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(autistics.life)

@linux

Hello all! I recently got an old Dell laptop that had been repurposed as a Linux Mint machine. I was setting it up and fell at the first hurdle.

I tried to install ExpressVPN. The install package downloaded fine, but took two hours to extract and failed for "bad characters". I fiddled with it for a while and couldn't do better.

First, it's the VPN software for Linux desktop, since they didn't have one for laptops. Could this be the problem?

Second, do I really need a VPN if I don't torrent stuff? I just think of a VPN as a basic part of my security, but I don't really know.

And, third, speaking of basic security: do I need an antivirus on this?

Thanks for any help!

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[-] Uair@autistics.life 2 points 1 day ago

@Neptr

Thank you.

I love Mastodon, I love the Linux community. It's so nice to ask questions and get real answers from people who actually know what they're talking about.

Thanks all!

this post was submitted on 09 Mar 2026
12 points (100.0% liked)

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