1.4 First Steps After Installation

Getting Comfortable After Your First Boot

After the installation finishes and your system boots for the first time, you are looking at a fresh Linux environment that is not yet tailored to you. The first steps you take now will make the system more secure, more stable, and more convenient to use every day. In this chapter you will learn what you should do immediately after the first login on a desktop oriented Linux system, and why these steps matter.

You will often be guided by distribution specific tools such as welcome screens and software centers. The principles, however, are the same on almost every system.

We will walk through basic desktop usage, system updating, installing core tools, driver setup, and using the graphical software center on a typical desktop distribution.

Logging In and Reaching the Desktop

When your system starts, you normally see a graphical login screen. Here you choose your user account and type your password. Many distributions also offer a session selector, for example to choose between different desktop environments. For now, log in using the default option.

Once logged in, you are on the desktop. It usually contains a panel with a menu or application launcher, a system tray area with network and sound icons, and a clock. Even though different desktop environments look different, they all give you quick access to applications, system settings, and a way to shut down or restart the computer.

On the first boot, many distributions show a “welcome” or “first run” window. It often includes links to documentation, privacy settings, and featured software. It can be useful to click through this once, but remember that you can reach all these options later from the normal settings and software tools. Do not worry if you accidentally close it.

Connecting to the Network

Before you can update the system or install anything, your computer must be online.

On most desktops you configure networking using the network icon in the panel. It often looks like a Wi‑Fi symbol, an Ethernet connector, or a pair of arrows. Clicking this icon usually opens a small menu listing available wired and wireless connections.

For a wired connection, simply plugging in the cable is usually enough. The system automatically requests an IP address from your router and establishes connectivity without further steps. You see a connected icon when this is successful.

For a Wi‑Fi connection, click the network icon, choose your wireless network name, and enter the passphrase. The desktop stores the password in your user keyring, so you do not need to retype it every time. If you have more than one Wi‑Fi network, select the one that belongs to you and has the best signal.

If you are behind a corporate or university network that uses a proxy, you usually configure that inside the system settings under network or proxy sections. For most home users this is not necessary.

You can later verify that networking works correctly by opening a web browser and visiting a site you do not already have cached, for instance the homepage of your distribution.

Updating the System for the First Time

A fresh installation is rarely completely up to date. Distributions release installation images periodically, but security updates and bug fixes continue to appear after the image is created. Applying available updates is one of the most important steps you will take right after installation.

Desktop distributions usually offer two convenient ways to update: the graphical updater and the command line. For now, you can focus on the graphical approach, because this chapter is about first steps for beginners using the desktop.

Most systems have either a dedicated “Software Updater” application or integrate updates into the “Software” or “App Store” application. When you start it, the tool contacts the distribution’s software servers, called repositories, and checks which installed packages have newer versions available.

You will normally see a list of updates grouped as security updates, recommended updates, or other updates. You do not need to understand each entry in the list. It is safe and recommended to install all updates provided by your distribution, especially security related ones. Click the button to start the upgrade process and be prepared for it to take several minutes or more, depending on your network speed.

During this first big update, new versions of the kernel or core system libraries may be installed. Many distributions will ask you to restart to complete these changes. It is a good idea to reboot once the updates are done, before installing additional software or changing many settings.

If the update tool offers automatic updates, you can decide whether to enable them. For a beginner on a desktop system, automatic security updates are usually beneficial, since they reduce the chance that you forget to patch important vulnerabilities.

Getting Oriented in the Desktop Environment

Every desktop environment has its own layout and style, but certain ideas are common across them. Learning these early will make the rest of your Linux journey less confusing.

You will normally find a main application menu or launcher button at a corner of the screen. This lets you browse or search for installed applications. Typing the name of a program in the search field is often the fastest way to start it. For day to day work, you will use the terminal, web browser, file manager, and settings tool frequently, so notice what their icons look like.

Most desktops also offer a taskbar or dock that shows running applications. You can usually pin your favorite applications there, making them easy to open with a single click even after a reboot. Right clicking on an icon often reveals an “Add to favorites” or “Pin to taskbar” option.

A key part of feeling at home is adjusting the theme and behavior to your taste. In the system settings application you can set your preferred language, time zone, keyboard layout, and appearance such as dark or light theme, font size, and wallpaper. These changes do not affect the underlying Linux system, only how it is presented to you.

If your distribution provides multiple desktop environments, you might later explore alternatives such as GNOME, KDE Plasma, or XFCE. For your first steps, however, it is best to stay with the default so that information you find in beginner guides matches what you see.

Installing Essential Tools from the Software Center

The software center or app store is a graphical front end to your distribution’s package management system. You can think of it as a catalog of available programs that the distribution knows how to install safely and keep updated.

When you open the software center, you usually see a search box and several categories such as Internet, Office, Graphics, and Utilities. You can explore these lists, but it is more efficient to search directly for tools you know you need.

Right after installation, there are a few categories of tools that are especially useful to add:

You may want a different web browser from the default, for example installing Firefox, Chromium, or another based on your preference.

You may want an office suite if it is not already present, such as LibreOffice, to edit documents and spreadsheets.

You might install a simple image editor, for instance a paint or photo tool, and a media player that handles many formats.

Most importantly for learning Linux, ensure that a terminal emulator is available and easy to find. Many distributions already include one such as GNOME Terminal, Konsole, or XFCE Terminal. If not, search for “terminal” and install an appropriate program.

To install an application, click on it in the software center, read the short description to confirm its purpose, then click the install button. The system asks for your password. This is because installing software modifies the system for all users, and Linux requires administrative rights to do so.

Over time you will likely learn the command line package tools for your distribution, but for your first steps, the software center provides a friendly way to explore new programs without worrying about package names.

Setting Up Drivers and Hardware Support

Modern Linux distributions detect most hardware automatically and load appropriate drivers. Still, there are some areas where you may need to perform a small amount of extra setup, mostly from graphical tools.

Common devices to check include graphics cards, Wi‑Fi adapters, printers, and sometimes touchpads or special function keys.

Some distributions provide a “Driver Manager” or “Additional Drivers” tool. Opening this tool triggers a scan of your hardware and shows you a list of driver options. In some cases you will see a choice between an open driver and a proprietary one, especially for graphics cards.

The open drivers are often sufficient for simple desktop use and web browsing. Proprietary drivers can provide better performance for gaming or certain professional applications, but they also add complexity and sometimes lag behind kernel updates. For beginners, it is sensible to choose the recommended driver suggested by the distribution’s tool rather than experimenting with every option.

For printers and scanners, the system settings usually contain a “Printers” section where you can add a new device. If the printer is attached by USB and powered on, it may appear automatically. Network printers might be discovered automatically or added by typing their address. Many common printer models are supported without separate downloads.

Sound and display settings also depend on drivers. If your audio is not working, open the sound settings and verify that the correct output device is selected, for example speakers, HDMI, or headphones. For displays, the settings allow you to change resolution, scaling, and orientation, and to arrange multiple monitors.

On laptops, check that touchpad gestures, brightness keys, and power management behave sensibly. In many cases there is nothing to adjust, but testing early helps you catch problems while the system is still fresh and easy to reinstall if necessary.

Configuring Basic Preferences and Privacy

After your system is connected, updated, and able to use your hardware effectively, you can spend a little time tuning basic preferences so that daily use is comfortable.

In the system settings you will find sections for language and region, date and time, user accounts, and privacy. Confirm that the time zone is correct, because security tools and logs depend on accurate timestamps. If your distribution offers automatic synchronization with internet time servers, you can enable it so the clock stays accurate.

Keyboard layout and shortcuts are also important. If you use more than one language or a special keyboard layout, add it here and define a shortcut to switch between layouts. You can adjust repeat delay, cursor blink, and similar settings if typing feels awkward.

Privacy options sometimes include screen lock settings, usage history, and location services. Decide how long your system should wait before locking the screen, especially if you use a laptop and carry it around. For shared computers, enabling a short inactivity lock is a good security habit.

It is also the right moment to create an additional user account if more than one person will use the computer. Using separate accounts keeps settings and files isolated and makes it easier to manage permissions later. You can do this from the user accounts section without touching the deeper administration tools that appear in later parts of this course.

Getting Ready to Use the Terminal

Even on a desktop system, the terminal is central to learning Linux. While this chapter does not teach command line usage itself, your first boot is the right time to make the terminal easy to access.

Locate the default terminal application in your application menu and open it once. Many desktops allow you to pin it to the panel or dock from the right click menu. Doing this now saves you from searching every time you need it.

You can optionally adjust some basic appearance settings such as font size, color scheme, or scrollback length within the terminal’s preferences. A larger and clear font improves readability when you follow examples in later chapters.

Try running a simple command such as uname -r just to see that the terminal works. You do not need to understand the output yet, but you will become familiar with this environment over time.

Verifying Everything Works and Creating a Restore Point

After you have connected to the network, updated the system, installed essential applications, checked drivers, and adjusted basic settings, it is helpful to do one more reboot. This confirms that everything starts correctly without errors.

Log in again and verify that the network connects automatically, sound works, and any additional software you installed still runs as expected. Open the software center and check whether it shows a clean state without pending updates.

If your distribution offers simple snapshot or restore tools in its graphical interface, this is a convenient moment to learn where they are and how to create a snapshot. While snapshot systems are covered separately, even a beginner can follow a distribution provided wizard to create a basic restore point. Having a snapshot of a working fresh system can be valuable if you experiment later and want to return to a clean baseline.

With these first steps complete, your Linux installation is no longer just a generic system, but a machine that is updated, connected, and adapted to your basic needs. You are now ready to explore the desktop environment in more depth and, crucially, to begin learning the command line tools that give Linux its real power.