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Yes, that's called dual booting. When you install Linux you're given an option to install Linux over Windows or alongside it. When you boot the computer you have a menu that you can select which OS to use.
Use a virtual machine like Virtual box to try Linux
My latest project last week was buying a cheap used lenovo business laptop (5 years old), putting in a cheap SSD and dual-booting Win10 and Linux Mint.
Linux Mint works out of the box for most older hardware. It is Ubuntu-based, so whatever works on Ubuntu should mostly work for Mint. I am using Mint most of the time unless I really need a native Windows program.
I recommend Manjaro. It is friendly and easy to use.
Or Deepin OS which included a modified wine that can run many windoows programs.
Pretty much identical environment, for well over a decade. :-)
Only issue are the damn Windoze updates, on the very rare occasion that I boot it!
@dahartigan , what's with the spoon-feeding? :-p
Added bonus: you learn how to use your VPS with a proper OS and don't need to add more bloat to Windoze, to make your laptop/PC productive.
Suicide-Linux will be much better for learning
https://qntm.org/suicide
Try each distro out for a week with online guides for setting up your intended software/stacks and then see which feels more comfortable for you to use and easier for your to get a grasp of the environment/OS.
As OP explicitly asked for "Windows-like" and seems to be looking for a Desktop replacement (probably to learn Linux) ... I'd recommend PcLinuxOS or Mepis, both of which iirc try to be easy for people coming from Windows.
@jsg very 'pretty' alternatives.
I'm not sure that they are pretty but the question wasn't about pretty or about what I personally like. It was about a Linux distro made with people in mind who come from Windows.
And btw. Mepis is not at all bad. Plus: In the end it's Linux and one can learn all Linux basics on no matter which distro. It's just that on some distros it's harder or easier for Windows people.
When talking about gaming, the only obvious solution would be Windows, as it can run a wide range of games without struggling with Wine and it's configurations.
For desktop (without powerful gaming), besides Linux there is also FreeBSD, which has a nice out-of-box interface through TrueOS.
Or if you need to use the professional Adobe software.
I don't do FreeBSD because I am comfortable with Debian based distros having mucked my way around with VPSes using Debian. Mint gets my pick because it just works out of the box with old hardware.
Another reason for Linux is that my main workstation is a Lenovo laptop, and TLP has excellent add-ons specific for managing Lenovo batteries. Not sure how FreeBSD fares on optimising battery life on old laptops.
Linux Lite is another choice. I just hate the lack of UEFI support.
Manjaro deepin. Looks good, works fine!
Thanks all for the advise. i think i will try Manjaro and see how it works
I want to switch from Windows to Linux as full time becasue in WIndows i hear alot of spying stuff on you so better linux mode.
Performance wise, Windows need fairly high specced hardware. Linux flies even on cheaper hardware. If thetr is one thing about Windows I don't miss, it is waiting for things to load on my cheap hardware.
And yes, Windows captures alot of user data in the name of providing a better user experience.
You should turn off spying stuff from Windows. Search guides with Google.
Ubuntu would be a great first linux OS, lots of guides and users to help you out along the way.
Slackware.
Hetzner.
Why would you want to use Linux to play games ? the headache don't worth it.
after steam os every one my friends started to play in linux OS
Good luck playing games like MVC Invinite , or Resident Evil 2 on Linux. Imagine when you buy games and found out that games is not compatible on Linux.
Linux still have a long way to go to catch up with windows.
Real men use unikernels. Windows and Linux is for girls to be honest.
For first time user I'd say Ubuntu as there is so much documentation readily available. Debian is another great starting distro that is user-friendly.
Truely a noob - no time to mess around or learn: Ubuntu with Wine, DXVK and Steam + Lutris.
Noob, willing to learn and experiment: Manjaro, with Wine, DXVK and Steam + Lutris.
Do not use PlayOnLinux, Lutris is most definitely the better option. This will save you from headaches if you want to game.
The difference is Ubuntu is debian based, and stable. This means packages will be delayed. Manjaro is arch based, so you will be getting up-to-date packages every week (on true arch, as soon as they come out). I have yet to see Manjaro break but you are expected to be vigilant.
Manjaro also grants you access to the AUR, so you'll probably find any package you can think of.
i am using deepin OS but Resolution is issue . black screen input not found. can help?
install gentoo
I am not sure about that OS but one of the biggest bummer about Linux is driver support for hardware. This is why you should choose a distro which has a focus on making everything work out of the box, or else you have to troubleshoot problems on your own, which is hardly what a newbie should be messing with. I find Mint works well on any machine I throw at it using Live USB, so you can try it to see if it has better driver support for your monitor resolution.
This is really the only answer.
Linux runs lots of applications! That's all an OS does.
Which applications you're talking about is a different matter. You'll probably need to find equivalents for the Windows applications you use. Firefox and Chrome have been ported, but things like Photoshop are not.
Nvidia cards can be difficult to work with due to Nvidia not being willing to work with the community. Recent AMD graphics and Intel graphics are better options. There are the Nouveau driver, but don't try to do much beyond basic 2d desktop stuff with it. You'll need the official Nvidia drivers to get any performance... And fan control and clocking and....
Go with Fedora. I've had good luck with their Wine version.