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After all these years of being abused by MS since DOS, I dig this Linux and gladly welcome the very few minor short comings it might have right now for the ball and chain to be removed. It is getting better by the day and if more would load it the options and advantages would explode.

In order to run it on the latest Ryzen CPUs with integrated graphics, it seems you at least would need the latest kernel (5.x)., How can you tell which kernel version a distro has? I have looked but find no such info in release notes (such as for Minut 19.2). I understand it will upgrade, but I would want to try it out before installing it.

I hope to install Linux on my older PC, running a AMD 4350 CPU (4.2 Ghz) with 16GB ram, but how can I get the live version to recognize my USB wireless, which is the only way i can connect? It is not even shown (Windows 10 does though it needs the RealTek driver for dual-band).

And as I like to do a lot of customizing (without having to learn coding if possible) if i can ask about other customizations, is there a Linux program that is really like AutoHotKey, by which (among other things) I can easily change the CapsLock key to copy, and the Esc key to paste (and NumLock to Esc), which is a must due to my arthritic fingers. I spent much time once trying proffered solutions but which failed, and the default options for keyboard hot keys would not do this, though IIRC with Fedora I was able to partially achieve this.

is there a clock in Linux that compares to T-Clock redux in depth and ease of customization?

And do you know of any Linux utilities that are comparable to the Ultimate Windows Tweaker (200 tweaks offered) and Winaero Tweaker

Which of the many desktop flavors do you consider to be the best for functionality and customization? I like a compact yet detailed start menu, and the ability to add items to right click menus (such as the free Right-Click Extender enables). Which desktop and or app is closest to enabling such?

Which file manager is most comparable to Tree size free?

Can I customize each folder icon?

I have been the only user on this PC for years, and have never had a virus or malware in Windows 10 (two previously going back to 2000), and you have to grant permission to any program to install in W/10, or to access certain files, which just means to agree, and system files are protected, but you can permanently change permissions (like for the host file), or you can enable the Adminstrators account. Rather than needing to run sudo for each time I want to do the same in Linux, I would like to be able to just right clock and choose Run as Adminstrator, or Take ownership.

Is playing DVDs and other media with protected multimedia codecs legal in America now (MP3 is i think)? I know the VLC player (for one) will do so, and the Windows Store offers a free DVD player, and you can buy one from fluendo for Linux and Windows (separate licenses though).

Do not feel you have to answer these but they would be a help while also showing why I prefer Windows, as customized. Thanks. Grace and peace thru Jesus the Lord.

OK my friend, let’s be fair here and agree on something from the start. In no way are you near being the normal average windows user. From what you have shared so far over the last year you have a fetish for very detailed personal customization and additional applications of which some are redundant and added extra personal flair like T clock.

I’m hoping you realize that 9,999 out of 10,000 normal average users have no clue what you are talking about nor will they ever need or want all of this personal custom tweaking you do let alone have the skills. They just want something out of the box that works well and not need the extremely detailed tweaking as you do.

But with that said, yes... Any linux can be customized any way you like it with the level of skills you have with windows, and mine allows me to make custom icons as a boxed feature. There is one user here who customizes Linux desktops to look just like Windows 7. I think you should load up mint cinnamon 19.2 in your old one. Many of the menu and tree file structure features you have added to tweak yours come as a standard feature and are customizable.

Go at it with an average user mind set and resist your personal habit of wanting to tweak and customize every detail and add a bunch of extra redundant stuff right off the bat. Let the auto installer just do it’s thing on it’s own without additional boot loader software to “help” it or anything, It doesn’t need anything extra like it may have a few years ago. Try it as is with no changes.

Now I can tell you that I have absolutely no hardware driver issues at all with this version and no tweaking done. I even loaded it on a 2004 HP pavilion (did need a bootloader for this ancient PC install to boot from USB, would have been fine from the CD drive but it was broke) but I use a USB wireless adapter with it fine. And the PC I am using right now with the same OS runs the same USB adapter just fine. The only thing that does not work on the old 04 HP is the wireless button on the keyboard to turn it on and off. I found that I would have to get a mother board specific proprietary driver to make that work again. And of course they no longer have it available.

As for your new Ryzen CPU, The linux kernel is being worked on to make it fully function now. From what I am reading this has also a challenge with Windows because it is so new. Currently the Mint 19.2 has a Kernel 4.15.0-54 which is fine but geared for slightly older PCs of course.

As for the DVD question... The mint cinnamon comes boxed with a multimedia player. But before it can work you have to go to Menu/Sound and Video/Install codecs. After this it will play DVDs and the Rhythm Box will play audio CDs. I guess they make it an additional step to install the codecs so that you get the very newest codecs from the start instead of needing to be updated.

How can you tell which kernel version a distro has?

It depends on the date that the .iso file was created.

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According to Linux Mint version history, Mint 19.2 with a release date of August 02 2019 is based on Ubuntu 18.04.

The Ubuntu 18.04.3 .iso at PNNL Mirror as of 05-Aug-2019 has the 5.0 kernel.

ubuntu-18.04.3-desktop-amd64.manifest says the kernel is linux-image-5.0.0-23-generic.

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If the August 02 2019 Mint .iso is based on the same Ubuntu 18.04.3 as the PNNL 05-Aug-2019 .iso, it should have the 5.0 kernel.

https://alternativeto.net/software/treesize/?platform=linux

But, Linux Mint cinnamon comes boxed with "Disk Usage Analyzer" which is just like TreeSize. It pulls every element of the partitions and files in detail just like TreeSize does. In fact it looks the same, graphs and all. And I think I forgot this in my earlier reply? https://www.wikihow.com/Install-and-Upgrade-to-a-New-Kernel-on-Linux-Mint