@godreborn Again: You won't get far with WSL nor cygwin. Both won't give low-level hardware access which is needed to communicate with the WiFi stick.
So take a step back, breath deeply. Now think about your options:
1) Make a dual-boot setup with Linux and Windows on your PC.
2) Buy a Raspberry PI.
3) Find some other space device which supports Linux.
No matter what route you take do not use newest Debian release but Stretch (or maybe even Jessy) :
https://www.debian.org/releases/stretch/debian-installer/index.html (for an RPI use
http://downloads.raspberrypi.org/ra...19-04-09/2019-04-08-raspbian-stretch-lite.zip instead) that way you won't need to manually install .deb files.
Now to your sudo issue: When using sudo you need to enter your own password, not the root one. Anyway, do this:
Then set a password. This will be the root password as "sudo su" changes the user to root. That said: No need to use sudo again after "sudo su". Also after setting the pasword you're able to use "su" alone to switch to root. Keep in mind that su asks for the root password, not your own.
3 failed login attempts whenever I try using it. I don't even have a chance to input my password. it just says that.
It's locking the account (for 10 minutes?) after 3 failed attemps, that's what it's telling you. You're able to disable this behavior though. Can't find a way for Debian but:
https://linux.die.net/man/8/faillog "Selecting
MAX value of 0 has the effect of not placing a limit on the number of failed logins".
//EDIT: Also it might be a good idea to set a user password. Use "passwd" without calling su or sudo first for that.
//EDIT²: Yea, using Linux for the first time is pretty frustrating as you need to forget everything you learned from using Windows, for example. Anyway, it's worth to learn it as Linux is everywhere (on your TV, your phone, your router, GBATemp servers and so on). I didn't look if that's any good but maybe
https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-linux is for you?
//EDIT³: From the edX link:
Linux powers 100% of the world’s supercomputers, most of the servers powering the Internet, the majority of financial trades worldwide and over two billion Android devices. In short, Linux is everywhere. It appears in many different architectures, from mainframes to server to desktop to mobile and on a staggeringly wide variety of hardware.
Moreover, 80 percent of hiring managers reported that they will prioritize hiring Linux talent relative to other skills areas, and 47 percent of hiring managers say they’re more likely to hire a candidate with Linux certification.
