BitTiger on Nostr: First off let me say I am thrilled to help you get off the Winblows. Those ...

First off let me say I am thrilled to help you get off the Winblows. Those proprietary malware and spyware operating system drugs are no joke. Let's get you cleaned up with some Linux.

First off your HP will be alright to experiment with. View it as a learning machine. HP computers to me are disposable. They were the bane of my existence when I did computer repairs when I was young. Due to bad build quality and hard to repair. However some people still like them. So for gettiny started it will do just fine.

One thing that you will need to independently research how to do. Is look up how to disable secure boot in windows for your computer. Once we get past that hurdle it is smoother sailing. Disabling secure boot will allow you to wipe the system clean and do a fresh Linux only installation.

Next we will need an external usb thumb drive with 16gb of space minimum. Then download and install the software etcher onto windows.

https://etcher.balena.io/

Once that is done you have to make a decision. So I will give you 3 Linux paths to choose from.

Path A: Debian - Cinnamon Edition

https://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current-live/amd64/iso-hybrid/debian-live-12.8.0-amd64-cinnamon.iso

This is the path for a person who has been on windows their whole life. They want a more traditional desktop, but with retain the ability for amazing modern features and good customization. Debian is rock solid, but does take a little longer to get new releases and package updates beyond security patches. This is something I would recommend for office work and general home computing.

Path B - PopOS (GNOME / Cosmic)

https://pop.system76.com/

This is the path for a ultra modern feature rich GNOME desktop environment. With heavy cosmic modifications by the team over at system 76 computers. It will be a paradigm shift for you. Once you enable automatic window tiling and utilize gesture features with keyboard shortcuts. Your workflow increases producivity 2-3x. Through GNOME extensions you will discover many ways to extend desktop functionality. PopOS is for the creative professionals who want to have a really great all around experience. With good roll back features via a system restore option built in. With support for automatic installation of pesky hardware drivers without having to search all over the internet.

Path C - Arch Linux (KDE)

https://archlinux.org/download/

This path is not for the faint of heart. It is for the type of user that wants to have absolute control over their entire computer. To have a traditional yet ultra modern desktop. That is sexy as fuck and has more customization options than you can ever imagine. It integtates well with Android smartphones via KDE connect.

With Arch Linux and the Arch Wiki you will have access to the best Linux software documentation on the internet. It is the gold standard for discovering anything to do with Linux. Often people on other distros will find solutions to their problems there too, it is that good.

This is where things get interesting. This is a very DIY linux distro. It is advanced. You will need to run the command "archinstall" to activate an automated version of the installer. Please read through how to install arch linux with kde tutorials before attempting. This will always have bleeding edge software. So if you dont choose btrfs as the file system during installation. Then use the software timeshift to make system snapshots before every system update. You are gonna have a bad time. For Arch Linux is like a race car. It is fast. It is awesome. It will crash and burn on a random update if you dont keep informed on their website of any problems you may encounter.

Once you have chosen your path. Download the .iso file for your chosen Linux distro. Use Balena Etcher to burn it onto a blank usb thumb drive. Plug it into your laptop. Get it to boot up into the hard drive by changing the boot order in your computer bios to ensure that usb drives get 1st boot priority. Either that, or manually select the usb thumb drive from the menu if it shows up anf press enter.

Usually you need to press the power button and then immediately hold down f12, f10, or the Escape key to get to the boot menu. This may differ for each computer model, so you may have to look that up to.

Remember to look up tutorials either articles, or videos for step by step installation instructions for your chosen path. If you run into any issues I am here for you.

This may seem daunting, or very exciting. Maybe a little bit of both. Just know that the Linux community is always here for you. Reach out to us and someone will always be eager to help. This is a journey that will have its challenges, but it will also be well worth it once you have got a fresh start in a free open source world.