BombOmOm

Run it via the terminal, this will usually give you some more detailed error messages to work with. After doing that, post them here and we can help better.

Absolutely!

Here is a feature comparison between the two.

tl;dr: It’s a great piece of software that does everything the vast majority of people will ever want it for. For the other percent, it does some things MS Office can’t do and vice versa.

Seconding Framework, they make great laptops.

Highly recommend getting one with an AMD processor, as AMD drivers are built into the Linux kernel updates. Driver updates will just work without you having to think about them.

Honestly, Mint works well for games too. Been running it for the last year. :)

Depending on what VPN software you use, they may already have a linux version. All of the big-name ones do, as well as a good chunk of the smaller ones.

For anti-virus, you don’t need one in Linux. Even for Windows I would recommend using the built-in AV, rather than Norton.

Edit: I see you use Norton VPN. That one doesn’t have a linux version. Check out Mullvlad or Nord VPN.

Yep! In steam, Add Game > Add Non-Steam Game > Select the Game. Then in the game’s properties, go to the compatibility section and choose “Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool”, which will then run the game under Proton.

That said, I actually run a number of games under Wine. The Heroic Launcher covers GOG, Epic, and Prime games, and will install them with Wine enabled for them by default.

Things to try:

• Update your BIOS, this will likely solve the issue since things are working fine with your prior CPU.
• If you are running an XMP/EXPO profile, turn it off, as it might be making your system unstable.
• Memtest. Run it for at least a full cycle (which takes about an hour). If you see more than a single error, then there is something wrong with your RAM.

What errors do you get on boot? Also, are Windows and Linux on the same drive, or separate?

I’m fresh out of uni and I’m trying to learn new stuff, but idk what to do with my life anymore.

I’m assuming you are actively looking for a job in a field relevant to your degree? If not, that is your life until you find one; some branching out may be required if your particular field isn’t in demand.

I’m being offered to take a sysadmin certification for this particular distribution I know absolutely nothing about…The exam is free, but I must pass it, or else I must pay for it and then take it again.

Unless this certification is specifically listed as a requirement for a job your are applying to, don’t do the certification. They are normally expensive and not that helpful.

You don’t really need one that is specifically Linux based, as you can format a windows box to Linux at will. Really any 10" laptop you find on cragslist or ebay should do.

Honestly, the only difficult requirement will be the 10" part. 12"-13" are much more common for small laptops.