97
short question by an aspiring user
(lemm.ee)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
You don't need to worry about formatting. The installer can do that for you as part of the process. Just make sure you merge all of the existing Windows partitions into one, then let the installer partition as needed. I'm not 100% sure about the Steam question, but I think I remember reading somewhere that this is the case.
Keep in mind, Linux isn't magic. If the hardware sucks, the hardware sucks. Games can take a lot of resources. Just make sure your old LAN party laptop can handle the games you want to play on it.
Side note: Mint Cinnamon is a perfect choice for a starter distro.
I made sure that only the OS is on C. That's my MO since I had some bad experiences concerning windows installations (my first PC was running Windows ME)
That's a good MO to have. I was talking about the partitions that Windows does on its own, depending on the version, of course, and the ones that the manufacturer does. For example, Lenovo has a recovery partition with a (supposedly) untouched installer for the Lenovo bloatwared OOTB Windows installation. Since you never plan on using that laptop for that version of windows again, you can just merge all partitions on that drive, and let the Mint installer use the whole drive for its purpose.