Someone asks how I changed from Windows to Linux. This is just how it happened for me. People who know more about it probably could give you a more linear description. I'm assuming you're going to be trying to revive a computer you haven't been using for a while before you try it on your main computer. If you bother to do that.
First by a lot of nervous reading and watching how-to videos to get over my phobia about making changes to my computers. In my case I was driven by frustration into getting over that, it was a computer that I bought used and "refurbished" by the manufacturer with the putrid Windows 8, which I opted to replace with the free Windows 10 in its original version when that was offered, Windows 8 being a universally hated flop. I never knew why there was no Windows 9, now I don't care.
Then when I was getting sick and tired of the interminable Windows 10 involuntary updates which culminated in a widespread disaster a couple of springs back (everyone in my family who was using Windows 10 had their computer crash that night) I was ready to tell Windows to jump out of one.
I went through the baroque complexity of trying to download and officially verify the soundness of several Linux distros (there seem to be hundreds which are free and downloadable online) but opted when I couldn't figure out the complex verification to buy some super cheap discs that had the OS on them, I got Linux Mint Mate (pronounced "maté"), a version of Puppy Linux* and the aforementioned Tiny Core. Of those Mint was the one I chose to use as a replacement for Windows and I have never once been sorry I did. I could have bought a whole stack of discs of different Linux distros to try and still paid less than Windows costs. Not to mention the costs of the vitally needed malware protection which, so far as I've read, is not much of an issue with Linux. I haven't run across any problem with malware while using it but, then, I'm very careful about what I click on. I never open attachments. Well, I did once when an author I sent a fan letter to kindly sent me two plays he'd written as attachments. I wish I could post them as radio plays.
After writing that piece yesterday I found there is at least one other place who will sell inexpensive OS discs and USBs online, Linux Distros on CD but haven't yet bought anything from them so I don't know how their service is. I doubt anyone would do this kind of business for nefarious reasons, though I could be wrong. That's a disclaimer. Maybe I'll try one of theirs and do an update. I love to promote tiny businesses that stick it to the giants.
I have gotten less nervous about downloading distros and figure if the file size is the same as it's supposed to be, it's probably not going to be a problem, though it could be. That's another disclaimer.
I first copied anything I thought I still wanted on the old computer to a thumb drive. Then I put the disc with Linux on it into the disc drawer and rebooted the computer catching the option to boot from a CD/DVD before it booted from the hard disc, which on my computer was F12. It was tricky, it goes by fast in the corner of the screen, I had to do it a few times before I caught it. Then I followed the onscreen instructions for booting into Linux, which you might want to look at that way before you choose to install it, unless you go for a dual boot with a partition (Search "dual boot Linux Windows" to find scads of instructions, I've never done it) and keep part of your hard drive a Windows machine.
Installing it without creating a separate partition for Windows will wipe out everything on the disc and replace it with a clean version of Linux.
As I said the first time I did it I didn't click on the option to install 3rd party drivers etc. which was a mistake as it kept me from being able to use the WiFi. Other than that, I don't really have any advice on how to do it. There are myriads of suggestions from Linux users online, some are better than others, many are full of incomprehensible jargon and expectations that you understand more than you might care to learn. A lot of them figure you know how to code in Python computer language. It's not a very hard language to figure out but if you don't know it it's not advisable to try on your own. Though, if you crash it, just reinstall it and try again. As I said, I'm assuming you're going to be trying to revive a computer you haven't been using for a while before you try it on your main computer. If you bother to do that.
* I got Puppy Linux because it's so small you can easily fit it on a thumb drive and, reportedly, you can use it on computers at places like libraries and to test used computers you might think of buying. Though with the pandemic I've yet to use it for those. I have used it uninstalled on some of my computers to test it and sometimes I can get the WiFi to work on it, sometimes not, and I can't tell you what's different from attempt to attempt.
I've also done the same with the Haiku OS which is not a Linux system, though I didn't manage to get the internet going with it. Maybe I'll try it again. It's nice to break out of the Windows-Mac OS hegemony.
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