I've been flashing my USB often enough that it's now worth it to keep all my ISO's neatly to use them when I need them.
I plan on buying 10 USB sticks to just have ready when ever I need a specific version.
I'm visiting family now, so time to upgrade their Linux Mint to Kubuntu
bizdelnick @lemmy.ml - 5hr
Your family will hate you if you'll change their distro and DE every time you visit them. Distro hopping is normal for the first couple of years, but do it on your own machine.
49
JasonDJ @lemmy.zip - 3hr
I've been using Linux for like 18 years and I still hop. I got a better idea of what I like to use for different situations though...but there are so many great builds/derivatives now. I'm pretty well settled into Bazzite and Nobara, or regular Fedora and Fedora Blue, depending on specific needs now though.
5
Labna @lemmy.world - 5hr
you need Ventoy to stop formatting you're USB sticks
Keeping lot of ISO is a bit useless just the few that you use daily.
If you're keeping this ISO anyway, get them by torrent and keep sharing for helping the community
44
transending_the_binary - 4hr
Another important point
4. Always check checksums (sha256 etc)
9
smeg @feddit.uk - 3hr
Is there a simple guide to checking checksums? It doesn't seem like it should be complex but half the time the distro's instructions don't work for me!
3
Kory @lemmy.ml - 2hr
First you need to download the provided file from the distro page. Something with Checksum in the name most of the time. The website should provide instructions. Please note that does not validate the gpg key.
Quick Method Terminal:
Open the terminal at the location of the ISO file or go there with cd. Type sha256sum NameOfIsoFile.iso - it takes a moment depending on your system.
Copy the output (some long numbers/letters). Compare it with the downloaded checksum-file - open the file, press ctrl-f or whatever you have for find and paste it. If it's found, it's the same.
Method KDE:
Right click the file, open properties, then go to tab "Checksums".
Paste same number/letter combination from above into the provided space "Expected checksums..." - if it's green, it's correct.
3
smeg @feddit.uk - 2hr
Thanks, that does sound familiar. Maybe it was the gpg bit that confused me before.
2
floquant - 2hr
Just use the appropriate command for the hash type, i.e. sha256sum <filename> (iirc, might be wrong, man is your friend)
Ventoy is great, it’s my go to tool, boots on basically everything (even my MacBook) but… wasn’t there a scare about possibly being compromised because it builds itself from hundreds of modules on github or something like that?
6
floquant - 2hr
Afaik the maintainer(s) have provided a reasonable explanation and cleared up the reproducible builds part
1
realitaetsverlust - 7hr
I can assure you, you will never need them.
I got a USB stick with ventoy installed, got a gparted and an arch linux iso on that thing, I do use those regularly.
25
rozodru - 6hr
10 USB sticks? why? just use ventoy and throw them all on an external SSD or something. that's what I do. can even use that with specific dotfiles you need for each distro along with ventoy. much easier to deal with than 10 usb sticks.
21
dogs0n @sh.itjust.works - 6hr
Upgrade Mint to Kubuntu 💀
17
radswid @feddit.org - 4hr
isn't it the other way? Ubuntu/Kubuntu -> Mint -> Arch-based (Manjaro, ...), Arch ... -> "btw"
6
anon5621 @lemmy.ml - 7hr
Just buy 2.5 HDD put it in USB sata case and use as USB stick with ventoy
14
MentalEdge - 6hr
Or if you want to install an entire iso in less than a minute, one of these.
I really like that one. I can move a terabyte in minutes, and unlike some other M.2 enclosures, this one is a heatsink sandwich, which enables sustained full-speed operation.
7
anon5621 @lemmy.ml - 6hr
Buying m2 nowadays or any ssd is not cheap thing at all
4
MentalEdge - 6hr
True. But if you have an old one laying around, from a laptop, desktop or whatever, even a low end one will saturate usb while beating 2.5" hdds.
2
Leon - 6hr
I’d recommend a HDD enclosure with a virtual drive emulator. I personally use this one which I’ve had for about a decade at this point. Lovely device. At some point I think I’ll pop an SSD in it instead, mostly just for durability purposes.
2
MentalEdge - 6hr
Sure.
But that's limited to SATA 3 speeds. A "mere" 600 MB/s. Not to mention SATA SSDs often can't sustain their theoretical maximums.
USB3.2x2 can do 2500 MB/s, and with heatsinks on an NVME drive you can actually reach and sustain that transfer speed.
When you're moving more than 500 gigs of something, or if you move ISO sized things often, it's really nice.
When I occasionally have to write an ISO to usb for macOS or when ventoy for some reason wont work, I get annoyed at how I actually have to wait a bit, even though my thumbdrives aren't slow.
They're just not NVME with a heatsink fast. I've gotten used to moving ISOs around like they're text files.
1
db2 @lemmy.world - 5hr
It may not work. I have two ssds like that and they both won't boot ventoy for some reason, but a hdd in a usb case worked no problem.
Also, unless you're using the usb3 interface it doesn't make much difference really.
1
MentalEdge - 4hr
I use this one professionally, yet to come across a PC that wouldn't boot from it.
And yeah, you won't benefit unless the PC also has both fast ports and fast storage.
But half of the time I'm using it to move files from a customers old PC to their new one, and more aften than not, even the old one has at least one quick usb C port.
1
Magister @lemmy.world - 6hr
Use Ventoy, you can have dozens and dozens of ISO on one stick only, when you boot on it you can select the one you want.
12
nil - 5hr
The drawback of using Ventoy is that it doesn't support systems that has too old BIOS installed. Otherwise it's great.
4
a14o @feddit.org - 6hr
If I saw that folder name while using a friend's machine I would know not to click on it to respect their privacy.
12
WhatGodIsMadeOf @feddit.org - 5hr
Anal-x86-64bit.iso
4
grue @lemmy.world - 1hr
Uh... you do know that people don't literally save a bunch of Linux ISOs, right? It's a euphemism for collecting less legit things, like pirated media or porn.
By the time you want to install the same distro again, it's likely that a new version will be out and you'll want to re-download it anyway.
10
muhyb @programming.dev - 3hr
Are they Linux ISOs or "Linux ISOs"?
7
Auster - 6hr
Remember to keep Hannah Montana Linux too!
7
SpookyBogMonster @lemmy.ml - 3hr
Install Temple OS on your mom's desktop
2
Kory @lemmy.ml - 2hr
I don't mean to crash the party, I used to love Ventoy too. But then the blob issue came up and it was met with silence for over a year by the maintainer, that made me a bit uncomfortable. They have responded to it a while ago, but it's no trivial task to solve as I understand it: https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/issues/3224
6
thedeadwalking4242 @lemmy.world - 3hr
Ah remember when I had this phase
3
TimeSquirrel - 5hr
I mean...my connection is so fast it takes like, what, a minute, maybe two to get an ISO? The Internet is my backup device. I can still get copies of Yggdrasil from the early 90s.
Ek-Hou-Van-Braai in linux @lemmy.ml
Installed Linux for the fist time in Feb, I've now started saving ISO's
https://media.piefed.social/posts/ab/Qt/abQtJTq0P5abHuu.pngSo it begins.
I've been flashing my USB often enough that it's now worth it to keep all my ISO's neatly to use them when I need them. I plan on buying 10 USB sticks to just have ready when ever I need a specific version.
I'm visiting family now, so time to upgrade their Linux Mint to Kubuntu
Your family will hate you if you'll change their distro and DE every time you visit them. Distro hopping is normal for the first couple of years, but do it on your own machine.
I've been using Linux for like 18 years and I still hop. I got a better idea of what I like to use for different situations though...but there are so many great builds/derivatives now. I'm pretty well settled into Bazzite and Nobara, or regular Fedora and Fedora Blue, depending on specific needs now though.
Another important point 4. Always check checksums (sha256 etc)
Is there a simple guide to checking checksums? It doesn't seem like it should be complex but half the time the distro's instructions don't work for me!
First you need to download the provided file from the distro page. Something with Checksum in the name most of the time. The website should provide instructions. Please note that does not validate the gpg key.
Quick Method Terminal: Open the terminal at the location of the ISO file or go there with
cd. Typesha256sum NameOfIsoFile.iso- it takes a moment depending on your system. Copy the output (some long numbers/letters). Compare it with the downloaded checksum-file - open the file, press ctrl-f or whatever you have for find and paste it. If it's found, it's the same.Method KDE: Right click the file, open properties, then go to tab "Checksums". Paste same number/letter combination from above into the provided space "Expected checksums..." - if it's green, it's correct.
Thanks, that does sound familiar. Maybe it was the gpg bit that confused me before.
Just use the appropriate command for the hash type, i.e.
sha256sum <filename>(iirc, might be wrong,manis your friend)Also if you have a fast internet connection, check out https://netboot.xyz/
Ventoy is great, it’s my go to tool, boots on basically everything (even my MacBook) but… wasn’t there a scare about possibly being compromised because it builds itself from hundreds of modules on github or something like that?
Afaik the maintainer(s) have provided a reasonable explanation and cleared up the reproducible builds part
I can assure you, you will never need them.
I got a USB stick with ventoy installed, got a gparted and an arch linux iso on that thing, I do use those regularly.
10 USB sticks? why? just use ventoy and throw them all on an external SSD or something. that's what I do. can even use that with specific dotfiles you need for each distro along with ventoy. much easier to deal with than 10 usb sticks.
Upgrade Mint to Kubuntu 💀
isn't it the other way? Ubuntu/Kubuntu -> Mint -> Arch-based (Manjaro, ...), Arch ... -> "btw"
Just buy 2.5 HDD put it in USB sata case and use as USB stick with ventoy
Or if you want to install an entire iso in less than a minute, one of these.
I really like that one. I can move a terabyte in minutes, and unlike some other M.2 enclosures, this one is a heatsink sandwich, which enables sustained full-speed operation.
Buying m2 nowadays or any ssd is not cheap thing at all
True. But if you have an old one laying around, from a laptop, desktop or whatever, even a low end one will saturate usb while beating 2.5" hdds.
I’d recommend a HDD enclosure with a virtual drive emulator. I personally use this one which I’ve had for about a decade at this point. Lovely device. At some point I think I’ll pop an SSD in it instead, mostly just for durability purposes.
Sure.
But that's limited to SATA 3 speeds. A "mere" 600 MB/s. Not to mention SATA SSDs often can't sustain their theoretical maximums.
USB3.2x2 can do 2500 MB/s, and with heatsinks on an NVME drive you can actually reach and sustain that transfer speed.
When you're moving more than 500 gigs of something, or if you move ISO sized things often, it's really nice.
When I occasionally have to write an ISO to usb for macOS or when ventoy for some reason wont work, I get annoyed at how I actually have to wait a bit, even though my thumbdrives aren't slow.
They're just not NVME with a heatsink fast. I've gotten used to moving ISOs around like they're text files.
It may not work. I have two ssds like that and they both won't boot ventoy for some reason, but a hdd in a usb case worked no problem.
Also, unless you're using the usb3 interface it doesn't make much difference really.
I use this one professionally, yet to come across a PC that wouldn't boot from it.
And yeah, you won't benefit unless the PC also has both fast ports and fast storage.
But half of the time I'm using it to move files from a customers old PC to their new one, and more aften than not, even the old one has at least one quick usb C port.
Use Ventoy, you can have dozens and dozens of ISO on one stick only, when you boot on it you can select the one you want.
The drawback of using Ventoy is that it doesn't support systems that has too old BIOS installed. Otherwise it's great.
If I saw that folder name while using a friend's machine I would know not to click on it to respect their privacy.
Anal-x86-64bit.iso
Uh... you do know that people don't literally save a bunch of Linux ISOs, right? It's a euphemism for collecting less legit things, like pirated media or porn.
By the time you want to install the same distro again, it's likely that a new version will be out and you'll want to re-download it anyway.
Are they Linux ISOs or "Linux ISOs"?
Remember to keep Hannah Montana Linux too!
Install Temple OS on your mom's desktop
I don't mean to crash the party, I used to love Ventoy too. But then the blob issue came up and it was met with silence for over a year by the maintainer, that made me a bit uncomfortable. They have responded to it a while ago, but it's no trivial task to solve as I understand it: https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/issues/3224
Ah remember when I had this phase
I mean...my connection is so fast it takes like, what, a minute, maybe two to get an ISO? The Internet is my backup device. I can still get copies of Yggdrasil from the early 90s.
Mine is so slow, 1 GB is half a hour.
Lol.