Continuing the previous answer by SkinnerC, there are a lot of ways in which you can use (and install) Linux. To point out some ways:
- you can install it the traditional way by booting off an installation media (cd, dvd, specifically made usb mass storage device like usb-stick, ...)
- you can install it over network
- you can install a minimal base system (methods above) and then fetch the rest of the software, like graphical desktop and day-to-day applications, using an internet connection
- you can use Linux without installing it onto a harddisk by running a so-called
live version off a cd, dvd, usb mass storage device (or equivalent): in this case you boot Linux off the media just like when installing, except that the media will not contain (and thus run) an installer but instead loads a working operating system into memory and allows you to use it
There's a wide variety of ways indeed that you can use Linux. Some live versions not only allow you to run the
distribution (operating system version of one kind) off the media without installing it, but also let you install it permanently (until removed) to your disk if you wish. Maybe despite of the very techie-like solutions Linux operating system installers generally guide you trough the process, so that shouldn't be a problem; the "difficult" part is obtaining a copy of an installation media, perhaps writing it onto a cd or dvd (if it's a downloaded disc image file) and sparing any data you don't want to erase from your harddisk during installation - including any other operating system(s) you might have.
So before proceeding make sure you have backups taken from any data you do not wish to lose. After that obtain a copy of your favourite Linux distribution, write it to a cd or dvd if needed (on Windows a great application for this is
ImgBurn, on Linux you can use one of the graphical cd/dvd-writing apps or command-line utility
cdrecord), maybe get some sort of a "Linux guide book" if you feel you need it and then restart your computer with the installation media in drive (to boot off it). Like SkinnerC said, next you should see instructions on the screen on how to proceed..
Before actually formatting your harddisk while installing Linux (if you're in this for the first time), I recommend you to try out one of the live distributions so you can see how it works before doing any permanent changes to your computer. There are many alternatives and you should pick up the one you think/feel is most suitable for you (see
www.distrowatch.org for a list), but if you cannot decide, you can just as well try out Ubuntu Desktop Edition; it shouldn't be too hard to begin with..
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