I linked, or Robbins or somebody else with better knowledge needs to answer instead of myself. You will get an answer there, and if those guys are like in the German forum, then you will get an answer within minutes. Or several answers. If the problem is difficult, they will talk you through. And different to me, those guys know Linux better than I ever will. I had to ask there myself severla times.

Just doing the working steps you must yourself. Those links are all you need to get you started.

Now get that booting stick/CD up with a Linux installation, and then boot your system from that one. And there you are.

P.S. Note, if you do not understand that from the tutorial: Linux gets always installed to HD via such a USB stick or CD that you created first via an ISO. Alternatively you can buy some book DVD with some Linux veriuson, but often, these versions are outdated. Ideal it nwould be if you get a Linux Mint 18 for Dummies book with an according installation CD/DVD. Else you MUST create such a stick or CD/DVD, but what software you use for that, is unimportant, I linked just the one I used myself, there are dozens of others. When you boot your target system via this stick or DVD, you then land on the Linux Mint Cinnamon desktop. From here you can - but must not - install to HD by pressing that huge button on desktop tellinmg you that it starts to install Linux - this time to HD. But do not be too fast with that, first check you system and the Linux Mint itself.

If there are hardware compatability issues you run into, espoecially with graohis, printers, then ask again. Moist likely you will need to try through various drivers, I then tell you how. But until then - step by step. No second step before the first.