Sweet, use Linux Mint Cinnamon. You can dual boot it on an old laptop and it will run like new.

You can also download a live copy of it to a USB thumb drive or DVD, so you can see if it's compatible with your hardware.

You can also install and run it from a USB thumb drive. The thumb drive should be at least USB 3.0. 64gb. Or more. The hardware can be just USB 2.0.

Use Timeshift religiously. It's like Windows system restore. Then back up your apps. You can always reinstall the OS if you need to..🫂🐧😊