linuxmemes

To clarify, because I think this would be pretty confusing for someone who isn't already into Linux.

So a "distro" is short for a distribution of linux. Strictly speaking, Linux is just a kernel which is a technical component of an operating system. A few different organizations have taken the Linux kernel and added the necessary additions to turn it into a typical PC operating system e.g. Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, CentOS, Arch Linux, Manjaro Linux. Some are harder to get set up and some are plug and play. Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Manjaro are considered to be "easy" to set up. Arch Linux is typically considered the hardest.

But how do you actually install it? (1) choose the distro. (2) download the .iso file from their website (a few gigabytes). (3) burn it into a spare usb flash drive to make a "live boot usb". (4) go into your BIOS and select to boot from your usb instead of your typical hard drive. Now you should be in your chosen distro. Conside this a sandbox that is contained to only your flashdrive. If you shutdown and remove the flash drive, nothing would change. (5 optional) play around and try it out. Do you like it? (6) Double click the installer on the desktop to install it on your hard drive for-real.

A note on step (3), you can find guides for this online. My favorite software that does this on windows is rufus.

A note on step (4), everyone's BIOS looks a little different. You can search "how to change boot options on XYZ" for your laptop/motherboard.

A note on step (6), if you really hate windows, you're free to nuke it, but your installer will give you the option to "install alongside windows" which will let you choose which OS to boot into on startup. This is known as "dual booting". It's the option with less commitment, but sometimes minor issues come up that requires troubleshooting (windows likes to fuck shit up when it updates).