The truth is, installing/using Linux today is vastly more simple than it ever was even 5 years ago, let alone the wild west of migrating people there 15-20 years ago or more

I think you'll be just fine no matter which path you choose, so don't sweat making the "right" choice on the first try - if you have the time, go ahead and experiment, play, tinker, etc

Escaping the unholy suction of the Microsoft data vacuum is more critical now than ever before

Regardless, you can start here for a tool used to create a bootable USB from any old flavor you like:

As for what kind of Linux?

Linux Mint is intended for very-non-technical beginners with extra efforts to make the transition seamless especially for Windows users - you can grab that here:

Keep in mind that simplicity often comes with limitations, so doing much beyond an average desk jockey's day might take you off-road

Many would say Ubuntu, especially for how common it is in the wild and thus how much support you'll find online searching for answers to any problems you may encounter - that can be found here:

However, after a couple decades of Linux and other *nix variants as daily drivers, I haven't always had the best experience with the most popular flavors of the day

What I can say is this: I have been tasked to install Linux for people that have never used anything but smartphones before, and there is one Linux flavor I have installed for these types of people and never once received a call for support

That would be Manjaro, which can be found here:

It's really hard to go wrong starting with ANY Linux these days, so don't worry about getting EVERYthing right on your first adventure here

Go with whatever you happen to like and the rest will work out, but maybe consider trying new things once in a while

WELCOME TO THE LINUX PARTY, where you can either stuff yourself snacking on all the variety or sit down for a full meal where pretty much everything on the menu is really good

SIDE NOTES:

Manjaro, running on Arch Linux, follows what is called a Rolling Release model meaning it is designed to keep upgrading forever with minimal issues

Exploring Linux options, you might see mention of LTS or Long Term Support - this is often indicative of a Point Release model

This term LTS is reassuring for most users (and sometimes me) as it means we don't usually have to think about it for a while just in case other things take priority over caring about what version some computer is running

Sometimes however, I think rarely, LTS also means that (as I discovered with Ubuntu and other Debian variants years ago) gutting the system and starting almost entirely from scratch just to catch up again may eventually be necessary

Anyway, now I go for the rolling release models where everything is more designed to keep everything upgrading indefinitely with minimal hiccups

These side notes on release models probably don't matter as much these days, especially for those just getting started, but it is definitely something I wish I were aware of sooner rather than later

All that aside, Manjaro simply hasn't quit on me yet across my desktops and laptops over recent years while Plasma is a welcome refresh compared to all the boxy clunk and tweaking junk I previously thought was standard issue for Linux