Table of Contents
Logging in for the First Time
After installation completes and the system reboots, you’ll typically:
- See a login screen (graphical display manager) asking for:
- Your username
- Your password (created during installation)
- Log in using the user account you created, not
root. - Optionally choose:
- Desktop session (if multiple are installed, e.g. GNOME/KDE)
- Keyboard layout and language (if offered)
On your first login, many systems will:
- Ask about online accounts (e.g. Google, Microsoft, Nextcloud)
- Offer to send usage statistics (you can safely decline)
- Show a welcome or tour window; it’s useful to skim, but you can always find help later in system documentation.
Basic Post-Install Checklist
Right after installation, it’s wise to:
- Update the system
- Install basic tools you’ll need
- Check drivers (especially graphics and Wi‑Fi)
- Enable some convenience settings
Each of these will be covered in detail in later subchapters; here you’ll see how they fit together and what order makes sense.
A simple, safe first-session flow:
- Connect to the network (wired or Wi‑Fi).
- Run a full system update.
- Install a few day‑one applications you know you’ll need.
- Verify that audio, graphics, and network are working.
- Log out and back in, or reboot if drivers or kernel were updated.
User Accounts and Passwords
During installation you created at least one user account. After installation, you can:
- Use that account for everyday work.
- Use
sudo(covered later) when you need administrative tasks. - Optionally create separate accounts for other people using the computer (best done using graphical “Users” tools in system settings).
Some good first steps:
- Make sure your password is:
- Hard to guess
- Unique (not reused from other services)
- Check if automatic login is enabled:
- For shared or laptops, disable automatic login for better security.
- For a single-user desktop that never leaves home, you may choose to keep it on, understanding the risk.
Connecting to the Network
Most post-install tasks require internet access:
- For wired connections, you’re often online automatically once the cable is connected.
- For Wi‑Fi:
- Click the network icon in the panel.
- Choose your Wi‑Fi network.
- Enter the password and save it.
If you cannot get online at all:
- Try another network (phone hotspot) to rule out local issues.
- If Wi‑Fi hardware isn’t recognized or is unstable, you may need proprietary drivers (covered later in “Setting up drivers”).
Security Basics on Day One
Before you get into everyday use, it’s worth doing a minimal security pass:
- Screen lock:
- Enable automatic screen locking after some inactivity.
- Require a password to unlock.
- Updates:
- Apply all available updates before doing anything important.
- Remote access:
- Don’t enable remote login or SSH yet unless you know you need it.
- Full-disk encryption:
- If you didn’t enable this during installation, you typically can’t turn it on system‑wide afterwards without re‑installing. Just note your choice for future installs.
Getting Comfortable With the Desktop
You’ll have a dedicated chapter for desktop environments later; for your first session, focus on:
- Finding:
- Application menu / launcher
- System settings (might be called “Settings” or “System Settings”)
- File manager
- Terminal (often found under “System Tools” or by searching for “Terminal”)
- Trying basic tasks:
- Open a web browser.
- Create a folder in your home directory using the file manager.
- Plug in a USB drive and see how it appears.
This first exploration makes the later “Desktop environment basics” chapter feel more concrete when you read it.
Enabling and Checking Updates
Each distribution has its own tools, but your goals right after installation are:
- Confirm that updates are enabled.
- Install all available system updates.
- Optionally enable automatic background updates if you want them.
Common approaches:
- Graphical update tools:
- Many desktops provide an “Software Updater” or integrate updates into the “Software Center”.
- Open it and look for:
- A button like “Check for Updates”
- A list of available updates
- Apply all updates, especially those marked as security or important.
- Terminal-based updates:
- Each package manager has its own commands (covered separately later).
- For now, just know that you’ll typically:
- Update package lists.
- Then upgrade installed packages.
Updating early avoids bugs that might already be fixed and brings newer hardware support.
Installing Some Essential Tools
Fresh installations are often minimal. For everyday use, many people immediately install:
- Web browser (if you prefer something different than the default)
- Media player
- Office suite (often LibreOffice)
- Archive tools (for
.zip,.rar, etc., if not already present) - Basic utilities:
- Text editor you like (e.g. a simple one alongside more advanced tools)
- Screenshot tool
Using the graphical software center is usually easiest early on:
- Open the software center.
- Search for the tool you want.
- Click “Install”.
Later, you’ll learn how to do the same with the command line and different package managers.
Checking Hardware and Drivers
Immediately after installation, it’s worth verifying:
- Graphics:
- Is the display at the correct resolution?
- Is everything smooth (no tearing or flickering)?
- If you have a dedicated GPU (NVIDIA/AMD), check if a “Driver Manager” or “Additional Drivers” tool is available to install proprietary drivers if desired.
- Network:
- Wi‑Fi connects reliably.
- Bluetooth (if you use it) detects devices.
- Sound:
- Test speakers and microphone in system sound settings.
- Peripherals:
- Test keyboard, mouse, touchpad gestures, printers, and scanners if you have them.
For many users, everything “just works” with open-source drivers. If not, your distribution might offer a dedicated Drivers or Hardware configuration tool in system settings.
Setting Up Your Work Environment
Once basics are working, a few quick tweaks make daily use smoother:
- Language and keyboard:
- Add additional input languages.
- Set the correct default keyboard layout and remove unused ones.
- Time and date:
- Ensure time zone is correct.
- Enable network time synchronization if available.
- Power settings (especially on laptops):
- Screen brightness behavior.
- Sleep/hibernate when lid is closed.
- Battery-saving options.
- Appearance:
- Choose a comfortable theme (light/dark).
- Adjust font size or scaling if things are too small or too large.
These are done through System Settings specific to your desktop environment; the later “Linux Graphical Environment” chapters will walk you through the details for GNOME, KDE, etc.
Preparing for the Command Line
You’ll soon start learning terminal and shell basics. Before that, during your first session you can:
- Find and pin the terminal to your favorites or panel so it’s easy to open later.
- Open the terminal and run a harmless command like:
pwdto see your current directory.lsto list files.- Notice:
- Your username and hostname in the prompt.
- That your starting directory is your home directory.
This small step makes the transition to the command-line chapters more natural.
When to Reboot vs Log Out
After applying updates or changing hardware-related settings:
- Reboot if:
- The kernel was updated (your updater may mention this).
- You installed or changed graphics drivers.
- The system explicitly asks you to restart.
- Log out and back in is usually enough if:
- You only changed user interface settings.
- You installed or removed normal applications.
For a fresh install, one full reboot after finishing updates is often a good idea so you start from a clean, up-to-date state.
Summary: A Practical First-Day Flow
On a brand-new Linux system, a realistic first session might look like:
- Log in with the user account created during installation.
- Connect to the internet (Wi‑Fi or wired).
- Run all available system updates.
- Reboot if requested.
- Check that display, sound, and network work correctly.
- Install essential applications from the software center.
- Adjust basic system settings (time, language, power, screen lock).
- Locate and try the terminal briefly.
Once these first steps are done, you have a secure, up-to-date, and usable system that’s ready for the deeper topics covered in the following chapters.