I hate Windows. I hate Microslop. I've hated them forever. Not using Windows helps, but I still have to deal with the consequences of everyone else using it!
What I hate most is people absolutely terrified of a *nix terminal, while willing to work around Windows problems via command prompt or messing with the goddamn fucking registry, which is just bloody ridiculous, why not just use fucking config files... but that's a rant for another time - and people looking at this kind of chatbot interface like cutting edge modern technology when it's actually just a CLI that doesn't fucking work. We had these at the dawn of personal computing, except that those ones worked and gave the same response to the same command every time! Look, I don't like using a terminal either, but at least be honest and consistent about it, people.
Well... No, not really. It's an SSD. I'm not replacing it if I can help it. No optical drive or equivalent.
This isn't really any of my business, so I don't mean to come across as judgemental, I only mean to propose an option that you have. The storage being an SSD doesn't make it unremovable, it just means you have to open the laptop's shell. Swapping the SSD would be the cheapest way to protect your windows installation, if you're really set on preserving it, while giving yourself the opportunity to switch to Linux and get your feet wet again. Gaming on Linux today is largely the same experience as gaming on Windows. If you use Steam, it isn't anymore complicated than installing the game from your library in the usual way you would on Windows.