'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
Looking to switch to Linux from Windows? The Feren OS Transfer Tool makes it easy
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. 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 that you'll find much comfort and familiarity in. 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 help them make the migration. That is what I want to highlight here.
Also: Linux 101: How to create a zip file in Linux
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.
ZDNET recommends
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.
Also: How to share folders to your network from Linux
Using the Transfer Tool
1. Boot Feren OS
The first thing you must do is boot into the Feren OS Live distribution.
2. Mount your Windows drive
Next, open the Feren OS file manager, right-click the drive containing the Windows partition, and click Mount. This step makes your Windows data available to Feren OS.
3. Open the Transfer Tool
From the Feren OS desktop menu, click System > Transfer Tool.
4. Back up your data
Once the Transfer Tool opens, click Backup Data.
The Feren OS makes it simple to back up and restore data.
5. Enable external source for backup
Click the ON/OFF slider for Backup data from an external source.
6. Select the mounted Windows drive
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.
After selecting your source and destination, click Begin Backup. When the backup completes, close the Transfer tool.
7. Install Feren OS and restore your backup data
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.
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, 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.