Hello everyone

You probably heard and answered this a hundred times already but I’m a bit overwhelmed by everything when I start searching by myself online. Even more so when I’m not fully sure what I’m even looking for.

I want to switch to Linux but I don’t really know where to start and also I’m a bit scared to abandon Windows which I have been using for 20+ years now. Could you recommend me sources for absolute beginners (English or German) and/or give me tips and pointers?

Edit:

Thank you all for your help!

I got it working with a dual-boot from a USB and it’s way easier than I feared. Next step is to get an external drive and get serious.

  • Jumi@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    6·
    19 hours ago

    1. No, just this one.

    2. You’re the second one to recommend Mint so I think I start with that one.

    3. I use it for gaming most of the time.

    4. Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I’m a bit scared.

    Thank you :) I think I feel a bit more comfortable now.

    • Nicht BurningTurtle@feddit.orgEnglish
      8·
      19 hours ago

      I also recomend mint as a first distro and it’s the one I started with.

      For gaming, most games I play run perfectly fine under steam’s proton.

      • Diplomjodler@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        18 hours ago

        I’m number four to recommend Mint, then. Definitely a great choice for beginners. I’d also recommend starting with a virtual machine. Nuking your Windows installation without a fallback is not a good idea.

    • Libb@jlai.luEnglish
      4·
      19 hours ago

      I use it for gaming most of the time.

      I don’t game much myself but the first thing I would is check if the games I like to play run on Linux.
      Also, I have no idea how realistic it is to play in a virtual machine? Maybe you will have to install Linux alongside Windows in a dual boot configuration not as a virtual machine (you can search info about ‘dual booting’), but not before you have made a backup of all your data on the Windows installation (worth searching more info about that too)

      Thank you :) I think I feel a bit more comfortable now.

      You’re welcome.

      It will feel uncomfortable for a while, that’s the point, but as long as you’re ok to accept that it’s unavoidable nut normal and that it should not last that long you should be ok ;)

      • Jumi@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
        1·
        17 hours ago

        Almost all of my games are on Steam and from what I’ve read most of them work fine on Linux.

        I think I’ll take the leap and switch, after I backup my Windows of course.

        • Libb@jlai.luEnglish
          4·
          17 hours ago

          after I backup my Windows of course.

          Your data, sorry to insist but Windows itself should be easy to download and to reinstall. Your personal files (photos, texts, passwords, and so on aka your data) not so much. Once they’re gone you can’t download a new copy. Installing Linux should go fine but there is always a real risk something goes wrong, even more so as a complete beginner.