It had Windows installed and it was taking up 3 partitions or something so i destroyed its recovery drive and i probably need to start fresh with just Linux

Is there a way to just reset and do everything over like by repartitioning and installing something like Fedora or Ubuntu? I tried to jnstall PopOS and i think i settled on the ZorinOS or something but I can't get Ethernet or my VPN working and I want to be able to download "app" "installers" like you do with PC or MacOS.

Baby steps

Edit: fucked up the pc is way harsh. ZorinOS is technically stable-y-ish installed, its just Windows is gone but maybe thats the opposite of fucked 🤔

Edit: so i checked and its ZorinOS. What do y'all think of Zorin, should I still migrate to something more ubiquitous and longer-running?

Choose a distro, follow their installation guide.

The answer to starting fresh is to format the entire drive and reparation the whole thing. All operating system installers ship with tools to do that. Some are easier to use than others, but they are all there. You’re looking for “custom install or custom partitioning or manual partitioning” or something like that. Usually during the “where do you want to install” questions.

It’s not hard to do, but it’s often hidden a little bit because formatting and/or repartitioning the wrong drive nukes the drive.

In your case, just go to town. Know how big your drive is, delete all existing partitions, and the new ones you create should total up to the size of the drive. Just make sure you’re doing it to the right drive if you have more than one :)

With Linux, you can get fancy making separate partitions for home and stuff, but you don’t really need to worry about that if you don’t want to. You can just nuke the drive, and then tell the os to “use the whole drive” and just let it do its thing.

If you want to understand it deeper and better, I’d suggest watching some videos for your distro.

Have fun!

Another comment: fedora is a good distro. Mint is also good. Both are pretty straightforward, will do what you want, and are easy to work with. They are recommended a lot for good reason.

There are three main types of software.

1. software installed from the distribution’s repositories
2. flatpaks - which are basically sandboxed software bundled with their own dependencies
3. app images - which are basically executables like a windows .exe

When looking for software, I think most people install them in that order. (Some distros are immutable and therefore 2) is often the first choice but that’s getting ahead of ourselves a bit)

Hope this helps.

In short, yes, Fedora, Ubuntu, or whatever will be able to install on your laptop just fine. Since you seem relatively new, I would suggest Mint as it is aimed at new users.

App installers, the way you are accustomed to from Windows, aren't really a thing in Linux. Most applications are installed by your distro's package manager. For those that aren't, there is often a choice of either downloading a package for your distro ( debs in the case of Debian-derived distros like Ubuntu and Mint, rpms for Fedora and friends ) or using something like Flatpack. But really your package manager will handle most things you are looking for.

What device is it? It’s unusual for Ethernet to not work .

Pc tower

For an older system I've been very pleased with the performance of Bodhi Linux. And the UI is very customizable.

This. It's really that easy, if you take it slow. Maybe grab a beer/soda/coffee on the way in

Yeah, but that's like saying "blue. The kind of car I drive is blue."

If you can get logged-in and issue an lspci it'll help a lot.

Just take a pic of the output with your phone if you're on the console. We'll cope.

It might sound stupid, but turn off your PC, switch off the power supply, remove the power cable, wait for about 30-40 seconds, then plug the cable back, switch it on and power on your desktop.

It might be an issue caused by Windows fast startup. Even though you completely removed Windows, the power state might still be 'hanging' around and causing issues.

Truthfully, documentation is your friend, read it and interpret it as best as you can.

and I want to be able to download "app" "installers" like you do with PC or MacOS

Linux systems use Repositories to install “packages”, these packages are pieces of software that are either small or relatively large, for example the Linux kernel itself is a pre-installed package on every Linux distro.

Packages can sometimes depend on other packages to function properly, this is what we call “dependencies”, if you’re missing a dependency that a package requires it will likely fail to execute.

Lately we’ve been seeing packages like Flatpak and Snap enter the Linux ecosystem, their goal is to make Linux easy for newcomers such as yourself where you don’t have to worry about dependencies and you just click the “install” button for a package and be done with it however, in the background Flatpaks and Snaps put that package in a “virtualized container” with the already required dependencies installed, which works great for newcomers but most Linux veterans will prefer native packages as they’re easier to troubleshoot and requires less overhead (resources) from the computer.

Circling back, it is important to note the top 3 distributions available. Debian, Fedora and Arch the majority of distros out there base themselves off of one of these 3, Ubuntu is based off of Debian, SteamOS is based off of Arch and Nobara is based of off Fedora, you get the idea, personally I’m a Debian user and suggest it only if you want the ”raw” Linux experience otherwise I would suggest Linux Mint and or Kubuntu for beginners who’re just learning.

If you want to compleetly start over you can write a new partition table. I usually boot a gparted live disk and prepare my partitions there.

https://gparted.org/livecd.php

For old PCs I can recommend Linux Mint. It's easy to use and low on ressources.

https://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

Now that's a name I haven't heard for years. Hope they're doing fine.

I would add "press the power button for 10 sec with everything unplugged." That should clear any remaining power storing problematic settings. That's about as fresh as you can get!

either do linux mint or ironically arch (as a starting off point!)

linux mint is a simple to follow gui from a liveusb.
arch is trickier, but I actually find archinstall is really straightforward and fast. once you unfuck the computer, you can take your time to choose something more apt.

I have installed Linux on many things. Post the output of your “lspci” and the output of your “ip address”

Don’t forget to account for Nvidia.

Whichever distro you decide on (the current top comment is correct in implying that it really doesn't matter), just look up how its program manager works. It's usually not hard to use, but it does vary from distro to distro.

Unlike Windows, you usually want to install Linux programs from the distro's "app store" instead of downloading each program from its website. However, what's called "app image files" do exist. I want to emphasize, though, that these should be your last resort.

baby steps

It's also one step forward and two steps back sometimes like you've just discovered. Lol

But if you keep at it -- like you are now --you'll be sprinting wo realizing that you are and you'll be confused as to why it's hard for most people to understand how or why or even that it exists.

Everyone else already hit on the advice I came to write on your post so this was the only thing left I had to share. 😛

You shouldn't use installers like you do on windows.

You either rely on the disteo repo to have an up to date version, you rely on a community repo to not get compromised again, or you hope the application devs have a repo you can add to your package manager.

Thats why I asked here before I entertain proceeding ;) All part of the plan, babe

Use mint. Every Linux first timer should just use mint. It's easy AF and it works

I started doing the same thing but then Lemmy told me to give up on my dreams. Lol

I'm not a Linux expert, but I've had good luck making bootable Linux USB drives and testing whatever I want on those before making the actual install. It's a fun way to switch flavors too.

My old pc (now used mainly for watching movies etc) has a nvidia card in it, the only distro I ever had issues with was debian, which is unlikely to be recommended, especially now. People really do have a bad habit of recommending non-awesome distros to newbies though, as op's list of options shows.

Each unto their own, but I would never mix those 3 together...

unless your cpu etc is new, then mint is the worst advice you will ever receive (been there)

“Linux is so easy just install it”

Linux is not easy. macOS is easy. Windows is easy. Linux is a jalopy that you enjoy fixing an occasionally get working.

I get it but sometimes you gotta make the medicine a bit sweet so the concentrated fly vinegar oil goes down at all

I have had so much more trouble with Windows than Linux.

well, then there are Flatpaks, which are fairly easy to install, cross-distro etc. But essentially above is correct installing "random sh#t" on Linux is possible but WHY would you want to bring really bad security practices into environment where it a lot easier to implement good security?

I am a Debian man, and I will hear no words about it being non-awesome.

They really need to fix the Nvidia compatibility though…🤔

But it’s just so…clean in there. An empty canvas on which I can paint. So empty, in fact, that it doesn’t have Nvidia drivers. Just as Murdock intended!

I ran Puppy Linux off of a flash drive on my main rig for about a year years ago before I got around to replacing the hard drive that failed...

Nothing is more permanent than a temporary solution!

I had debian installed as a back up distro on 2 computers due to it not be corrupted like fedora, and ubuntu.
It installed easily on the amd system, as expected.
I ended up using a script to instal it on the intel (with integrated graphics) and nvidia system. It just didn't want to play nice.

Then debian decided to hold a vote with 20 different options... all of them including debian going ai

Now debian has gone bye-bye

You enjoy your awesome though :P

Windows is gone

Sounds like secureboot shinanigans. Windows just needs to be on its own total drive.

I'd just use Kubuntu. Had to fix CachyOS twice this year.

This is why I love Arch. It comes with nothing installed and everything available!

older computer

What are the specs?

Is there a way to just reset and do everything over like by repartitioning and installing something like Fedora or Ubuntu?

You mean wipe everything on your HDD/SSD and install something that can make use of all of its storage capacity? That's basically included on every distro installer.

I can’t get Ethernet or my VPN working

That's definitely not expected behaviour.

I want to be able to download “app” “installers” like you do with PC or MacOS.

What do you mean? Is it either one of the following? (Perhaps both are fine with ya?)

• Download software from a website and install it?
• Use a app/software store application in which you can find and install apps/software? This is basically what's found on modern phones.

What do y’all think of Zorin, should I still migrate to something more ubiquitous and longer-running?

Zorin OS should be fine~ish. The problem with asking the community is that they're often more interested in laying out their favorites rather than what would be closest to the objectively best option 😅. If, however, your problems with ethernet persist on Zorin OS while another distro's live ISO doesn't have that problem, then I suppose it would only make sense to switch.

Back when I was first trying Linux out on my parent's PC a decade ago, I'd have agreed.

But these days it's legitimately easy. I've got Mint XFCE on an ancient Toshiba from 2014, Nobara on my gaming system and Fedora on my main laptop, and all of them just work. I installed Linux and the only maintenance is updates, no fresh installs or anything, and they're all still working years later.

I recently updated to Windows 11 on my Mum's PC and it took me an hour and a half. She also frequently messages me to ask for support. I wish I could convince her to move to Linux too...

Why?
On my desktop I use cachyOS but my laptop (2021 dell xps, I think 8th gen Intel) is running mint

Edit: I've misread your post. I thought you said that mint was horrible on newer CPUs and was confused

2021 8th gen intel isn't "new cpu" by any standards
Mint and most Debian flavors are horribly out of date

Ok ok we’re still relatively newish to Linux deep lore, what the hecc is puppy Linux?!

Yet here OP is…

https://puppylinux-woof-ce.github.io/

Super small Linux distro made to run off a bootable flash drive. Typical size of the OS is under 2gb, so just about any flash drive you find these days is big enough to use.

Works great to get an old computer up and going again, quick and easy to setup since you don't have to install anything on the computer. Perfect for light Internet usage, office/school work, etc. I wouldn't try to run AAA games through it, but I used to play The Binding of Isaac and it handled it fine.

Replying after your two edits. A couple of things

• Assuming you just want a working PC on hardware you are not sure works with Linux, I would try Ubuntu as a first step. The latest 26.04 LTS is up to date at the moment, and Ubuntu includes a bunch of proprietary drivers that should help not faffing around with that the first thing you do on a new install. Use the Live boot to try things out - things like network drivers should work in that environment before you install.
• Suggestions here suggest Mint or Fedora. Try the Live boot on those as well. Mint is based on a two year old Ubuntu release (24.04) and Fedora does not include non-open source drivers that might be the solution to an issue you may have.
• Zorin is also based on Ubuntu 24.04. Any driver issues you might have there has a high probability of being the same on Mint.
• You might also like to dip your toes into Bazzite. It is based on Fedora, but also includes a bunch of proprietary drivers ready to go.

Installation of apps works differently on Windows. Generally on Linux you install via the software tool that is included with your distro. Check out which one is used on the distro you choose. Sort of like the app stores on Windows or Mac but first-class citizens and without the bloat. There are exceptions to this rule (AppImages or packages not included in any distro’s repositories), but just in general use the default as far as you can. Your apps will automatically be kept up to date by the OS so there are tangible benefits.

End of the day - Linux is neither Windows or Mac. There is a learning curve, but it’s more of one getting to understand the workflows than anything being intrinsically more difficult nowadays.

Funny you say that.I install both from time to time. And find windows mutch more a hassel to install.

When you want a local account install with windows you first have to prep the whole ISO inject a unattended.XML file before install. Sometimes that's not enough and windows will force choose the edition requiring even more work on the ISO preparation. Linux you boot and click true to non invasive menu and it just installs.

Yes their are ways to open cmd and get a local account that way, but not all work anymore and Microsoft is slowly shutting that door.

OP issue with Ethernet might actually be related to Windows fast startup.

And other than that, the issue OP is facing is pretty much not knowing what to choose in a plethora of options. Installing most modern distros nowadays is pretty damn easy, specially if you're not trying to dual boot with Windows (which is also a Windows problem, not Linux).

And installing a Linux Distro does not require you to hack your way to bypass shit like TMP2 / CPU cutoff or an account creation, which are unnecessarily imposed by MS.

If you're having issues with your ethernet, chances are your ethernet chip is Realtek or Broadcom. They will both work on any Linux distros, however, for most distros you'll probably have to find alternative drivers or even kernels. If you share the controller model here, maybe some of us can help you figure our the beat path forward.

You can try:

lspci -nnk | grep -A3 -i ethernet

That should bring up the information on the PCI Ethernet controller.

Fuck, now I need to try them together and see what you mean. Wish me luck.

There are a lot of nice people here trying to help this guy out. Nice! I lurk with great interest as this autumn changing my old laptop from win 10 to unix is my project.

I am the furthest thing from a Linux expert, but I installed Zorin on my T450 Lenovo and it's working fine.