I need help, downloading linux with my mac so I can install it to a small windows pc

Joined
Apr 30, 2007
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Your Mac's Specs
osx 10.8.5
Hope this is in the right place.
Not holding out much hope for help here, but worth a shot.
My daughter was trying to help but lost patience. Too busy.

Anyway I'm taking a small trip soon, bought a very cheap windows laptop mainly to store photos BUT since it is a laptop it would be nice to use the internet. And of course you cannot turn upgrades off on windows and this laptop has very little memory, she said it will just use up what it has constantly upgrading. (besides windows sucks) so the plan is to install linux onto that. Meanwhile I have it set to NOT even try to connect to the internet.

So she had me download a few files, unetbootin-mac-661.dmg and (we shortened the name) elementaryos.iso

BUT something is wrong. I put my flash stick in, launch unebootin, click disk image, click the button with three dots which SHOULD bring up my desktop. Only it shows my desktop as empty. So far nothing we tried is fixing this.
And that's where I'm stuck.
I can't even get the thing ON the flash stick let alone know what to do with it when I do. (I haven't used windows in years... hate it.)
Assuming I can figure out how to get the blasted thing on a flash stick, how does one boot up off of it on a laptop?

I've been looking at finding something else (there are tons of alternate OSs out there.) BUT...
Another question,
Do I select for mac? Downloading it on my mac, or do I select windows since that's where it's ultimately going to run?
 

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,745
Reaction score
2,071
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
I would recommend Ubuntu as the Linux distro you use on your Windows machine. Please follow these instructions of creating a bootable USB flash drive with Ubuntu and then install it on your Windows machine.
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
Can you verify that your final goal is to get Linux installed on your Windows laptop?

If so...exactly what OS is currently installed on the Windows laptop? I'm assuming Windows...but wanted to verify.

If this is true...why not install Linux directly onto this Windows laptop...without using your Mac as a "middle-man"?

Here are 4 ways to get it done:

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-ways-install-ubuntu-linux-windows-computer/

HTH,

Nick
 

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,745
Reaction score
2,071
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
Nick, looks like the OP doesn't want to connect the Windows machine to the Internet, thus the use of the Mac.
 
OP
A
Joined
Apr 30, 2007
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Your Mac's Specs
osx 10.8.5
Can you verify that your final goal is to get Linux installed on your Windows laptop?

If so...exactly what OS is currently installed on the Windows laptop? I'm assuming Windows...but wanted to verify.

If this is true...why not install Linux directly onto this Windows laptop...without using your Mac as a "middle-man"?

Here are 4 ways to get it done:

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-ways-install-ubuntu-linux-windows-computer/

HTH,

Nick

I JUST bought this little laptop off walmart. Not even sure how to find what version of windows is on it.
(I am SO not familiar with windows anymore. Haven't used it since... oh, late 90s.)
I do know I do NOT want it to ever be in contact with my internet. IN fact, my daughter has our router set up so only devices she programed into it are recognized. I don't know how she did that.
So back to downloading it, getting it onto a flash stick, and using that to boot off of.


TO the moderator I actually found that exact page earlier but again, do I select for mac? Or for windows since I'm downloading, putting onto flash stick off the mac, but ultimately going to use on the windows computer. Then how does one boot off the flash stick?
One youtube video I found is like... try holding f11, or could be f12, f13, f14.... yea, I didn't even watch that whole thing before turning it off.



I went ahead and put the screenshot on my site so I can show it here.
I CANNOT GET unetbootin onto a flash stick because where the instructions say to point to your flash stick, mine is blank. See the image.
NoDesktop.png
 
Last edited:

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
Nick, looks like the OP doesn't want to connect the Windows machine to the Internet, thus the use of the Mac.

Thanks Ashwin...I think I missed that detail.:Oops:

- Nick
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
Not holding out much hope for help here, but worth a shot.

Don't forget to address this.;)

I think you're getting some great help...and others may chime in as well.:) Many of us are both Mac & Windows savvy...and probably a bunch of Linux experts too.:)

Plus the help you get will be from a "Mac Users Perspective"...and being a Mac-User yourself...that's always a bonus.:) Getting help from a Windows only user perspective can sometimes be a bit different.

I'm sure we'll get you good-to-go!:)

- Nick
 
OP
A
Joined
Apr 30, 2007
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Your Mac's Specs
osx 10.8.5
First I DO appreciate it guys.

So here's an easy question. The only thing I did on this new pc is enter my username and put in a password. (Which windows wants to ask for every single time I turn the thing on. How do you put up with that???)
Anyway, is there a way to remove both? I'm thinking I should just return this thing. That's if walmart will take it back after I attempted to use it.
Still has the film on the screen... not like I actually used it.
Husband said he can loan me his MAC laptop for a week. Wish I'd have known that before wasting time and money to buy this little thing.

I'm kinda mad at my daughter who said she would do this for me then bailed. I've killed hours trying to figure this out myself and got nowhere.
I even posted on a linux forum and got some "advanced" instructions using DD. with a warning " be VERY careful when using dd,"
Ok, I don't even know what DD is!!!!!! If I have to google that, I am clearly SO NOT "advanced." My mac works fine and I'd like to keep it that way. I think I'll let that one go.
 

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,745
Reaction score
2,071
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
If you aren't already familiar with Linux, I would not recommend installing it since there is a learning curve to it. If the primary purpose of this new laptop is to store photos, then leave it on Windows. It is likely running Windows 10 and you can remove the login password following these instructions.

While the updates to Windows are frequent enough, it does prompt you about it and you can skip updates if necessary.
 
OP
A
Joined
Apr 30, 2007
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Your Mac's Specs
osx 10.8.5
While the updates to Windows are frequent enough, it does prompt you about it and you can skip updates if necessary.

Hold your horses here. You CAN skip the updates??????? My daughter said windows fixed it so you cannot skip them. That they just do it in the background and there's nothing you can do about it. Only bought a 4g laptop/removable touch screen thing so not a whole lot of space to pack it full of useless updates just so I can look at local listings, maps, and maybe log into my yahoo email. That's all the internet I wanted to use. Say it isn't so!

If I can just skip the updates there is no problem here.

As for using linux SHE has it on every computer at her house. So I do have some experience using it. Not that hard. Easier than windows actually. If I can still get it to work I'd like to go ahead and try. But I can't get past that part I posted earlier where it says to select the ISO only my whole desktop shows up blank. ????

Is there any other way to get the ISO onto a flash stick that might actually work?
 
OP
A
Joined
Apr 30, 2007
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Your Mac's Specs
osx 10.8.5
HEY I got this doing something.... quick now what did I do.....


I opened my finder, found my desktop there. THEN launched ubunto and just dragged the iso from my finder window to the blank field.... It's NOW finally transferring 1888 files to my flash stick.....

So... what's next? Stick the stick into the laptop, THEN turn it on right? Do I need to be holding anything down in order to boot from the flash drive?

Found another youtube video, looked promising...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIF8e_5F9B4
until you get to about five or so min in. Seems I need to get to the bios screen.
And here we go. Press and hold well... might be f2, f3, f12 oh **** no one knows. Which way is the wind blowing tonight? Spin counter clockwise and whistle dixie? I did at least get rid of my password so don't have to log in just to shut down.
(GOD I hate windows. SO SO very much.)

Getting too close to the I want to hurl this thing at the wall stage. I better let this go for awhile.
But I do have the flash stick ready at least. Looks like it actually got on there. Now how to use it?
 
Last edited:
OP
A
Joined
Apr 30, 2007
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Your Mac's Specs
osx 10.8.5
Ok one last update for tonight.

First... forget that youtube video. Clearly that only works on his brand of computer.
SO... what I have is an RCA tablet/laptop thing.
here... this.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/RCA-Cambio-Windows-10-Inch-Pink-2-in-1-Notebook-Tablet/45804388

I managed to get to the bios, it's click and hold esc
Found the boot tab.

Now what? That guys video shows selecting boot from usb but mine doesn't have that.
Mine shows option
1 windows boot manager
2 UEFI: built-in EFI (what ever that means.)

And that's it.

Lost. again. still. Tired. G'night. Will hopefully find answers in the morning.
 

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,745
Reaction score
2,071
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
The 4GB of memory is NOT your storage. You have at least 256GB if not more of storage. People usually confuse/conflate the two things.

Additionally, you can pause updates for a month or so until you are ready to do the updates at an appropriate time.
 
OP
A
Joined
Apr 30, 2007
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Your Mac's Specs
osx 10.8.5
Ok, still trying to get around using windows at all.

I'm up to the point where I have linux on a flash stick now. Found out how to get the laptop to open in bios.
BUT I don't have any option to move boot from usb anywhere.

copying my screen

boot configuration


Boot option Priorities
Boot Option #1 (Windows boot manager)
Boot Option #2 (UEFI: Built-in EFI ...)

Just launching the computer with the flash stick in it does NOTHING.
So what's next with this linux install?

- - - Updated - - -

Here's a thought, does ANYONE out there make and sell laptops with Linux as it's primary OS right out of the box?

If not, why the **** not? Windows has sucked since it was first introduced and Apple is on a downward spiral now too.
 

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,745
Reaction score
2,071
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
I haven't used a non-Mac machine for many years, so most of my knowledge is about a decade out of date from the perspective of BIOS and whats available these days.

Dell, for a short period of time, did sell laptops with Linux from the factory, but they stopped that quickly. As of right now, I know of no vendor out there that installs Linux from the factory.
 
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Messages
5,073
Reaction score
758
Points
113
Location
Ohio (USA)
Your Mac's Specs
2023-14" M3max MBPro, 64GB/1TB, iPhone 15 Pro, Watch Ultra
Sorry I am just chiming in a bit late but maybe I can help. I have created several USB Ubuntu Linux flash drives. I use them to do things to Windows that I can't get done in Windows which is another story.

This article gives steps on how to do it. Windows 10 has it's own special issues when it comes to booting from the USB drive but the article discusses how to get around them.

http://dailylinuxuser.com/2015/11/how-to-create-ubuntu-1510-usb-drive.html

Post back with questions.

Lisa
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top