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.
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
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)
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.
I can't stand HPs too.
Equally I can't stand KDE lol. Used to be a fan of MATE but gone full XFCE now...
I used to like Debian until the freedom changes implemented in Debian12, might as well run Ubuntu or Mint at that point. Trisquel was good for freedom but quite limited.
EndeavourOS seems like a happy medium to me all things considered.
KDE I feel is good for a certain personality type. The ones who want to have everything exactly the way they want it. While always looking good doing it. Even if it can get a little buggy sometimes with newer versions. It is for people with OCD and a taste for classy linux life.
Overall, it is not for me either, but it is for a lot of people. Winblows tends to also steal their homework and turn it in as their own often too. So I have to still recommend it in good faith.
I love Trisquel for maximum FOSS freedom but it is tricky to install depending on the hardware you have. For instance as much as I want to I cant even install it on bare metal, only in a virtual machine.
Endeavour OS is a happy medium. It is Arch Linux on easy mode. I cant really knock it all that much. I just dont fully trust it as a daily driver. To be honest I had a valid reason for that sentiment, but I cant remember why at the moment. So I will let you know if I remember why I stopped using it as a daily driver lol.
Ive just started using both Arch and EndeavourOS as my daily drivers, but will let you know if I run into any snags.
obviously this will be different for newbies as im about 17 years into my journey and taken some free sysAdmin courses and setup my own headless CLI media servers at home.
I love the concept behind system76 but they are so damn overpriced and bulky.
Love older MacBook Air for portability and ThinkPads for a happy medium of that and Freedom.
I'm learning from you two going back and forth...love the info!
Not gonna lie. Love me some ThinkPads too.
Just for their keyboard though. Which is second to none. All metal casing is nice too.
Build quality is alright, but it is a far cry from the old T410s days where they were a fucking durable tank. Back then you could chuck it across the room like a frisby and it be perfectly fine. Now even for self repair and upgrades. The modern ThinkPads are more finicky and fragile once you open them up. I feel like an old fart saying they dont build them like they used to.
Stay the fuck away from Apple hardware. Sure they are excellent build quality. However as someone who worked in a certified apple repair store. Seeing the capabilities Apple has behind the scenes to remotely fuck with your hardware. Even with Linux on it. Im just going to say a fuckedity nope nope.
Even though many people never experience any problems whatsoever when they convert mac hardware to Linux. I am just a little too skeptical, paranoid, and overly cautious. Especially when it comes to owning anything that Apple makes in the first place.
My T420 is still running. 24/7 365 for almost 15, years now.
I've never purchased aoole product and never will. My late dad pulled a 2011 Mac Book Air 13" out of a garbage can and I put Arch Linux on it.
Great for making house calls to my plebs with.
