Zeddie-

Is it just the matte screen that does that? Does the glossy screen do that too?

I wouldn't recommend installing multiple DEs yet for a beginner.

I agree with both statements! Ventoy is amazing for distro hopping between Live USBs! And Fedora has a nice vanilla implementation of Gnome as well as being a rolling release, has the latest kernel to support the latest hardware such as what's on the FW13.

Coming from Windows, you have to forget most of what you've learned when coming into Linux otherwise you may hamper yourself. Volumes are not represented as drive letters, for example. The commands you've learned for command prompt or PowerShell don't all translate to the bash terminal. The paradigm is different. It's like learning a new language.

As long as you're willing to "let old things go" you'll have an easier time learning. There are some things that you can connect an equivalent to in Windows once you start getting into Linux, but don't try to do that at the beginning.

That said, I suggest finding out which Desktop Environment you like first. Every distro has their own default desktop environment, and some are modified/custom version of an already established desktop environment.

I personally love Gnome because it's simple. It has less options presenting themselves which makes it easier to learn and get your head around. It's different enough from Windows that you don't try to use it like Windows subconsciously.

KDE Plasma has a lot of options and customization settings but I felt overwhelmed when I tried it. It looks reminiscent of Windows which lulled me into a false sense of familiarity. I personally don't think it's a great place to start if you're coming from Windows mostly because of that.

There are many other desktop environments so I suggest trying different distros out. You don't need to install most of them since they typically have Live USB available to try without installing (boot into USB and play with it). Once you find something that you like, you can install it.

If you decide to go dual boot so you have Windows (for gaming for example), I suggest installing each OS into their own separate SSDs. If you're using a FW13, then you don't have that choice (but you can probably install Linux into one of those USB expansion cards or an external USB flash drive if you're still not fully committed but still want a Linux OS that's not read-only like a Live USB).

You can't do the opposite (Windows on USB) because it is not allowed unless you trick it (search for Windows Go).

If you don't game and don't need Windows to be installed on bare metal, you can also install Linux on the internal SSD and run Windows in a virtual machine. This way you can fully commit to Linux while only booting Windows in a VM for those rare moments you need it.

Also most single player games work in Linux so if you're not playing something that requires Windows for DRM (like the Call of Duty series), you should be good with Linux as the main OS on bare metal.

Already having a candlelight dinner with it. I see it's a keeper!

Nice! The 64 GB kit is still expensive though. So glad I got my 64GB GSkill 5600 kit just before the Prime Day sale when it was $175.

Amazon seems to raise prices before their.big advertised sales just to bring it back down a bit to make it seem like a good deal

The 8bitdo M30 controller went for $18 before Black Friday sale. It went back up to $30 JUST before Black Friday but you get a 5% off coupon. Thanks Amazon. /s

I'm sure an ARM-based system can be done within the same motherboard form factor with both the 13 and 16. I don't expect Framework to do it themselves anytime soon. They may not be the first to take it up on the first generation either. I'd rather makers do it themselves as a pet project since they are the trailblazers. A PoC (proof of concept) as it were.

I don't have the skills to do something like that, but it would be cool to see if someone creates a carrier board that lets a RPi work in a FW chassis. Or maybe an even more powerful ARM or even RISC-V based single board computer.

After all that's been said, try redownloading the Windows 11 installer and put it on a different USB drive. Trying to eliminate the possibility of a bad Windows install.

I always wanted a laptop that can be built like a desktop PC - have a standard so off-the-shelf parts can be used to build, upgrade, and repair laptops just like we already can with PCs. Framework has open sourced a lot of their hardware so I'm hoping their laptop designs (only two so far) will become the standard. FW13 and FW16 wouldn't just be model monikers. They will be industry standard form factors like AT, ATX, and ITX.

That's my wishful thinking at least.

OP, why such a cryptic post? Was very confused until I read other comments to get some context, lol.

I'm also interested in something like this for the FW16. Pockets for extra expansion cards and the screwdriver/spudger is a great idea.

They're not small files. They are large MAME CHD files.