Liberating My Microsoft Laptop with Linux Mint by Mangotek. Published on: 2025-06-03
I finally got around to giving my old Surface Laptop 2 a second life with Linux. I went with Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition, and I’m really glad I did.
And touchscreen and my trackpad still work.
So why Mint and not something else? From everything I read, Linux Mint kept coming up as one of the best choices for people used to Windows. The layout, the workflow, the learning curve – it all felt familiar. I also checked out elementary OS which looks great too, especially if you’re moving over from macOS. But for me, Mint was the better fit.
My Surface already had a known issue with the built-in Wi-Fi, even before installing Mint. I spent way too much time troubleshooting it to conclude with faulty hardware on a old machine. Instead, I plugged in a wired ethernet connection during setup, which worked fine. After installation, I bought a TP-Link AC1300 Nano USB Wi-Fi adapter – it works flawlessly with Linux Mint. So yeah, I’ll be carrying a tiny USB stick for Wi-Fi from now on, and that’s fine by me.
What you need:
Surface Laptop 2 (or similar)
8GB or larger USB stick
A USB-A ethernet dongle (helpful for setup)
Optional: a USB Wi-Fi adapter for after the install
A second computer to prepare the USB
Some backup storage if you care about your files
