Module 3 · Trying Linux Without Breaking Your Computer
There are three safe ways to try Linux. None of them delete Windows. The easiest one needs nothing more than a spare USB stick from your drawer.
By the end of this module, you will:
- Know the three ways to try Linux, and which one to pick first
- Understand what a "USB stick that boots a computer" actually is
- Know what a "virtual machine" is, in plain English
- Know what "dual-boot" means, and why we don't recommend it on day one
- Have a simple list of what to click after Linux first starts up
Will my computer even run Linux?
Almost certainly yes. If your laptop runs Windows today — even if Windows feels slow — Linux will run on it. Linux is famously gentle on old machines. People often install Linux on a 10-year-old laptop and find it suddenly feels new again.
There are no scary numbers to memorise. The rule of thumb: if it ran Windows 10, it will run Ubuntu. That's the whole hardware lesson.
Quick check on Windows (optional)
Press Win+R, type msinfo32, press Enter. You'll see how much RAM you have and what processor. As long as you have 4 GB of RAM or more and 20 GB of free disk space, you're set. Most computers from the last decade have far more than this.
The three ways to try Linux
Think of it like trying a new restaurant. You can:
- Get a takeaway — taste it without committing. (Live USB.)
- Eat at a friend's house — try it in someone else's kitchen. (Virtual machine.)
- Move in next door — live alongside the old place. (Dual-boot.)
We're going to recommend takeaway first. It's safest, fastest, and you can do it tonight.
Way 1 — Live USB (the takeaway)
A "live USB" is a USB stick that has Linux pre-loaded onto it. You plug it in, restart your computer, and your computer runs Linux straight off the stick — without touching Windows at all.
When you finish, you pull the stick out, restart, and you're back in Windows. Nothing changed. Nothing was installed. Your laptop has no idea you were just running a different operating system.
It's the safest possible way to try Linux. You literally cannot break anything.
How to make one (the short version)
Tick each step as you complete it — this is your hands-on checklist.
Progress: 0 of 6 steps ticked.
If you've never used a "boot menu" before: it's a tiny menu your computer shows you for two seconds when it powers on. The key to press depends on the make — Dell uses F12, Lenovo F12, HP F9, ASUS F8 or Esc. If in doubt, look up "[your laptop] boot menu key".
Way 2 — Virtual Machine (eating at a friend's house)
A "virtual machine" is a computer pretending to be another computer, inside the one you have. You can run Linux in a window on your Windows desktop, like running any other app.
Imagine you're in your house, and inside one of the rooms there's a smaller copy of a different house. You can walk into the smaller house, do things there, and when you walk out, your real house is exactly as you left it. That's a virtual machine.
It's the second-safest option. Slightly more setup than a USB stick, but you can keep Linux running while you keep using Windows for everything else.
How to make one (the short version)
Tick each step as you go — this is your hands-on checklist for the lab in this module.
Progress: 0 of 5 steps ticked.
Way 3 — Dual-boot (moving in next door)
"Dual-boot" means installing Linux alongside Windows on the same computer. When you turn the computer on, you get a tiny menu: "do you want Windows or Linux today?". You pick one, and that's what you use until you reboot.
It's powerful. Linux runs at full speed (no virtual machine in the way). But it changes your hard drive, and that means there's a small chance — really small, but not zero — of something going wrong.
Don't do this on day one
If you're new to Linux, don't dual-boot yet. Start with a Live USB or a virtual machine. Get comfortable for a few weeks. Then, if you decide Linux is for you, dual-boot.
If you do dual-boot later: back up your important files first. Copy your photos, documents, and downloads to an external drive or to OneDrive/Dropbox. Takes 20 minutes. Saves everything if something goes sideways.
Which one should I pick?
| Your situation | Pick this |
|---|---|
| I want to peek at Linux for an hour | Live USB |
| I want to use Linux a bit each week without leaving Windows | Virtual machine |
| I love Linux already and want it as my main system | Dual-boot (after backing up) |
| I'm not sure | Live USB — always the right answer first |
Your first 10 minutes after Linux starts up
However you started Linux, the first time you log in there are four small things to do. None of them are scary. Three are one click each. One is a single line you copy and paste.
"Wait — what password?"
If you went the virtual machine or dual-boot way, you typed a username and password during the install (Way 2, step 4 above). That's the password Linux is asking for whenever it says "type your password" or "[sudo] password for…". It's the only password Linux has — same one you log in with, same one used for installing software. Write it down somewhere safe; if you forget it, the easiest fix is reinstalling.
If you went the Live USB way, there's no password — Live USB runs as a temporary user with no permanent account. The "Software Updater" icon below works fine, but commands that ask for a password (like sudo apt update) will accept a blank press of Enter.
1. Get the latest updates
Find an icon called "Software Updater" (or open Terminal — it's like Command Prompt — and paste sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y, then the password you set during install). It downloads the latest fixes. Same idea as Windows Update. Tip when you type the password in the terminal: nothing appears on screen — no dots, no asterisks, nothing. That's normal Linux behaviour, not a bug. Just type it and press Enter.
2. Click through the welcome wizard
Ubuntu shows a friendly setup wizard the first time you log in. Pick your keyboard, time zone, whether to send anonymous data. There are no wrong answers — just pick whatever feels right.
3. Open Firefox and check the internet works
Click the orange Firefox icon in the dock. Visit any website. If it loads, your Wi-Fi is working. If not, click the network icon in the top-right corner and pick your network — same as Windows.
4. Take a "snapshot" (only if you're in a virtual machine)
In VirtualBox: Machine menu → Take Snapshot. This is your "save point" — if you mess something up later experimenting, you can restore it in 30 seconds. Skip this step on a Live USB or dual-boot.
That's it. You're done.
If you've followed this module, you're now running Linux. Welcome. The next module shows you around the desktop — finding files, opening programs, all the things you used to do without thinking on Windows.
For curious readers: the trickier bits
"Secure Boot" on work laptops. Some company laptops (Dell, Lenovo, HP from 2015 onwards) have a setting called Secure Boot that can stop a Linux USB from starting. If yours does, restart, press F2/F10/Del to get into "BIOS settings", find Secure Boot, switch it off, save. Don't do this on a managed work laptop without asking IT first.
The "time zone trap" with dual-boot. When you dual-boot, Windows and Linux disagree about where the clock lives, so the time jumps when you switch. One-line fix from Linux: timedatectl set-local-rtc 1 --adjust-system-clock. You'll meet this command properly in Module 11. For now, just paste it.
Verifying the download. Paranoid? Every Ubuntu download page has a "SHA256" checksum. In Windows PowerShell: certutil -hashfile ubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso SHA256. Compare the result to the website. Match = good download. Most people skip this.