I think you're always going to have issues installing an OS yourself versus using a laptop (or other device) with an OS installed already. The hardware issues should be resolved for you which gets rid of some of the issues others have raised like missing wireless card drivers. Having said that, the issues you hit are pretty common to anyone moving to a new OS like "how do I install software?". I remember using macOS for the first time and finding the "mount a DMG file and drag it to the applications folder" completely unintuitive and someone had to tell me that was how it was done. There's always a barrier to entry and I think it's perfectly reasonable to say that Linux requires more from the user than other OSes. However I think we're seeing some solid efforts from companies like System76 and Tuxedo to make Linux more accessible. Hell the Steam Deck is fantastic and the fact it's Linux is almost completely hidden from you (until of course you come across a game you can't play, thanks Warhammer Vermintide 2).

In short I disagree with some of the other comments that imply some failing on your part or on tech illiterate people. Every OS has problems, and Linux's biggest problem is getting people past the painful stages of adoption which you just power through if you've bought a new device. I will agree with others saying their windows experiences are worse than modern Linux but then we're probably a bit biased!