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Upgrade process

After your computer arrives with us, we rebuild it from a clean slate: we install a new operating system onto the SSD you selected and apply the hardware upgrades in your order (for example extra RAM). Below is a plain-language checklist of what we recommend and how to handle an old hard drive.

What we do once the device is here

  1. We install a fresh Linux system on the new boot drive — not an in-place upgrade on top of Windows, but a clean install on the chosen disk.
  2. We install the hardware agreed in your tier: typically a new SSD as the system drive and, when the board and slots allow it, a RAM upgrade.
  3. We finish onboarding: your user account, networking, and any optional software bundles from the order.

Operating system — what we recommend

We recommend two well-supported desktop distributions; the choice depends on how you use the machine, and we can install either.

  • Linux Mint (Cinnamon) — our primary pick when you want a familiar desktop layout and a conservative update cadence.
  • Fedora Workstation — a strong alternative when you want a polished, up-to-date GNOME experience with solid upstream QA.

Hardware upgrades we recommend

  • An SSD as the system drive — the largest day-to-day win versus an old spinning disk for boot, apps, and responsiveness.
  • More RAM when the machine supports it — smoother multitasking, browsers, and light creative workloads.

Your old hard drive (HDD)

If you want to keep the old HDD, we can leave it inside the machine as a second disk. We can mount it so your previous files stay available in the file manager, and add desktop shortcuts if you like — mention this in your order. We still recommend removing the HDD before you send the laptop: lower shipping weight and heat, fewer dual-drive laptop quirks, and simpler logistics. You can remove it yourself (see DIY guides) or choose paid removal in the order.

Want a feel for the desktop before you decide? Try the safe in-browser demo below.

Try Linux in your browser

Choose Linux Mint or Fedora. Opens in a new tab via noVNC to the lab server. This is a demo: do not enter sensitive data.

Browser demo is not wired yet. Set NEXT_PUBLIC_TRY_LINUX_PROXY_BASE (e.g. http://127.0.0.1:8080) and deploy infra/try-linux.