There are better guides here, but make sure to back up your windows key. So, if you need windows again, you can reinstall it and not pay mocrosoft anything.

Most of the guides here are to install Linux, which is the end result you want. You should also look into live usb Linux. Many of the Linux distros (versions, or flavors) have a concept called a live usb. It’s basically Linux installed on a usb instead of a hard drive. So you can plug it in, play around and test it to see if you like it before installing. Off a usb, it will be slower, but it can show you if there are any incompatible hardware problems too, which is possible, but not usually a problem.