Switching From Windows to Pop!_OS (My Step-by-Step Setup)
Switching From Windows to Pop!_OS (My Step-by-Step Setup)
So I recently decided to switch my main desktop from Windows over to Pop!_OS, and honestly it was way smoother than I expected. I’m still learning Linux, but I’ve been messing around with Kali and lab environments for a bit, so I figured it was time to make the jump on my main machine.
If you’re thinking about doing the same thing, here’s the exact process I used to move from Windows to Pop!_OS.
Step 1 — Back Up Your Important Stuff
Before you do anything, back up your important files. When you install Linux and choose a clean install, it will wipe your drives.
Things I recommend backing up:
- Documents
- Pictures
- Password exports or browser sync
- Game saves if you care about them
- Any project files
I personally made sure my browser was synced and copied anything important to another drive.
Step 2 — Download Pop!_OS (Important if you have older NVIDIA GPUs)
Go to the official Pop!_OS website and download the installer.
You’ll see different installer options depending on your hardware.
Normally you would choose:
- NVIDIA version – if you have an NVIDIA GPU
- Intel/AMD version – if you don’t
However I ran into an issue because I’m using a GTX 1080 Ti.
The newest installer build didn’t play nicely with my GPU, so instead I installed:
Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS
Details for the version I used:
- File Size: 2.91 GB
- Requirements:
- 4 GB RAM
- 16 GB storage
- 64-bit processor
This version is recommended for systems with:
- Intel graphics
- AMD graphics
- NVIDIA 10-series GPUs and older (like the GTX 1080 Ti)
So if you’re running similar hardware and the newest installer gives you issues, grabbing the 24.04 LTS ISO worked perfectly for me.
Step 3 — Make a Bootable USB
You’ll need a USB drive (8GB or bigger).
I used Balena Etcher to flash the installer.
Steps:
- Plug in your USB drive
- Open Balena Etcher
- Select the Pop!_OS ISO file
- Select your USB drive
- Click Flash
After that finishes you’ll have a bootable Pop!_OS installer.
Step 4 — Enter Your BIOS
Restart your computer and open the BIOS.
The key depends on your motherboard, but common ones are:
- F2
- F12
- DEL
- ESC
Once you’re in the BIOS there are two things you should check.
Disable:
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Secure Boot
Then make sure your USB drive is first in the boot order.
Step 5 — Boot Into the Pop!_OS Installer
Restart the computer again and choose your USB drive from the boot menu.
The Pop!_OS installer will load and you’ll get a graphical setup screen.
Step 6 — Install Pop!_OS
You’ll be asked how you want to install the system.
I chose:
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Clean Install
This wipes the drive and installs Pop!_OS fresh.
After that you’ll:
- Create your username
- Set a password
- Choose install location
The installer handles the rest.
Step 7 — Reboot and Remove the USB
Once installation finishes the system will ask you to reboot.
Remove the USB drive when prompted so it boots into your new Pop!_OS system.
At this point you’re officially running Linux.
Step 8 — Update the System
First thing I always do on a new Linux install is update everything.
Open a terminal and run:
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sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
Step 9 — Fix and Set Up My Other Drives
After the install I realized my other hard drives weren’t set up yet. Pop!_OS could see them, but they still had old Windows partitions.
First I checked all my drives with:
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lsblk
Then I opened the Disks utility included with Pop!_OS.
Since the drives were previously used with Windows, I had to:
- Delete the old partitions
- Create new partitions
- Format them using the ext4 filesystem
Once formatted, the drives mounted under:
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/media/username/
Mine show up as:
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/media/notyourdad/Node one
/media/notyourdad/Node two
I now use those drives for things like:
- virtual machines
- lab environments
- project files
- general storage
This keeps my main system drive clean while the other drives handle lab work.
Final Thoughts
Switching from Windows to Pop!_OS honestly wasn’t nearly as scary as I expected. The first couple hours involved some learning and troubleshooting, but once you start understanding how Linux handles things like drives, permissions, and services, it actually starts to make a lot of sense.
If you’re curious about Linux, cybersecurity, or just want more control over your system, I definitely recommend giving Pop!_OS a try.
At this point I can honestly say I love it. The more I use it and learn how things work under the hood, the more comfortable it feels. I went into this thinking I might end up going back to Windows at some point, but after getting everything set up the way I want it, I really don’t see myself switching back.