Ok I’ve done some research in the forum and considered my options. I do not have the technical expertise to attempt a manual install. I was wondering whether to try again on a different browser (I was using Edge), and triple-check every step of the process, and see if I hit the same problem.
However, in this thread, and I think I saw mentioned somewhere else as well, concerns that the web installer does not re-lock the bootloader at the end, that that involves additional tools and sounds complicated, something about dates of security patches I don’t understand.
I’m concerned that, if I manage to successfully install /e/ this time, the next step(s) are too advanced for me and I’ll have to give my phone to someone else to sort out anyway. So my new question(s): is re-locking the bootloader necessary (for someone who’s not a techie, just wants to use a phone for normal phone stuff)? Where can I find clear step-by-step instructions (for Windows)? And would I be better off just sending my phone to AndroidPrivacyAccess to do the entire thing? It’s a brand-new phone that I saved up for so I really, really don’t want to get this wrong. I would have outsourced it anyway but I saw a video a short while ago of the new web installer and it looked so simple!