I *really* wanted to move to Ubuntu...

[kalpana]

Several years back, I had a chance to experience Ubuntu. I liked it, but I always had this application, or that program that required that I stay on Windows (usually something I needed for work). I liked Ubuntu, but the time was not right.

Flash forward to about two weeks ago. I start getting really tired of the big data mining corporations (Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft). I begin the process of reducing my footprint in their playgrounds.

• I had one of those Alexa units (the Dot); got rid of that thing.
• I pull everything down from Google Drive and Google Photos.
• I have made the switch from Google searches to Kagi searches.
• I uninstall Google Chrome and switch to Firefox.
• I have disconnected every website I visit from Google and log on with my email and password now.
• I begin searching for a good email provider to replace GMail. I think I will go with Mailbox.org -- still doing some research on that one.
• I move my blog over from Blogger to Wordpress.
• I get rid of Microsoft Office and I switch to LibreOffice (great stuff).
• I researched and found viable alternatives to everything I use on my Windows PC for Linux. I was on my way!
• Yesterday and today, I have spent some 16 hours trying desperately to install Ubuntu on my computer to no avail.

I tried. I really, really, tried. But the universe has determined that I am not to be running Ubuntu anytime soon.

• I downloaded the latest desktop version.
• I attempted to burn this to a DVD. Unfortunately, the latest version is too large to accomplish this.
• I followed the instructions to make a bootable flash drive on the Ubuntu Website.
• I tried using balenaEtcher. It would write the drive and successfully do a check telling me all was good.
• In reality, it destroyed the disk making it unreadable, not bootable, and messed up the drive in such a way that I could only reformat it to a size of 3.0 MB.
• I thought I did something wrong. So I tried again. Same result. belenaEtcher destroyed two of my flash drives.
• So I go download Rufus.
• I manage to make a bootable drive with Rufus and get Ubuntu's install media loaded onto it.
• Rufus tells me that one elements of the install media is incorrect -- the version of GRUB being used.
• I tell Rufus to use the install Media version. The guys who made it know what they are doing, right?
• My computer boots from the flash drive, but GRUB fails saying something about an invalid parameter.
• I have Rufus recreate the drive and replace GRUB with the version it thinks it is suppose to have.
• My computer boots from the flash drive, but whenever I try to execute the installation, the window opens then immediately closes. I reboot.
• My computer boots from the flash drive, but when I get to the point of telling it which wireless connection to use, it hangs. I reboot.
• My computer boots from the flash drive, but when I get to the point of telling it to connect to the internet, it tells me I have no wireless adapter. I reboot.
• My computer boots from the flash drive, but when I get to the point of telling it which wireless connection to use, it hangs (again). I reboot.
• My computer boots from the flash drive, and I am able to run the install. I enter everything, and it seems to put everything in place. Yea!
• At the end, there is nothing. No 'completed' screen. No reboot. No nothing. I reboot.
• My computer comes up in Windows. I reboot.
• I go into my computer's BIOS and change the boot drive to the one I installed Ubuntu on. I reboot.
• My computer tells me that this is not a bootable drive. I reboot.
• My computer boots from the flash drive, and I use the disk tools to look. It appears that the Ubuntu volume is there. It just cannot boot from it.
• I start the install again. I get to the point where the file transfer is supposed to happen and nothing happens. The installer closes. I reboot.
• My computer comes up in Windows. I use those disk management tools to look at the drive. I remove the partitions and start with a clean slate. I reboot.
• My computer boots from the flash drive, but whenever I try to execute the installation, the window opens then immediately closes. I reboot.
• My computer boots from the flash drive, but when I get to the point of telling it to connect to the internet, it tells me I have no wireless adapter. I reboot.
• My computer boots from the flash drive, and I am able to run the install.
• I get to the point where the file transfer is supposed to happen and nothing happens. The installer closes. I reboot.
• My computer comes up in Windows. I use those disk management tools to look at the drive. I remove the partitions and start with a clean slate.
• I reformat the drive, and using my backup, I put my old files back on it.
• I toss the Ubuntu boot/install flash drive into a drawer of my desk and I stare at the Windows Desktop I am stuck with for now.

I don't know. Maybe I will try Debian or something...