Sorry if this is dumb, but does booting to Linux overwrite the current operating system, or can you just choose to boot to one or the other?
@Lazylazycat
You can do what’s called “dual boot” where both (or even more than 2) OSes are available and you pick which to use at boot.
@Anarch157a
This is a trap. I dual booted and just never went back to windows. Wasted disk space for years
@Lazylazycat @Anarch157a
Dual booting is an option
If you go with Ubuntu (best starting distro in my opinion) you will be able to install Linux alongside windows but there is a need for repartioning the drive.
Tutorial:
https://itsfoss.com/install-ubuntu-1404-dual-boot-mode-windows-8-81-uefi/