Yes, I have upgraded to Linux Mint 13 - Maya Cinnamon in my HP Pavilion if you had read my previous post of installing Linux Mint 12:
http://topicalls.blogspot.com/2012/10/installing-linux-in-hp-pavilion.html
Actually I have un-installed the previous version and reinstalled the new version 13 which is code named as Maya. The reason behind reinstalling is that there is no feature of automatic OS upgrade in Mint unlike Ubuntu.
There are various editions of Mint namely - MATE (32Bit/64Bit) , Cinnamon (32Bit/64Bit), KDE, Xfce, etc and also Linux Mint Debian version. As you might be knowing we can create a USB boot loader and test run the OS without installing it. I tried all the versions of Mate, Cinnamon and Debian. I liked Debian very much because it allows you to choose between Mate and Cinnamon during your Login Session every time. So, you will be able to experience both the editions in a single install.
So, which is the right version to install within windows in HP Pavilion ? Cinnamon 64-bit is the only option you have because of the following reasons:
- Only 64 bit is supported in Windows installer.
- Debian cannot be installed within Windows since it does not support wubi unlike ubuntu.
- During the test run, the single tap click on the touch pad did not work for both Debian and Mate.
Installation:
Follow the same procedure mentioned in my previous post, i.e :
1. Download the iso of Cinnamon 64 bit from linuxmint.com
2. Download and install Virtual CloneDrive from:
http://www.slysoft.com/en/download.html
3. Once the installation is done. Right click the iso file and click the " Mount" option.
A drive will be created under your "My Computer", on clicking it you will be able to install Linux. If you find it difficult : check this link: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/20079/install-linux-mint-on-your-windows-computer-or-netbook/
This software will create a virtual partition which will allow you to install linux in it.
Note: If you don't care about recovering your Windows OS, you can go ahead and install Linux, the distro of your choice (I prefer Linux Mint Debian) by deleting the "Recovery" Drive/partition in your HP laptop which is of 20GB size and it is more than enough to install Linux. And you don't have to worry about the above installation stuff.
Brightness Issue:
Once the installation is complete in your Windows, you have to reboot your system. Now, you will be able to see the GRUB loader where you can choose between Windows or Linux Mint.
Choose Linux Mint and press enter. After a few seconds your screen will be still dark. Don't worry press the F3 / Brightness few times which is to increase the brightness in your HP system.
The installation is not yet complete, once the login is completed. You will see a "Install " icon on the desktop. Click that and complete the installation.
After the installation is complete, go to Update Manager and install all the updates.
Fixing the Brightness issue in HP Pavilion:
The brightness issue can be easily fixed so that it will automatically adjust the brightness each time Linux is loaded. Follow the below steps :
1. Open terminal and type the command : gksudo gedit /etc/default/grub
2. This will open the grub file in the editor. Take a backup of it.
3. Edit the original file by typing acpi_backlight=vendor in between the " " in the line as : GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="acpi_backlight=vendor"
4. Save the file.
5. Run the command sudo update-grub .
This worked perfectly for me, the brightness was automatically set every time I logged in.
Now that the installation is complete you can play around with personalization
Login Screen:
If you don't worry about security, you can select "Allow automatic login" at the time of installation or later in the settings.
Since, Linux 13 offers you a feature of MDM : Multiple Display Manager, the login screen is different from Linux 12. Linux 13 asks you to enter both your username and password every time. I wanted my Linux 12 login screen back where you can enter only the password. This can be done by the below command :
sudo apt-get install lightdm
During the installation it will give you a dialog box which asks you to choose between "Lightdm" and "MDM" . Choose Lightdm and hit enter.
You will get your Linux 12 Login screen back !!
Themes:
The settings also is different from Linux 12. You will not be able to find the Themes under the usual "System Settings" instead it is available in "Cinnamon Settings"
which can be opened from the Start Menu Favourites or from the Taskbar/ Panel Settings - Other Settings.
I did not like any of the Window border themes in Cinnamon, all were grey with light colored text.
Installing themes is very easy. Thanks to one of the videos in Youtube.
Mint 13 Bug:
When you change the Window themes under the "Other Settings" tab in the "Themes" window. The change is not reflected instantly as in Linux usually. The workaround is : Press Alt+F2 and enter "R" - hit Enter.
You will able to see the change of the window theme reflected now.
Installing Themes:
Download the required theme - it can be either the OS theme or the window theme, usually comes in a zipped file. Extract it.
Open the Home Folder. Press Ctrl + H. This will show the Hidden Files. If you don't find "./themes" folder. Create a New Folder with the name "./themes". Copy the extracted themes folder to the "./themes" folder.
When you open the "Cinnamon Settings -> Themes" settings, you will be able to see the saved New Theme. You can choose it and enjoy.
I downloaded the themes and window borders from the site :
http://linuxmint-art.org/
You can install Linux without losing your Windows. Linux 13 is fast and secure. Try it and Enjoy !!
