I went with Linux Mint Debian Edition. Couple hiccups over the last 18 months but queries in the Mint help forum fixed those problems. I use Flatpacs when I can.

I have zero idea what I'm doing :)

There's some really good recommendations in here, but we can't settle on what to recommend for you without a little more info.

• Are you planning to game on it? (as in computer game, not ttrpg)
  • If yes, use Bazzite. (it's already set up for gaming, and it's "immutable" which means that it'll be hard for you to break)
• If not, what experience do you prefer more:
  • Windows 7
    • Use Linux Mint (Cinnamon Edition)
  • Windows 10 (but without all the cortana, and bing stuff)
    • Use PopOS
  • I want something Windows like, but I want more control over how I can customise it
    • Use Kubuntu
  • I want something Windows like, and I want more control to customise it, but I also don't want it to break if I start doing weird things to it
    • Use Kionite (Will look the same as Kubuntu from the outside, but will lock you out from doing or using certain things)

Which one should you pick?

The answer is No (and also yes).

Huh?!

The real answer is not to pick one, but to pick more than one. You can (one at a time) install each of them onto a USB then change your computer's settings to boot up from the USB instead of windows. That way you can try each one to see what you like without installing them on your computer first.

For each one you try, you can check:

• Do I like the interface?
• Are there any compatibility issues? (wifi issues, sound issues, graphics issues, etc...)
• Am I happy with how long the battery lasts?
• etc...

Then once you're ready, you can install the one you want to use onto your laptop.

Linux Mint is probably the most popular "beginner friendly" distribution currently, and for good reason! There's a ton of community support and documentation if you get stuck on something.

I tried ZorinOS, thinking it would be a nice transition from Windows to Linux, but it's so nice i think i'll stick with it for a while. Classic Windows-like recommendation is Linux Mint, and if i'm not mistaken both are ubuntu-based, so you would take advantage of that knowledge

Fedora Kinoite.

KDE Plasma (very Windows-ey) and it is "immutable" which means you can't break it.

Someone else said Kubuntu which aesthetically will look the same and is also a good choice but if you want to start with a "just works" I recommend an immutable distro.

@cm0002 I was actually kind of Sad to see Windows 7 die, it was one of the lesser bloated operating systems Microsoft produced, certainly superior to Windows-95 and Windows 98. Really, if Windows 3.11 had a built in network stack, I would have been happy to stay with that, so far as my Windows usage goes, though my computer spends 99% of it's time in Linux.

linux mint lmde is worth a look. win users i have recommended this to have said the learning curve isnt too bad.

https://www.linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php

I suppose it depends on what you mainly use the PC for. The things Linux can't do these days are few and far between; basically some online multiplayer (depending on what anticheat they employ) and specialized/professional stuff that goes out of its way to not be compatible, like Adobe suite etc. The desktop environments are intuitive enough for any Windows user, too.

Personally I'd go for a distro like Ubuntu or some Arch derivative, both have an insane amount of documentation and know-how accumulated online so it's likely that you'll find answers to all your questions, and KDE for the desktop environment (or XFCE if you're really short on system resources).

Kubuntu 24.04 LTS.

Hassle free, easy to use and the desktop environment closely resembles Windows.

I think PopOS is a good "it just works" experience that is more polished and more modern feeling than mint. Mint feels like an OS from 15-20 years ago. PopOS feels like a genuine improvement to windows.

Debian with KDE.

Debian because it is (one of) the most established distro(s), stable releases, most distros are based off of it for a reason, you're not forced to deal with Snap packages (I recommend Flatpak via Flathub, but Appimages and .Deb files are common options too).

KDE gives you that Windows look (other popular one is GNOME if you prefer the MacOS look). It's the desktop environment people often confuse with as the distro, so don't go necessarily by how it looks as you can easily change that.