Fran: I'm wondering if you have a memory chip capacity problem? The "overhead" or footprint of Mint is actually fairly small. I also believe they still offer a free download to a CD or DVD of your choosing... but I've never had to resort to that. I'll bet there are a dozen or more computer stores in your general area that will be happy to "burn one" for you... probably at no charge if you bring in a disc.

Keep us posted. Sorry you had trouble.

You bring up a good point. Linus Torvalds of Finland came up with the "code" for Linux (named for him) and Unix was the backbone of his work. Unix and now Linux is the OS for most Server Farms these days. This stuff has been around for a long time and is known for its stability.

Regards, ----Dave

If you are going to try Linux (Its free) use either a dual boot system or run it in a virtual machine (Virtual Box is fairly easy to use) and try it out first.
As you are into music etc. I suggest you use Dual Boot and load in the Ubuntu Studio version as this comes with all the multimedia programs you will need, thus making it easier to try out all the different programs. (If you like what it does you can try other distros out later to find out which best suits)
Open Office is still available and continuing to be developed, however the team that split from Open Office to create Libre office appear to have the upper hand these days.
NOTE: Some work will be required to get it how you want with plenty of videos on YouTube, however don't expect any big names in the music industry (Steinberg, Native Instruments etc.) to work with Linux no matter how you try to get them to.
If you are familiar with Microsoft Office of 10-15 years ago, that is the the level that Librie office is currently at, it also does not support any of the Outlook or Access files.
I recommend anybody try Linux at some point as it is a cracking OS. (It just takes time to find the best distro for your own use)
Word of warning, if you have everything connected (You have smart lights, many tablets, smart TVs etc) then forget Linux as it is a privacy based OS which makes it difficult to operate the way android, Windows & Apple users are accustomed too.
If you have done a system restore that was before the Windows updates, they will have been removed.
Have fun

Bill

Great points, Bill:

Thanks for sharing your important points about the pros and cons of Linux. For me, there were so many more pros than cons but my needs are few and I avoid Microsoft, Apple and Android as much as possible. Many of the top Music Creating Platforms do not yet recognize or work with Linux in any form... so that would probably be a real "downer"... but I use my arranger for "arranging" the "instruments" to be used in each song I record directly into a BOSS Digital Recorder.

Before I forget... Merry Christmas. ----Dave