Linux Mint - Installation June 2024

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In June 2024, I installed Linux Mint on workstation msi2020. This is probably the first time since 2020 that I have been doing this. This article isn't complete, but it hopefully helps to get this job done + help to make it a bit faster next time (whenever that may be).

Why?

Why install Linux Mint on this computer?

  • This is a desktop (actually a floortop) computer and I can attach three screens to it. I would love to be able to have more than two screens as I have when working on my laptop. Three screens is a nice start
  • It's probably faster than my laptop
  • As a backup: My laptop doesn't seem that reliable
  • For fun - However, during this project, I was suprised how much work it is.

Additionally, it had a rudimentary installation of a slightly older Linux Mint release - I felt is was better to do a fresh installation.

Hardware

Just some highlights:

Motherboard

  • Vendor: MSI
  • Product: P55-CD53 (MS-7586)

Processor

  • Intel Core i5 CPU 750 @ 2.6GHz
  • Cores: 8
  • Enabled: 4
  • Threads: 4.

Memory

  • 8 GB

Storage

  • 256GB
  • SSD?

BIOS

  • Del - BIOS menu
  • F11 - Boot menu

Video card

No onboard video, AFAIK. There is a two-slot video card:

  • Identifier (long): AMD/ATI Cypress PRO [Radeon HD 5850]
  • Identifiesr (shorter): ATI Radeon HD 5850.

It has three video connectors and AFAIK, they can be used concurrently:

  • HDMI (big connector)
  • DVI (small symmetrical connector)
  • DisplayPort (small asymmetrical connector).

I have only two monitors at hand + cables and connectors for HDMI & DVI.

To connect a future third screen:

  • Have a screen with a native DisplayPort connector + buy such a cable
  • Use the DisplayPort2HDMI adoptor that I have + screen with HDMI

Linux Mint

Version

[1]:

  • Linux Mint: 21.3 - Virginia - Jan. 2024
  • Codebase: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish)

Create USB stick

Actual installation

Boot from USB stick + install from live environment:

  • Keyboard: English + English (US, euro on 5)
  • Install multimedia codecs
  • Erase disk and install Linux Mint - No advanced features
  • Computer name: msi2020
  • No home folder encryption
  • The wizard asked about language, but not about locals.

Configuration script

Usually, I collect the configuration (Bash) commands in a script. In this case, the script was located in the usual GitHub repository. I tried to execute the script over SSH, but that didn't work out very well.

What seemed a better solutions:

  • Enable SSH (without having to use a password) access ASAP
  • Place the script in the home directory on the 'target computer'
  • Make sure that I can access the other's filesystem through Nemo, so I can easily edit the file
  • Execute the script through SSH - Usually uncommenting only one command at a time: I don't do Linux installations every day, so one command at a time, is tricky enough.

Some more about such a configuration script:

  • I love the idea of having a script that does it all. In practice, it's suprisingly little what I can do through scripts. Most configuration work is manual
  • Another reason why I like such scripts, is that they function as a to-do-list for the installation job
  • When the installation is done, I could move the script to the usual GitHub repository. It's now called linux_mint_configuration.sh. It could well be reused for next time I install Linux Mint, although there too, I tend to overestimate the value of the script: When installing about every 4 years, such a historic script isn't that useful.

Webcam

I Installed a USB Logitech webcam that I had laying around. I installed Cheese to test it: 

sudo apt install cheese

The webcam worked at once.

Zoom

See also

Appendix: Configuration script

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