Are you in plans of purchasing a new computer ? If so, did you give a thought about which operating system you want ? Today we have many operating system to choose from than ever. Microsoft Windows is still popular, but even Macs are now affordable compared to the higher-end Windows computers. Google also provides Chromebooks which are cheap and simple , and Linux laptops are an extra option, too.

In this article we gonna discuss ‘how to choose an operating system for you PC’ .

Step 1 : Check the system requirements:

If you have decided to install a new OS (operating system), Firstly you need to figure out which OS ( operating system ) you want to use. Operating systems have different system requirements, so if you own an older computer, make sure that you computer can handle a newer version of operating system.

Mostly Windows installations requires at least 15- 20 GB of hard disk space and 1 GB of RAM . Make sure that your PC can accommodate the following requirements . If your PC doesn’t have the following requirements , then its better to install an older versions of operating system, such as Windows 98 , XP.

On the other side Linux operating systems don’t need much space and computing power as compared to the Windows operating systems. The requirements of the computer vary depending on the OS you choose (Fedora ,Ubuntu, Mint etc.).

Step 2 : Deciding whether to download or purchase :

If you want to install Windows on to your computer you need to purchase license. Each windows license comes up with an activation key which is good for one installation.

Mostly Linux distributions are freely available to download and there are no such restrictions like single installation or one time installation ( i.e you can install as many times you would like ).

Step 3 : Research about your software compatibility :

Make sure that the OS (operating system) which you want to install on your computer supports all the programs that you want to use. If you want to use Microsoft Office , then you won’t be able to install that application on a Linux machine.

There are some substitute programs available freely , but the work functionality may be limited to some extent.
There are many games which work only on windows but not Linux.

Step 4 : Get your new operating system :

If you have purchased a copy of Windows from any store, you should be given an installation disc along with your windows activation code. If you don’t have the installation disc, but have a valid code, then you can download a copy of the installation disc online.

If you want to install Linux, you can directly download an ISO of the distribution from the official developer’s website.
An ISO file is a disc image which should be burned to a disc .

Step 5 : Backup your data :

When you are installing a new OS, you are most likely going to wipe the hard drive in this process. This mean that you are going to lose all your files , until and unless you backup them .

Also See: Easy way to backup your computer

Always make sure to backup the important files to a secured location before starting the installation process. You can do this in a number of ways. And if are looking for something like that, here are a few: backup your computer using Windows File History or backup your computer using Command Prompt.