Mint OS v21.x & v22 Review

A full featured Linux distro intended for ease of use

Discovery
When I first ventured into the world of Linux, I was looking for a distro that would be as close to Windows as possible. I wanted something that was easy to use and didn’t require a steep learning curve. After doing some research and watching YouTube videos, Linux Mint kept coming up as one of the best options for people transitioning from Windows. I also learned that Mint is based on Ubuntu Linux and shares a lot of the same code.

Installation
I downloaded the latest Mint 21.x ISO from the official website and used that version for all of my installations.

  #1 My first installation was on a Hyper-V virtual machine using the Mint ISO. It was quick and easy. This was just to do a basic review and compare it to Windows. I liked what I saw, so I decided to go further and try installing Mint on real hardware.

  #2 Next, I found an old HP desktop (Core i3 Gen 2) that had been sitting in my closet for years. It was missing a few parts, but I added 8GB of RAM from another old computer and installed a new 512GB SSD. Using Belena Etcher, I created a bootable USB drive from the ISO and installed Mint onto the old desktop. To my surprise, the performance was great for a 12-year-old computer! I managed to create a fully working Mint PC for just $35!

  #3 I later moved the SSD with Mint onto a newer Core i3 Gen 10 desktop that a client had abandoned. It had been sitting here for almost two years, and despite trying to contact the client several times, they never picked it up. When I moved the SSD, Mint recognized the new processor right away and had no issues. A note of caution: this type of upgrade only works if you’re moving from one Intel processor to another Intel processor. If you try to switch from Intel to AMD, you’ll run into problems. This is true for both Linux and Windows.

Printer Driver
Setting up printers in Windows can be a pain, but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was on Mint. My Brother Laser AIO printer, which is connected to the network via Ethernet, was automatically detected. I didn’t need to install any drivers—printing just worked. However, I haven’t tried using the scanner yet, so I’m guessing I’d need to download software from Brother for that to work.

Wi-Fi
At first, I couldn’t get Wi-Fi to work. I tried using a TP-Link external USB Wi-Fi adapter, but I couldn’t find the right driver, so I gave up on it. Next, I installed a TP-Link internal Wi-Fi card with an Intel chipset, and this time it worked right away—the operating system recognized it without any issues.

  Lesson 1: Installing Wi-Fi is easy if you have the right Linux drivers for your Wi-Fi card. If you don’t have the correct drivers, it gets trickier, but some people have managed to make it work with some complicated fixes that I’m still not familiar with.

  Lesson 2: Linux Mint seems to natively support Wi-Fi cards with Intel chipsets, making them easier to set up.

Samba Support
Samba installation is simple using commands you can find online. It works just as expected. The first time you connect, it takes a little longer because the system has to search for the network. After that, you’ll need to enter a password for the network share. Once that’s done, you’re good to go.

I haven’t figured out how to make the network connection permanent yet or skip the password prompt on subsequent connections.

Software
I used the Software Manager to install applications I was familiar with from Windows, like OBS, VLC, LibreOffice, VSCode, Steam, Minecraft, Mahjongg, and others. All of these worked just like they do on Windows and looked the same.

However, finding the right software can take a little searching since there are fewer options available compared to Windows. For example, Adobe Acrobat isn’t available for Linux, so I had to find an alternative PDF reader. I ended up using FoxIt Reader. Once you find the right alternative software, there might be another learning curve to get used to how it works.

Overall Impressions of Mint Cinnamon v21
Mint v21 is the easiest Linux distribution I’ve used so far. The setup was fast—probably even quicker than installing Windows 10. The interface is similar to Windows, which makes it a good choice for people who are new to Linux. Overall, Mint v21 has been the best Linux experience I’ve had so far.

Upgrade to Version 22 (Wilma) – 1/15/25
If you're using Linux Mint on Hyper-V, skip the upgrade to version 22. It simply won’t work as an upgrade. I tried multiple times, and each attempt ended with a bunch of error messages. I managed to fix some of them, but I couldn’t get through the whole upgrade.

Then I tried a fresh install using the v22.x ISO on Hyper-V Gen 2, but it failed to boot. I tried again with Gen 1, but got the same result. After some research, I found that everyone else seems to be facing the same issue, which seems to be related to video settings not working with Hyper-V. I’ve given up on using version 22.x with Hyper-V for now. If I find a solution, I’ll report back, but I might switch to a different hypervisor.

I also tried upgrading on a standalone desktop and ran into the same errors. It looks like I’ll need to wipe the drive and do a fresh install there too. The Linux community often talks about how great everything is, but when it comes time to upgrade, it feels like simple updates are impossible to pull off. This definitely lowered my confidence in Linux. My overall opinion of Mint has dropped a notch. A few days later I reformatted and reinstalled Mint 22 on dedicated hardware and it went great. I accomplished the task but I feel that I should not need to reformat and reload my software.

Mint 22.x has 2 flaws during installationn that may or may not affect your implementation:
Hyper-V compatibility is broken.
The ability to simply upgrade from 21 to 22 is broken.

Overall Impression of Linux
Linux distros require much less system power than Windows, making them perfect for giving old Windows computers a second life. Linux Mint 21.x, in particular, is very stable and reliable—I haven’t experienced any crashes. It just works. Some software is available for both Windows and Linux, and it looks and works the same on both systems. However, upgrading to Mint v22 was a total disaster.

Linux is a different world, and my goal is to use the command line (also called the terminal) as much as possible to get more experience. The Linux command line is very different from Windows, and the learning curve is steep. To figure things out, I find myself searching on Google or YouTube to solve problems and learn new things. Right now, I don’t feel ready to switch from Windows to Linux as my main operating system just yet.

Side Note
As a beginner, I’ve been taking notes on using Linux, especially Mint, to help answer common questions. I’ve written down solutions for problems I’ve encountered and looked up. Once I double-check everything and refine the wording, I might turn it into a PDF to share.