Hi Danny. Your question "What is the best Linux" can't be answered since it is often personal preference. It is the same as asking what is the best car, best TV show, or who is the best musician. Everyone will have a different opinion. And it really does come down to opinion. Several people have asked what are you going to use the computer for? I'll simply suggest that if you are looking for an alternative to Windows 7 or Windows 10 and simply want the computer for web browsing, email, maybe a few letters, and playing music or videos, then ANY of the top six Linux versions on the Distrowatch.com web site will probably install and run just fine and do everything you want. The next 20 will probably work also.... I am still a NOOB with Linux. The above list of items is primarily what I use the computer for. I chose Linux Mint starting with version 17.1, then 18.0, and now 19.1, But I've played with multiple other distributions and had good luck. I started using Linux on a daily basis about the time Windows XP was killed off. I didn't want to support Microsoft and keep buying new computers when my old one would do everything I needed as long as I could get security updates. Instead of asking us for the "best" Linux, you can search for the same phrase on Google and read a bunch of web pages, add in 2019 or 2020 if you want the latest reviews. What you really want is reviews that will rate the various distributions based on ease of use, features, and target audience. Unless you are in the "guru" class, you probably should avoid Gentoo Linux and Linux From Scratch. If all you want is a simple replacement for Windows WITHOUT running your old Windows software, then any of the first 5 or 10 Linux Distros on Distrowatch.com will probably fill the bill. Personally, I like Linux Mint, which is based on Ubuntu, which is based on Debian. But that is just my opinion based on the way I use the computer and my opinion is worth every cent you paid for it..., There are a few things you will want to be aware of. Again, they are my just opinion. If your computer is too new, you may have problems simply because the people writing drivers haven't caught up with the your hardware. You can also have trouble with some laptops, or any computer, if the manufacturer got too "frisky" using uncommon chips or using them in an uncommon way. Usually that isn't a serious problem and a bit of Googling will point you to a fix. But if you can't find an answer after an hour or two of search, then download a different distro and try that one.... I've had to do that multiple times when trying to find a distro which works well on an old laptop or with a weird BIOS.... You may want to choose several different distributions so you have an option if the first one gives you problems. I think one of my more common problems has been wanting to try a new distro but the bootable DVD will not boot in my computer because of BIOS vs UEFI differences. Most modern distros can also write to a USB stick and boot from there, but that isn't anywhere near 100% either. Years ago, my most common problems were video, sound cards, WIFI, and printers. The sound card and WIFI problems are pretty well solved. Some people have trouble with their video card but I don't because my video cards are simple and use very standard chips. But I can't say the same for printers. That is still my usual problem with different distros. If you have an HP laser printer, there will probably be no trouble. A few years ago I had a Canon laser printer and it took several months before I found the trick to make it print properly without rebooting the computer after every print job. I'm now using a Brother HL-L2300D laser printer because it was CHEAP. But I'm still having trouble getting it to print long docs with graphics. Text prints OK. Just be aware you may have trouble. I would suggest you start by reading a bunch of the "best Linux to replace Windows" web sites. Then choose half a dozen distros and read the reviews about them on Distrowatch. Then choose three of them and download the ISO files and burn a bootable "live" DVD for each of them. Then you can boot each one and play with them before you install any of them. Test the major functions, networking, WIFI, sound, play a video, and try the printer. Make notes about what you like and don't like, then try the next one. Running from a DVD is SLOW, so ignore that problem while testing the distros. It was said that defectors from the old Communist USSR used to have breakdowns because they had so many choices to make every day of their new life. Just the number of choices in the big-box stores or grocery stores gave them trouble. Linux is similar. All Linux distros use the same basic software at the core of the operating system. Beyond that it is choices and how you optimize the extra pieces you pile on top. We choose to use some pre-configured distribution that someone with more knowledge has put together for us. We accept "his" choices so we don't have to figure out how to do it ourselves. If you decide later that he left something out or you like a different program than what he provided, you can add it to your system from the "repository" of Linux programs that all distros maintain. One benefit of trying many distros is that you get to see some of the different software and might decide to add it to your system later. One major "choice" I haven't mentioned yet is the choice of "window manager". The window manager controls the screen and is what lets you "point and click" to run a program or interact with your browser. Microsoft Windows has a different window manager in every version of the OS, but you don't get to choose, MS tells you what you get. Just remember how the screen changed as you went from Windows 2000, to Win XP, to Vista, then Win 7, 8, and now Win 10. I used Win 2000 for a long time and it was better than Win NT4, I liked the Win XP screen a lot, I can live with Win 7 and I hate Win 10, but I can't choose a different window manager with MS. Linux goes the other route. There are maybe 4 or 5 major window managers and at least a dozen minor versions. At minimum they all do the same thing. The difference is in the extra features and the eye candy they provide. The big two are KDE (Cinnamon) and Gnome (Mate). They are considered "heavy" because they have a lot of extra features and eye candy and take a bigger chunk of the CPU cycles to run. I currently use Linux Mint with the Mate window manager on my dual core 2.5GHz laptop. On a slower computer or one with 1GB of RAM or less, I'd probably choose the XFCE window manager or one of the other "light weight" window managers for older computers. Or if I wanted a bit more "snap" in my window manager, I could still use any of the light weight versions on the fastest computer made. My last comment will be regarding running your old Windows programs on Linux. So far I haven't bothered because for most of what I want to run I can find a free Linux program to do the same thing. The only money I spend on software is when I make a donation to support a program I like and use. But I'm not using Linux for heavy graphics or video rendering or building a database for a Fortune 500 company. My computer is just a hobby and daily requirement for life, but not how I make a living.... If you do have some old Windows programs that you can't live without and can't find a free alternative, then you can do your own research and figure out how to make it work under Linux. But I'm not the one to answer any questions on that subject.... But chances are pretty good you can make it work... This should be enough to keep you going for a while. Once you choose a few distros to try and if you still have problems installing the distro of your choice, that will be the time to come back here with a specific question and the guys (and gals) will try to help. Your last option is to try attending one of the local Linux group's meetings. You can find some info at Penguins Unbound <https://www.meetup.com/PenguinsUnbound/> and perhaps find something in your area, or ask here on the TCLUG list. It used to be that Penguins Unbound would schedule an "Installfest" at one of the spring meetings where you could take your computer and get help and advice on installing Linux, but I don't know if one is scheduled for this spring. Good luck with your journey to Linux. Doug. -- I vote the Second Amendment FIRST! The things they do not tell you are usually the clue to solving the problem.