Which Linux Distro is right for me

[RWR2299]

So I have been using windows on my craptop for the past 3 years and it is definitely showing its age. I have tried to give it a fresh install of Windows but unfortunately Lenovo doesn't seem to like me finding the Windows key for a Laptop that came with it preinstalled. I want something that will look and feel like Windows, that I can get up and running quickly and will work on my AMD A8 4500M with 4GB of RAM

[JefferyD90]

I really enjoy Korora.  Its based on Fedora.

[Gachr]

Fedora is for at least intermediate users.

Linux Mint is very similar to Windows (XP) layout wise and it's a great distro for beginners.

[Azgoth 2]

Linux Mint is similar-looking and similar-feeling to Windows, and after a few days you should be pretty comfortable with it.  It's also one of the more stable/user-friendly distros with massive software support.  It also comes with a bunch of media codecs pre-installed, so you don't need to install too much to use it as a daily machine for most things.  I use Mint, personally, so I can vouch for it being pretty lightweight and easy to use, but that doesn't mean it's the only option.

There's also ZorinOS, designed specifically to be Windows-looking and friendly to people switching over from Windows.  Fedora is an ever-popular choice, but it has very short release cycles and focuses a lot on bleeding-edge software.  Or Debian's Stable branch, for something very stable (as the name implies), but with less in the way of newer software due to how the development cycle goes, and with a bit less of a focus on newer/less experienced users.

[EpicAdom]

Try out Linux Mint. It doesn't take much time to install any Linux distro (as far as I know) so if you don't like it you can try something else.

[Drunkaroos]

Personally I use Antergos on my laptop. It has the functionality of the pacman package manager, without the hard install. Basically Arch with an installer. Another distro similar to it is Manjaro, but personally I have not used it.

[linuxfan66]

7 hours ago, CUDA_Cores said:

my favorite distro to use on older machines is lubuntu. It is basically Ubuntu but slimmed down to work on older computers. It isn't entirely simmilar to windows but it is close enough and I have found it to work well on machines down to even a Pentium D!

I agree there wholly. well that or kubuntu. Both of them have familiar easy interfaces to windows users more usability that whatever Gnome/unity has become now. and in my opinion more more efficient and faster.

[RWR2299]

8 hours ago, Azgoth 2 said:

Linux Mint is similar-looking and similar-feeling to Windows, and after a few days you should be pretty comfortable with it.  It's also one of the more stable/user-friendly distros with massive software support.  It also comes with a bunch of media codecs pre-installed, so you don't need to install too much to use it as a daily machine for most things.  I use Mint, personally, so I can vouch for it being pretty lightweight and easy to use, but that doesn't mean it's the only option.

There's also ZorinOS, designed specifically to be Windows-looking and friendly to people switching over from Windows.  Fedora is an ever-popular choice, but it has very short release cycles and focuses a lot on bleeding-edge software.  Or Debian's Stable branch, for something very stable (as the name implies), but with less in the way of newer software due to how the development cycle goes, and with a bit less of a focus on newer/less experienced users.

Where would I find the downloads for these?? And would I be able to boot all of these from a USB drive?

[Gachr]

3 hours ago, RWR2299 said:

Where would I find the downloads for these?? And would I be able to boot all of these from a USB drive?

Yes, you would.

Linux Mint: bit.ly/1KnfzvZ

Zorin OS: bit.ly/1nCdUrS