I'd be happy to help (and if you run into problems going forward, just message me directly).

Linux Mint is probably the most often recommended for new people coming from Windows. But EndeavourOS will let you tell everyone that you use Arch without having to install your system via the terminal (EOS uses a graphical installer also).

For Mint, Choose the Cinnamon version (this can be changed later but this is a good default choice). KDE Plasma is the most popular DE and you can change to different DEs just by logging out and changing a dropdown menu.

I linked the install guide above. TLDR - copy iso to usb stick, reboot, click through the graphical install process. If you've ever installed Windows, this will be very familiar (where do you want to install it, what username, where in the world are you, and login to wifi)

It is much less complicated if you can have a Linux-only machine. But if you want to keep Windows around for a bit, you can dual boot: Mint

All of the software is installed with the package manager from the official repos. Everyone is familiar with this method of installing software because smartphones use them but call them App Stores/Play Store. You don't download executables from the Internet and just run them 😒

There's a lot of new terms and concepts so it'll be overwhelming. Lean on the official Mint communitues, they're generally helpful (there are assholes, like everywhere else of course), be prepared to read documentation and don't be afraid to ask an LLM to explain concepts if you can't get a community answer fast enough but don't trust the commands that it gives you yet (you'll learn how to do this safely but not at the start).

If you game, Steam can be installed from the repo, via and Heroic Games Launcher for GoG, Epic Games Store and(???, there are more but you get the idea) make the process as simple as pressing Play.

You'll probably use different software to do the same tasks so don't try to find ms-paint or notepad, but Krita and Kate do the same thing and there are many alternatives to those. If you can't figure it out, dm me.

Good luck. It's a lot at first but it is 1000% a better experience once you become comfortable with the software.

You can try out most linux distributions without even installing them. Just plug in the usb, boot from it and choose not to install and you can play around with it. You can try multiple linux oses this way before considering an installation. I'd recommend trying Mint, Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Bazzite (if you're a gamer).

There are some extra steps you'll need to take in the BIOS, as in my experience modern computers tend to not have usb booting as the first priority at start up, so it just boots straight into windows no matter what.

Mint is super easy to install if you want to give it a try.

Not versions. Distributions. They're all developed and maintained by different organizations and are geared towards different types of users. It isn't like Windows where your choice is Microsoft or nothing.

This means that different distributions can have a completely different UI and even approach things like installing software in very different ways. That's why I tell people that if they install it and they don't like it, try a different distribution. Or a different version of the same distribution. Changing your desktop environment can make a huge difference. Most distros push GNOME on their flagship version, but I've had a much better experience with KDE. If you don't like the GNOME version, download and install the KDE version. If you like a Windows-style desktop, you can have that. If you prefer Mac, you can have that. Or you can do something completely different! The sky's the limit, really.