Linux New laptop need drivers updated+Linux

[S2K5150]

Hi,
I haven't been on this forum for many years. Luckily my pword manager & Authy still had the needed login info. You all have helped me greatly in the past & hopefully you can again.

I have a basically new Think Pad L15 20U3 that I got as a gift in 2021. It's only been turned on once or twice. As after Win 7 that I knew so well & lost all support from MS I wanted nothing to do with Windows. This machine came installed with Win 10 Home 64. I'm more computer literate than most, but a newbie with Linux.

1) I obviously don't want to use Windows & want to use Linux (possibly Zorin). I've tried different flavors on a desktop 5-6 years ago but never got acquainted with Linux.

2) I've received over 50 emails from Lenovo about driver updates. Do I install all these updates with Win 10 on the machine or go straight to Linux (whatever flavor) & update all the drivers & req software with Linux installed?

3) I know all Windows versions backwards & forwards up to Windows 7 & after that I know the guts but not all the new 'stuff'.

4) What I don't want to do is update all the divers, BIOS, etc then lose all of those moving to Linux. Obviously I wouldn't lose the BIOS. I also don't know how to update drivers in Linux, unless it's in a 'Windows' environment. I'm a beginner with the Linux command line.

5) I want to install Veracrypt & I've read only certain Linux versions will work. Best Linux version for VC? That's much later though.

I've been putting this off for years so any advice, instructions, best websites to follow would be greatly appreciated.

Thx,

J

 

[S2K5150]

If I want to dump Windows permanently & just use Zorin should I blow all the partitions out in Disk Management or we can do that later?
I honestly don't plan on going back to Windows unless I have a bunch of probs & things don't work. Which I'll know by just running it off the USB.

Still have my Win 10 image from 6-8 weeks ago if needed.

 

[ChatGPT]

Short answer: don’t delete anything in Windows. If you’re ready to go all‑in on Zorin, let the Zorin installer wipe the disk for you. It’s cleaner, faster, and guarantees the right UEFI/ESP layout. Windows Disk Management won’t even let you remove the EFI/Recovery partitions on the boot drive while Windows is running, and manual diskpart/gparted steps are easy to slip up.
Recommended flow

• Boot the Zorin USB → Try Zorin (confirm Wi‑Fi, touchpad, etc).
• Start Install → choose “Erase disk and install Zorin.”
• Optional: click Advanced features to enable “Encrypt the new Zorin installation” (LUKS) and/or LVM.
• Verify the target disk is your internal SSD and the summary shows a small EFI System Partition (~512 MB, FAT32) plus the Zorin partition(s). Proceed.
• After first boot: run updates, optionally install Timeshift for snapshots, then re‑enable Lenovo “conservation mode” if you mostly stay on AC.

If you prefer manual partitioning, choose “Something else,” create a new GPT, then:

• ESP: 512 MB, FAT32, mount point /boot/efi, flags: esp/boot
• Root: rest of disk as ext4 mounted at /
• Swap: optional (Zorin will use a swapfile if you skip a partition)

Keep your Macrium image and Windows install USB for a while; if you ever want Windows back, you can restore the image or clean‑install and your digital license will reactivate on this hardware.