Is the Arch install process the same as Mint's?

Question

1.)Taking into consideation that it took me a few trys to even register for the forum (facepalms) and that I have only ever been a Mint user, how does the Arch install process compare to that of Mints?
2.)Will the install for a duel boot with Windows 7 be just as easy with Arch as it is with Mint?
3.)Are my questions an indication that I am probably not ready for Arch? (laughs)
4.)I really only use the Linux half of my duel boot when I am on unsecure networks while travleing and it makes me feel safer etc.. and when I do use it it's really just for browsing the internet. Should I just stick with Mint if thats all I really do?
I have heard only good things about Arch and if it's not going to make me want to rip out my hair, I would certinly like to reaplce Mint with Arch. Thank you for your time and help.

Answer 1

I came from Mint to Arch, via Debian and LFS. With regards to Grub, I'm still using the same grub installed by Mint two years ago, even though I no longer have Mint on the system. However, I do use a separate /boot partition and I'm comfortable editing grub.cfg directly when required. It does, however, mean that I never have to worry about adding a new OS for dual boot. Having said that, it's certainly not something I would suggest to anyone with limited experience.
Don't let others put you off with the "Arch is high maintenance" thing. If I'm honest, I don't find Arch significantly more high maintenance than any other Linux distro, though certainly during install and initial set up it helps if you have a reasonably good understanding of how the system is configured. Whereas the likes of Mint and other pre-built general distros have most of the system configuration done for you out of the box, on Arch you have to walk the extra mile and do it yourself. Linux is like women. The more you have to do to get them, the more you will get out of them in the end
Nevertheless, I fully agree with the "Test in a VM and get comfortable" philosophy first. This will help when you eventually come to a full install significantly. I did two test installs before a complete one, noting down where I had to pay particular attention. Also make sure that you don't need any firmware files, especially for network, when installing for real, or at least get the files and put them on a USB stick. Nothing worse than installing a system them not having any network to get the firmware required to get the network working. Catch 22 anyone?
Last edited by Roken (2012-04-23 10:46:23)