If you've been reading much of my work, you know I switch Linux distributions (also called distros) a lot. Distro-hopping involves completely overwriting an operating system, and I've been asked how I do that without pulling my hair out. Let me explain.
The answer, in part, is that I do not have much hair left to pull, as you might astutely observe by the headshot in my author biography. That's not all though; I've also developed several habits to make complete OS transitions simple and minimize the time between wiping the hard drive and humming along with my PC work and entertainment.
Keep a Password Vault on a USB Drive
Any time you set up an operating system, one of the first things you're going to need to do is sign into your accounts. Ubuntu Desktop usually prompts you to sign in to your online accounts at first startup. Digging up your passwords is a pain, though.
If you have an online password manager, you're a bit limited in that, first, you typically need your preferred browser already installed to get to it. Second, depending on your setup, you may need to complete multi-factor authentication to access your passwords.
PNY Duo Link V3
- Brand
- PNY
- Capacity
- 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
The PNY Duo Link V3 flash drive offers both USB-C and USB-A plugs. With USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds, you can expect up to 1,000MB/s read and 800MB/s write speeds from this flash drive. Coming in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage sizes, this all-metal flash drive makes it easy to bring large amounts of fast storage with you anywhere.
- Speed
- 1000MB/s read, 800MB/s write
- Connection
- USB-C/A
- Portable
- Yes
- Warranty
- 2 Year
My solution is to just make a small collection of mission-critical passwords stored in a KeePass vault and keep it on a USB flash drive I keep handy. I'm also able to skip the step of installing KeePassXC to open the vault with by addingthe KeePassXC AppImage to the USB drive. SinceAppImages are portable, there's no installation; I just make the file executable and run it. Then, my most important passwords are at my fingertips.
Keep Important Files Synced From the Cloud
Using the log-ins from that password manager, my next step is to sign in to my cloud storage service and sync files. I keep work and other important files synced across devices this way. I use a self-hosted Nextcloud instance, but you can also use Google Drive or ownCloud. Once I'm logged in, I select the folders I want synced to the device (including my full password vault) and wait for the download to complete.
Of course, to log into that cloud service you need to know your password. Remember, having a portable password vault with key setup passwords flash drive is great for this. You could also put your important files on that drive, but you probably don't want anything sensitive stored in unencrypted storage.
New Desktop? Print a Cheat Sheet
Your experience of Linux can vary drastically depending on what desktop environment (DE) the distro your hopping target uses. When I switch to a new DE, one of the most important aspects is its shortcuts. I need to know what to press and how my workflow is going to change with this DE. This is especially the case with a window manager where mouse usage is usually downplayed.
Fortunately, many people out there have made cheat sheets, which you can search out online. Some developers even make them available, like theofficial i3 reference card.
If you're new to using keyboard shortcuts, it's helpful to have someone walk you through them and learn how useful they can be. I've made a list of theuseful Kubuntu shortcuts, plus another list ofsome advanced Kubuntu shortcuts for your reference.
New Package Manager? Get the cheat Command
Desktop environments aren't the only drastic change you might encounter when hopping distros. You also might face a change in terminal-based package managers. Especially in the case of pacman and yay's cryptic flags, you're going to want to be prepared so you don't accidentally issue the wrong command.
To get used to any package manager as well as a host of other common commands, I recommendinstalling the cheat utility. It gives you a collection of example commands without the technical explanations and textbook approach ofman pages.
Backups, Backups, Backups
Of course, if you're overwriting an operating system with your distro-hop, backups are always crucial. Iuse the program Back In Time to easily copy my entire home folder onto an external drive. Then, after installing the new distro, I restore the files I want to my new home folder.
The software configuration files located in places like /home/$USER/.config are probably the most important. That way, when you install software you consistently use across distros, you don't lose all the tweaks and settings you've made over the years on your original distro.
Be Ready With a List of Apps You Use
Speaking of installing software, a simple list can be a great way to make distro hopping easy, especially if you're comfortableinstalling software from the Linux terminal. Before hopping distros, go through the software you have installed, either by pouring over your application launcher or the results of a command like this:
apt list --installed
Take note of everything you definitely want to use on your next distro. Write each down in a text file with its package name, ideally.
With that list saved and backed up with your other files (or maybe on that USB drive), you can open it post-hop and start downloading software with it. The cleanest way to do this is to just issue one package manager command to install them all. For example, on Ubuntu or an Ubuntu-based distro, I'd issue this command to install a bunch of useful apps:
sudo apt install keepassxc libreoffice btop nextcloud-desktop steam lutris
The nice thing is that I don't have to check first if the apps I'm trying to install are pre-installed or not. APT will skip over them if they are. Most package managers work this way too; just list the package names following an install command and each one will be installed if it can be.
Why I Stopped Flashing USB Drives and Use Ventoy Instead
Say goodbye to the frustrations of constantly reformatting USB drives.
The unfortunate thing is that the reliability depends on which distro I'm using. Not all distros share the same repositories, and the same application may have different package names between repositories—or it may not exist at all. Be sure to watch the output of the command and note when APT or whatever package manager you're using runs into an issue.
If you feel more confident about distro-hopping now, I recommend you check outhigh performance-ready Linux distros or, on the opposite end of the spectrum,lightweight distros for low-resourced hardware.
