Last Updated on November 29, 2019 by Christopher G Mendla
There is a very good tutorial that shows how to install or run Ubuntu from a memory stick using Rufus
https://tutorials.ubuntu.com/tutorial/tutorial-create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#0
I had an older laptop that I upgraded from Win7 to Win 10. In short, it ran like a drunken pig.
I decided to do a complete OS replacement and installed Ubuntu using this method.
I now have a fairly usable machine.