Edit from 2021 : please note that this tutorial is old now, things are a bit different (especially the size for the partitioning), check my new tutorial install instead : https://melina-j.me/linux-mint-install-tutorial-2021/ ,  https://melina-j.me/linux-mint-install-tutorial-part-2/ .

I’m just going to copy/paste the blog post I’ve made last year, here :

Here are a few tips which might be useful (but please remember that I am clearly not a pro, so others might have more useful advices/tips).

• Read around (forums, google, etc) and see what distro and what version you like best. It’s often said that Ubuntu, Deepin and Mint are the best choice for beginners. There are many more distros, though. It’s really just a matter of preference.

• For Mint, read this first, so that you know more or less what you’re doing.

 

To make a bootable usb key :

• Download the version you want for free (and legally, of course). Linux Mint.

• Check the MD5 (the number that you can find on the download page), to see if what you’ve downloaded is usable. For example, by using this http://www.winmd5.com

• You can’t copy directly the file (ISO image) on your usb key, it won’t work. Just do what is said here : easy step by step tutorial.

• Then turn your computer off.
• Insert the usb key.
• Turn the computer on.

If your computer is on Windows 7 or older :

• press F12 when the logo of your computer brand’s appear. Choose the usb key.
• Follow the steps (the computer will do some stuff before the steps/menu appear. That’s impressive but normal).
• Don’t remove the usb key until it’s been installed and rebooted (restarted). ^_^

If your computer is more recent, you need to unlock it : here’s a tutorial. (I’m not really sure here… I think things have changed since last year ? All I know is that there’s a “magic trick” that the computer guy showed me : On a laptop, don’t turn your computer on by pushing the on/off button as usual, but use a thin non-metallic object to hit the “tiny little button on the side” that will turn the computer on as well. Then you can press F12 and go on with your install. Not sure if it works with every laptop brands nor how to proceed with a home computer.

If you’re going for a dual boot :

• Back up everything on your computer, in case something goes wrong or you click on the wrong option and everything gets deleted.

Other (for Mint) :

• If nothing happens, i.e. the computer doesn’t boot on the usb key, retry and during the countdown, just press the space bar once, then select the “boot in compatibility mode”. If it doesn’t work either, try another version. (13 is said to work with any computer).
• If you can’t start the computer normally, try the recovery start, it’s different from the recovery start in Windows.

Here’s the link to the vlog I’ve made while installing Mint 17 on a 10-year-old computer last year : http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2hszb9_the-penguin-english-subtitles_lifestyle (French with English subtitles, but be warned, it’s a vlog, not a tutorial.)

If you think I’ve made a mistake somewhere or have more infos to add, please feel free to comment.

 

(Disclaimer : Mélina J and Cymellia are not affiliated in anyway with Linux Mint. I have made the tutorial in order to show some support to the community, without being solicited. I don’t claim copyright on this specific video, feel free to reupload it if you want to (for convenience or for archiving, for example). I don’t have a download link to provide, but I can send the video by email if needed).

 

Edit : https://melina-j.me/how-to-make-an-efi-partition-linux-os-install/