Would someone please explain a few things for someone who knows nothing?
Where do you GET Linux?
Do you put it on a CD-R? A DVD-R? I.e., before installing it on your C: drive?
Usually from the website of the distro you have decided upon.
First a few vocabulary definitions (for someone "who knows nothing"):
Do you put it on a CD-R? A DVD-R? I.e., before installing it on your C: drive?
Typically, yes. You can also use a USB drive, if you know how to make it bootable. Many of the distros can be run directly from the CD/DVD without having to remove Windows first. This allows you to test drive various distros until you find one you like. Keep in mind that performance will take a large hit due to running from an optical drive.
For users looking to switch, I have heard good things about Zorin OS, PCLinuxOS, and Mint. Those are all Debian-based distros (distros that began life as a fork/modification of Debian), but I personally prefer rpm-based systems.This is strictly a personal preference as I started with Red Hat (in 1994-ish) and just stayed with it.
Simple answer: You download it off of the Internet, then burn it onto a DVD.
There are a huge number of different “versions” (i.e., “distributions” or “distros”) of Linux. There are also different graphic user interfaces (GUIs) that can be used inside these “versions”.
In comparison, there are only 3 viable versions of Windows (7, 8.x, and 10), and only one GUI per version.
If you’re wanting something close to Windows, I suggest going here:
If you’re unfamiliar with burning disk images (ISO files) onto DVDs, then you can actually order pre-made DVDs straight from the website:
https://www.osdisc.com/products/linux/linuxmint?affiliate=linuxmint
All you need is the Install DVD, everything else can be downloaded from a program that operates like Google Play or the iStore.