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Are you frustrated with Windows? Have you had enough of the random restarts, lost data, and concern for your privacy? What about having to purchase a new computer just to run the latest version of Microsoft’s OS? It can get frustrating. Fortunately, there’s Linux.
I’ve experienced just about every Linux distribution made over the past few decades. I’ve seen so many versions of Linux claim to be the perfect operating system for new users, especially, those looking to finally shrug off Microsoft’s operating system.
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Some of those Linux distributions did a fairly decent job of helping users leave the world of proprietary operating systems, while others came up short.
And then there’s Feren OS. Feren OS isn’t just a pretty face, it’s a face in which you’ll find much comfort, as it’s both immediately familiar and new at the same time.
What is Feren OS?
Feren OS is a version of the Linux operating system that leans heavily into the KDE Plasma desktop with plenty of tweaks, such as substituting the Nemo file manager in place of Dolphin, to make it as elegant as it is user-friendly.
I’ve already reviewed Feren OS, but there’s a tool within the desktop distribution that focuses specifically on Windows users to greatly simplify the migration. That is what I want to highlight here.
Welcome to the Feren OS Transfer Tool
With the OS comes a tool called the Feren OS Transfer tool. This makes a backup copy of the data in your current operating system and then restores it to the new system after the installation is complete.
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Let me explain.
First off, you need to understand what a Live distribution is. With Linux comes the means to test an operating system before you install it. These Live systems run completely in RAM, so they don’t make any changes to your currently installed operating system or the data contained within.
When you boot a Linux live file system, it can access the files from the current operating system by mounting the host directory structure to a folder in the Live system. So, how this would work is:
- Download Feren OS.
- Create a bootable USB drive from the downloaded ISO image.
- Boot the computer from the USB drive.
- Mount a specific directory in the host OS (Windows) via the guest OS (Linux).
- Access your files and other data.
- Using the Feren OS Live distribution, you can then launch the Transfer Tool which offers a one-click backup of your data.
How to use the Transfer Tool
The first thing you must do is boot into the Feren OS Live distribution.
From the Feren OS desktop menu, click System > Transfer Tool.
Once the Transfer Tool opens, click Backup Data.
The Feren OS makes it simple to back up and restore data. Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Click the On/Off slider for Backup data from an external source.
From the drop-down associated with the Backup Data, select the mounted drive. You will then be asked to select from the list of users the tool discovers. Select the correct user and then (using the bottom drop-down) select the location to house the backup.
Also: How to permanently mount a drive in Linux (and why you should)
After selecting your source and destination, click Begin Backup. When the backup completes, close the Transfer tool.
The final step is to install Feren OS on the hard drive. After the installation completes, open the Transfer Tool again, only this time you’ll click Restore Data, select the location you backed the data up to from the drop-down, select the data you’d like to restore, and click Begin Restore.
One thing to note is the restore process copies your data from the external source into your home directory. If that’s not the proper location for the data, you’ll then have to manually move it to where it needs to live.
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And that, my friends, is one of the many ways Feren OS is the ideal Linux distribution for those looking to migrate away from Windows. Anyone looking to adopt Linux as their daily operating system would be remiss if they didn’t at least give Feren OS a try. I’m confident that after you see how user-friendly this OS is, you’ll find it one of the best platforms to help you finally crash through Windows.
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