Installing Linux distributions is a mostly painless process. What roadblocks did I face?
- I fought tooth and nail with Windows auto-loader permissions on my boot drive.
- I had to replace the MediaTek Wifi chipset with an Intel variant for kernel compatibility.
Linux just works out of the box due to common drivers being embedded into the kernel. Simply put, a majority of the work has already been done for you and the list of supported hardware is quite impressive across the range of distributions.
The good news? I can engage with learning Fedora without needing to make endless system tweaks. This means diving into everything the command line has to offer. I will work through William Shotts’ aptly named text, The Linux Command Line, in order to have some structure throughout this deep dive and so that I do not fall back to using a GUI for unnecessary tasks.
Unfortunately, Windows did put up one final roadblock worth mentioning.
- Enter the Copilot key.
This key is coded at the system level and does require some tinkering before it has any function at all. It’s hard to imagine this key being a welcome addition on anyone’s keyboard.
Still here? Then let me address why I chose to forego dual-booting Fedora and Windows. Microsoft has no issues allowing OEMs to install copious amounts of bloatware on their devices. The Acer system I recently purchased came with ten additional applications installed that ran at startup. The collective weight of the bloatware was enough to make a 2026 laptop with 32GB of RAM feel sluggish on day one.
There are already enough nonsensical and telemetry-based startup processes occurring on Windows that allowing manufacturer executables on top of that jumble infuriates me. Acer, at least in its 2026 iteration, ups the ante by creating a hidden partition on the OS disk that automatically reinstalls all of their bloatware upon restarting or installing system updates. The feeling of not being in control of my own PC was enough for me to just delete my Windows partition entirely.