Can a toshiba p55t-A5118 run Linux?

[Tosh2]

So I know that it can run linux, but I was wondering if there were any distros I couldn't run. I constantly see desktop distros, but i don't know if i can run them on my toshiba. Also, this is really my first linux distro, unless you count TAILS. I also want to run it from a USB, if possible.
Currently running windows 8.1, and I would like to keep windows on it. I am willing to dual boot but i would prefer not to, as this is a shared computer and the other people who used it are absolutely clueless.
Intel core i7
unsure how much RAM
1tb of HD space
8GB flash drive that i would like to put the distro on

Thanks!

 

[Ambyjkl]

I suggest that you install linux in a Virtual Machine for just trying it out, because these days the computers use UEFI BIOS that is said to be new and more "secure", sort of. There is some new thing out there called "secure boot" which disallows an OS other than Windows 8.1 installed by default to run. There is now stuff in windows 8 like fast startup and other stuff that is mainly meant to discourage dual boot set-ups. Of course you can disable all that, but still, it is not worth the effort you put into it. You can use Oracle VM VirtualBox which is a hypervisor (a super supervisor ) that lets you make virtual machines on your computer. The best thing about virtual machines is that they run independently inside of your windows 8.1 os and act basically like separate os'es, they don't change your files and settings, no need to partition, no need to worry about losing data and no hassle (and the os doesn't even know that it is being run inside of a virtual machine). You can google the rest. Virtualbox is open source and highly portable (it can be installed in almost any os) and you can access your virtual machines from any computer that has virtualbox installed in it. You can hence create your virtual machine in your flash drive along with the installation files of virtualbox. I have been using Ubuntu linux for the past 5 years and it rocks. But it quite a bulky os that takes at least 10-12 gb of space. You can hence try out lubuntu (light ubuntu) which is basically quite a slim version of ubuntu with all the essential features (and less bloat). I can guarantee you that it will work (even 1-2 gb of ram is sufficient, and i7 is quite a powerhouse). You may need to enable VT-x (just google it) by enabling hardware virtualization in your bios settings. Just google whatever you don't understand and keep posting problems you encounter. Good luck.