Q&A for How to Install Linux Mint

Yes, you can, but it will be safer if during the install, you disconnect the old hard drive that you have. (Plug in only the new hard drive {F:})

You can't install Linux Mint on a DVD. You can burn the downloaded ISO to the DVD, though, and boot from the DVD to install Linux Mint on your computer or alongside your Windows OS, as described in this article.

Please see How to Reset Forgotten Password in Linux .

Yes, Linux Mint in the version 18.1 Serena Cinnamon includes a firewall by default.

Yes. Typically, you uninstall an operating system by formatting a partition. This will erase all of your personal data unless you have that personal data stored on a separate partition.

You can download the ISO to your computer and put it on a USB stick via a program such as Rufus. Boot from it, and make sure to choose a lightweight Linux distribution like Xubuntu or Lubuntu.

FTP install used to be quite common but, unfortunately, as distros have gotten a lot bulkier, it isn't the best option in terms of both server costs for developers and decent Internet speeds for the end user. There still are some Linux distributions, like Arch Linux, that do FTP installs. However, Arch Linux really is for experienced users only. Instead, try using unetbootin (which is multi format) to make a bootable USB stick. It can download the distro's ISO, if required. Make sure the BIOS boot sequence has the USB stick set first, though.

Its the same as installing to a drive with something already on it. The Linux Mint installer will automatically partition.

If you choose to erase the hard drive, yes. However, you could back up your files first or dual boot so you can access windows and linux on the same PC.

The size of the ISO file is slightly less than 2 GB. Since Linux will be installed on your hard drive, not the USB stick, an 8GB volume is more than enough.

You can install Linux Mint alongside Windows XP or replace one with the other. The installation should be the same for XP; however, the bios will most likley be different for your computer. You can use a SSB as long as your bios can boot up from the USB drive.

Yes. Note that the example uses a computer with no operating system at all.

You need some type of storage device to install it. If you don't have a flash drive, a CD would work.

No, if you choose the "Erase everything" option, it will format it for you.

Try to reinstalling the OS exactly as mentioned in the steps above. If that doesn't work, then you can try by disabling the internet connection.

Unlike Windows, Linux has integrated open-source drivers already in it. So your wifi adapter will work fine during installation. But since they are generic drivers, you may not be able to access the full potential of your hardware device. Don't worry though, you can install official drivers from their respective websites after you install Linux.

A wired or wireless connection will work fine. In fact, you don't even need an internet connection during installation because you can always install the required softwares later.

Yes. You can install Linux Mint on any system that meets the system requirements.

No, you do not need an "NTFS bootloader." The directions do not say to install to an "unallocated C:". If you are deviating from the instructions, it makes it harder to identify what the source of your problem is.

You can't "unwrite" a flash drive, any more than you can "unwrite" a sentence. You erase or reformat the drive. On Linux Mint, you can use GParted to delete and create partitions on the flash drive. On Windows, you can use Disk Management.

It should be possible. Any USB drive should work.