If you are used to Windows, you might like to try
https://ubuntu.com/download . It's very similar to Linux Mint, but the user interface is more familiar to Windows users. You can run it off a bootable USB stick to see if it's right for you, same as Mint, before choosing or not to install it on your hard drive. Try both, to see which one suits you best. They're both free. Techies prefer Mint, dummies like me use ubuntu.
Linux tends not to crash as regularly as Windows. I had the screen freeze on me in 2016, but there have been several iterations of Ubuntu since then, which have run without any problems. To be on the safe side, backup before installing, and if you want to dual-boot windows/linux, install windows first. Linux sits quite happily on top of windows, but if you install windows on top of linux, it keeps on trying to take control.
All versions of linux have an application called Terminal, which gives you total control over your computer, which windows frustratingly denies you. If you prefix a command with sudo (pseudo SuperUser) you can do just about anything, including bricking your hard drive. Use with caution.
You don't need anti-virus software with Linux. People have written virii for linux, but they are defeated in the next upgrade (there is one every few days, they are small uploads) so they've largely given up.
If your computer doesn't have a lot of memory, you can download an older version of linux which doesn't require as much. This ancient machine is fully expanded to its maximum of 8 GB, and I run Ubuntu 22.04 (22 = 2022, 04 = April, there is a new stable release every two years, in April.) I miss out on the latest bells and whistles, but a new computer would be expensive. Anything since 18.04 is fully supported with upgrades.