As mentioned in Chapter 1, Meet Linux Mint, there are several versions (or spins) of Linux Mint. The primary difference is that each version features a different primary user interface (Cinnamon, MATE, KDE, and Xfce), but the differences don't stop there. The preinstalled applications also differ a bit between them.

Before you decide which spin to download, the first decision you should make is whether or not to install the 32-bit or 64-bit version. As a general rule, you should choose the 64-bit version if you have 4 GB or more of RAM. Considering that almost all computers sold at the time of writing this book shipped with 4 GB or more of RAM, the majority of readers should download the 64-bit edition. If you have an older computer with less than 4 GB of RAM and you have no intention of upgrading beyond 4 GB later, go with the 32-bit version of Mint. The version you choose will not impact your ability to follow along with this book in any way whatsoever.

Most operating systems are typically installed on your primary hard disk, and that's pretty much your only option. Linux (including Mint) is much more flexible and offers more options to install and use any given distribution. In the case of Mint, it can also take over your entire hard disk just like any other OS, but the fun doesn't stop here. Mint can also be installed on a USB flash drive (either as boot media or even as a full-fledged installation), which then becomes an operating environment in your pocket that you can take with you and use on any PC. Mint can also be installed on a virtual machine or alongside another operating system, thus allowing you to select between them when your computer starts up.

In fact, Mint doesn't have to be installed at all. The installation media you'll create is useful for more than just installing the distribution; you can even run Mint from the DVD or USB flash drive itself without installing it. This...

The current activity as well as the next one will walk you through the creation of your very own bootable media. This activity will walk you through the creation of a bootable DVD, and the next one will cover the creation of a bootable flash drive. However, you only need to complete one or the other (not both). Whether you should create a bootable DVD or flash drive depends on your needs, what you hope to accomplish, and what kind of hardware you have.

Live DVDs are very useful boot discs that will work on the majority of computers made in the last several years. However, optical drives are no longer a standard requirement on computers shipped today. While most computers still come with a DVD drive, more and more computers are being manufactured without them. For example, if you were to buy an Ultrabook, a live DVD would be useless to you because few (if any) Ultrabooks come with an optical drive. At the time of writing this book, Apple has discontinued optical drives...

Creating a bootable USB flash drive has the same benefits as creating a bootable DVD plus one. You can create a bootable flash drive where the changes you make are retained (persistence), unlike a DVD, which is entirely read only. Thus, you can have an entire operating system that fits in your pocket and can be booted from any PC. Depending on the type of computer you have, creating a bootable flash drive may be your only option if you lack a DVD drive, as is becoming more and more common. It's recommended that you use a 2 GB flash drive or a larger one. If you want your resulting flash drive to allow you to save files and changes, try to go for 4 GB or larger if you can.

The steps to create a bootable flash drive from within the Windows operating system are as follows: