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by ingigauti 782 days ago
I really would like to be able to install Linux with Windows installer, just to make the switch easier.

I wanted to switch on my laptop and gave up. I didn't have large enough USB stick, so it just became to complex

Give me an Windows installer, and I'll switch today. Windows has really started to be slow in areas it shouldn't be, which translates to: it sucks

4 comments

So you have a spare Windows installer, but don't have a spare 8GB usb stick? It's a matter of downloading an image writer like Balena Etcher and an ISO and you're done

If you use Ventoy instead of Balena Etcher you can even still use the USB for other files

Even a 1 or 2 GB stick is plenty for a lot of good distros and network installers
I don't know what you mean. It's the exact same process as creating a USB windows installer. Download ISO, burn to USB, plug in and reboot.
Except it's not. Today, Windows wants you to use their media creation tool, which is more than just a "download bootable image and flash it to removable media" tool, but also actively slipstreams the latest OS patches to the install media. It ensures you get the latest OS on install with all the needed security patches.

Having a similar tool to automate not only bootable media creation, but also selection of distro and acquisition of install media would indeed make installation more simple. Unetbootin used to do that (still might? Haven't used it in ages), but IIRC, keeping the list of distros up to date was a challenge.

You can make a new partition and write the ISO there.
I think this may fall under the commenter's definition of "too complex." This kind of thing is normal for old heads, but I installed Linux on dozens of machines before I ever had to do manual anything. Just slap the iso onto a flash drive or DVD, and go.

Nix broke the streak, and even that was just a matter of following instructions in their wiki.

bingo

I have done my share setting up systems, I just don't have the patience I had when I was younger, put 2 hours into it. Gave up. There are new thing that I don't understand, need to learn that to understand. To much work. Just need to buy that usb stick

You don't have any 1GB USB drive?
Considering you can pick up a 16GB one for £2.50 at a supermarket checkout I don't think it's really that much of a hurdle.
It won't be a problem getting a usb stick, but I disagree that it´s not a hurdle

Why hasn't any distro create a Windows installer? I think it would increase the usage. Today you need to download an .iso file, you need to know how to set it up on USB, then restart.

I like download, open, next, done. Easy.

Nope, found a 256MB one :D