If you are just getting started with Linux, then this will be helpful. If you are moving from an Ubuntu installation to a Linux Mint one, then you will need to download an ISO image from here: http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php/ then burn it to a DVD. The command below will use the wodim command to burn the image to a disk.
C:\MEDIA\ELEMENTS\FILES\ISOS> sudo wodim -speed=8 -v linuxmint-13-mate-dvd-64bit.iso |
After the installation, you will need to install any pending updates. The below command will take care of this.
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade |
There is a nice tip here showing how to disable desktop icons on the Linux Mint 13 MATE desktop: http://www.securitronlinux.com/linux-mint-2/disable-desktop-icons-on-the-linux-mint-13-mate-desktop-very-easy-with-the-configuration-editor/.
And how to re-install the Linux Mint GRUB bootloader if another Linux installation overwrites it: http://www.securitronlinux.com/bejiitaswrath/re-installing-the-grand-unified-boot-loader-grub2-in-linux-mint-13/.
I have a Mint tips page here: http://www.securitronlinux.com/linux-mint-13-maya-tips-and-configuration-tips-for-setting-up-your-new-installation/, this has quite a few tips to help with various problems encountered whilst using Linux Mint 13.
To install Google Earth on Linux Mint 13, download the appropriate *.deb files here: http://www.google.com/earth/download/ge/agree.html and then navigate to the ~/Downloads folder in a terminal and type the command below.
C:\HOME\FLYNN\DOWNLOADS> sudo dpkg -i google-earth-stable_current_amd64.deb |
The installation will complain about missing dependencies, to fix this type sudo apt-get -f install and the dependencies will be resolved.