1 yr. ago • 95%

Any good tools for switching?

Are there any good tools for listing your current programs, maybe exporting settings etc. Listing hidden settings and save locations would be great too.

I'm about 90% ready to switch to Linux full time, and I want to make sure that I've got everything. I've got a horrible feeling that I'm missing something, but I can't think what it might be.

EDIT: Ironically, I forgot to mention my ADHD / memory issues. I could do with a tool like this because I forget about anything that I'm not currently using, or actively thinking about using soon >.<

41 comments

Dual-boot, and if anything is missing, boot back into Windows to do that while you work on figuring out how to do it on Linux. There might be something to do what you're asking, but I find it unlikely because Windows and Linux are very different internally.

29
- That's what I'm doing at the moment, but I find myself staying on the OS I'm using until I'm forced to reboot to the other for whatever reason. e.g. If I boot to Windows for Photoshop, I tend to start browsing and checking my emails, and the next thing I know, it's three weeks later and I've forgotten to switch back >.<
  
  12
  
  Setup a Windows virtual machine inside your Linux environment. Now you're not leaving Linux to get into your Windows environment.
  
  13
  
  Set Linux to be the top of the boot order, then :)
  
  4
- Incremental approach when the task seems too big to grasp. I agree!
  
  8
My 2¢: Pick a free time, make a small list of tasks that you do in Windows and spend time diving into what options exist for doing that in Linux (usually there will be multiple). The aim should not be to remember how to do it (less memory used 😁) but on figuring out menu structures, terminologies, etc. While going through your lists, you'll end up familiarising yourself with (hopefully) gimp, the terminal, libreoffice, etc. You'll hopefully also develop some tricks for searching for information on stackoverflow, GitHub, or in the various forums. That should help resist the urge to just switch over to Windows, and find a solution quickly.

It will take time. Sometimes, things will just not make sense - but finding solutions to problems is (probably) what is making you interested to begin with. Don't look at it as a decision, more as a journey to start.

16
Honestly, it might be just me, but at this point it's a matter of "just do it". Commit to and own your decision. 🤷 You can't prepare for everything.

13
- I too was planning the switch for a while and I was like my next machine will be a Linux PC from the beginning (in 2-3 months)
  
  but then, few days ago I was like fuck it, then installed Debian and KDE, without any serious preparations.
  
  I like it 😊
  
  Tho, it's not 'final', most of my data partitions aren't mounted the way I'd like and most of my user folders are on an ntfs disk right now, but before the new PC, I can consider it as a test run, then if everything is still nice, then I'll reformat some of my drives for better integration with Linux.
  
  6
- At the moment I can't just do it, because I need Photoshop and some scanning, and the Linux equivalents aren't there yet. I'm trying to make sure that when I'm finished with these, everything else will be either ready, or as close as I can get.
  
  I think I've got most things, but I also know how forgetful I am, so know that I've missed something 🙈
  
  1
Note down every tool you use in windows and use alternativeto.net to find linux alternatives for them. Thats what I did, saved me what you are going through. Everytime I tried to switch usinf a sifferent method I just ended up using Windows to not deal with the "pain point" of switching

7
- I'm about to update my post. Ironically, I forgot to mention my ADHD / memory issues.
  
  I find that I focus on one 'task' for a while, like photo editing or programming, and forget about the other software I use. I might be on a streak with something today, and completely forget about what I was doing last week.
  
  3
  
  Here's what I would do as a fellow ADHD'er:
  
  back up everything
  
  create a windows VM of my current windows state and delete the dual boot (only boot into linux)
  
  write out complete list of all windows apps you've used, as well as any CLI apps, extensions, packages (e.g. chocolatey).
  
  1-by-1 (!!!) find an alternative, install it, copy all it's config (text or screenshots) across.
  
  I would also delete or disable the app in Windows if I find the alternative to be sufficient... You don't want to be using both apps on both OS's at the same time. The Windows VM is just for apps that have no sufficient linux alternative.
  
  3
A windows to flathub to could be nice!

Its certainly possible.

List all windows apps

Make a folder and export their settings to zips in this folder

Make a linux script listing all apps

On linux run the script, it installs the apps, runs them, closes them again and copies the contents to the correct folders

I would totally do this but I dont want to deal with Windows coding and these cringe file paths and slashes. Maybe ChatGPT can help?
7
- All those points assume that you would have compatible apps for both platforms. For some small subset of applications might work... Like VLC player, Firefox, Chromium browsers, ... You could try to run Windows apps with Wine, but that can be done on app basis and will not be generic
  
  2
  
  Yes for sure. But apps that really need an alternative will not be possible to backup. But
  
  Firefox
  
  Thunderbird
  
  Libreoffice
  
  Are the most common ones where you really want to keep your profile, settings, dictionaries etc depending on what you used.
  
  1
You don't need to immediately delete your Windows installation, you can just dual boot and keep your Windows install around. Then, you can just start using Linux, and see over time if you missed anything. If you notice that you haven't needed to boot into the Windows partition for some time, and you feel comfortable with getting rid of it, you can just delete it afterwards.

7
- This is a what I'm trying to do at the moment, but I forget to switch back if I've been forced to boot into Windows.
  
  It doesn't help that I've got ADHD, so I'm convinced that I've forgotten something and just can't remember what >.<
  
  2
  
  Another benefit to dual-booting is that you can still read your Windows files from Linux, so whenever you realize something you're forgetting, you can just dip in and grab it.
  
  4
  
  Fellow ADHD guy here, back when I switched to Linux from macOS I encountered the same issue, maybe you can try to move all of the important stuff to Linux first, so when you use Windows for the things that you haven't moved over yet you are forced to reboot into Linux to do other stuff
  
  4
Take notes! It's not just for school, I find taking notes about everyday things can be super useful. I use Joplin for taking notes (+Nextcloud for syncing across devices), and I always have an entire notebook dedicated to make computer setups. Go through your windows install and look at what programs you use the most and make note of them. (Bonus: from there you can eventually make a simple bash script for installing all of your favorite programs in a single command.) Generally, if you find that keeping things straight and organized in your mind is a challenge, then do what I do and take notes.

Back up and keep you old install. Storage is pretty cheap these days and it's always recommended to back up all of your stuff before messing around a lot with your PC. Whether you want to switch to Linux full time or not, it's never a bad idea to keep a copy of your old system somewhere that you can dig through it later if you need to. I'm always afraid I'll lose something when I switch systems, so I always keep a copy until I'm reasonably confident that I don't need it anymore.

Once the Linux bug bites it can be exciting to switch full-time and move on from Windows, but the truth is that you don't have to go all in right away. There's no geek shame in dual-booting Windows and Linux. I've been using Linux fulltime for almost a decade but I still have a small 256gb partition with Windows on it, mainly for Windows dev/testing, but also for the peace of mind that comes with knowing that I may one day need to use some Windows program that doesn't work well on Wine. If you like Linux you don't need to force yourself away from Windows, you'll just use Linux more because you enjoy using Linux more.
5
- Not that I read the whole thing, bit it's extensive and, most importantly, it's in a Linux com, so it should be good advice 👍.
  
  1
I think when you need it, you can download it.

5
Get an external disk and maybe dump your home folder and appdata there. One of the best features of Linux is the available free software. Although daunting, I would recommend having an open mind with regards to what tools and procedures you need in order to accomplish different tasks. Your preferences should change a little (I think, did for me atleast) and if you need some of your old stuff you have your config files and such on the external partition.

5
What I did when I switched was to create an image of my existing install with clonezilla then used it in a vm. This way I didn't have to worry about a dual boot configuration.

Been a while since I did this but it should still work

1
- That's a great idea, thanks :)
  
  I've got a copy of Macrium Reflect that does the same thing, but mostly automatically, and I'm pretty sure that it runs on Linux too. I'm going to check now :)
  
  1
@Tippon www.tromjaro.com/move-from-gno…

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