With the new computer and the newer Microsoft Windows updates they have really jam packed their OS with bloat and spyware. That being said I have no idea what I’m doing with Linux, need help with where to start.? What are some general tips? I understand there’s a lot of prebuilt Linux distributions or something what are some first timer friendly ones? Really any help is appreciated because the biggest barrier to entry is the perceived difficulty of actually doing it.
I agree with virtual box and testing. Most distros have a live boot to test the operating system really to get a good feel. If you like one then attach a virtual hard drive disk to the vm and do a full install and use that for most of the day.
Then once comfortable do a full install on the actual hardware.
I always say to start with some distro that is widely known and used like Ubuntu or fedora - the defaults they suggest. This is also their bread and butter release. Then slowly get into desktop and windowing environments. This will help you learn a new operating system and if there are issues you are using something “popular” to get a resolution than a smaller, lesser known user base of a system.
Expect things to just work, but also break or not work. Take your time and everything is able to be resolved. Not everything is perfect, but that is also what makes the Linux world great is there is something for everyone!
Enjoy!