I realize the op installed / booted win 8, but it looks like no one explained to how *get* LM.
Fyi, I'd recommend LM13. The support will end in 2017, giving whomever plenty of time to get used to Linux.
Some steps to get Linux Mint
1. Download .iso of LM. --> not allowed to post helpful links yet
-- This .iso is the information to install the OS.
2. Write (not copy!) the .iso to usb
-- Again – not allowed to post links.. google Ubuntu install Linux to pendrive?
3. Plug it in and reboot
-- If LM does not automatically boot, you need to go into bios. This is tricky because of such a great variety of bios's.
You're looking for something along the lines of "boot options". You want Usb Hard Drive / Usb Flash Drive (something like that.)
NOTE: Once you get the menu and hit startup Linux, you are NOT installing Linux mint. Consider it just a temporary demo living entirely in ram (it is) so that you may test it without consequence. The above tecmint guide covers it adequately past this.
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I also did not see anyone explain the initial windows you saw, Lipus Linux?
The first window is the GRUB menu. It is the bootloader. It sounds big and important, but its main function is telling BIOS what OS you want to boot. For example, Linux or Windows. Or Linux & Linux, etc. As you said, you chose the first option. Thus telling BIOS that you want to boot Lipus Linux, so it did.
The second window is telling you the various things it is doing. Loading the kernel (core of system) mounting drives (to read and write information) This is good ^^
The third window is very much the operating system. You are in the terminal. It was then waiting for you to put in commands. Since you are new to Linux and don't know many commands (which is fine!)..
this put you at a standstill.
Also, the reason it had this installed is likely because the sellers got the computer with the hard disks erased (nothing on them) and installed lipus to prove they are functioning computers. Since it doesn't require a gui (mouse point and click environment) this'll work on just about any computer, regardless of how old, cheap or new it is.