Though Home windows is probably the most extensively supported working system, Linux is a good various. Fortunately, you do not have to decide on between them. On this information, we’ll present you how you can twin boot Linux and Home windows to get the most effective of each worlds — whether or not that is with Home windows 10 or the newer Home windows 11.
Linux is right for builders and tinkerers, providing a wealth of open-source software program and customization choices. We’ll be utilizing the beginner-friendly Ubuntu for this tutorial, however be sure to take a look at our listing of the most effective Linux distros if you wish to attempt one thing completely different.
Home windows 11
Begin by putting in Home windows
Step one is to put in Home windows, assuming you are ranging from scratch. We now have a full information on how you can set up Home windows 11, so be sure to maintain that useful in case you want additional element. For twin booting, the method is basically the identical minus one key distinction.
As an alternative of permitting Home windows to take up all the area in your onerous drive, you will allocate it a partition. You probably have a number of onerous drives for twin booting, you possibly can permit Home windows to take up the complete area in your onerous drive. This course of works for Home windows 10 and Home windows 11, however we’ll be utilizing Home windows 10 for our instance.
If you do not have an additional Home windows PC to create set up media, you possibly can set up Home windows first earlier than putting in Linux (although you could want to completely defrag your onerous drive to create a partition for Linux).
Step 1: Together with your spare PC, download the Windows Media Creation Tool and observe the steps to create set up media on considered one of your clean USB drives. Be aware: you could be requested to format the drive, which can take away all the information.
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Step 2: Leaving your set up USB drive plugged in, flip off your PC. Flip it again on and choose the F12 in your keyboard quickly whereas the pc boots. This can take you to a boot menu. Choose your Home windows USB drive and proceed.
Step 3: Observe the steps for the Home windows installer till you attain the What sort of set up would you like web page. Select Customized: Set up Home windows solely.
Step 4: You must create a partition in your onerous drive. You may probably see a number of partitions right here except you are utilizing a brand-new onerous drive. Assuming you need to begin from scratch, delete the partitions (word: it will take away all the info in your onerous drive, so be sure your onerous drive is backed up).
Step 5: Choose your onerous drive and choose New to create a brand new partition. Set how massive you need the partition to be and ensure. This would be the complete quantity of area Home windows has entry to, and you will want additional area to put in Linux. We suggest splitting the empty area in half, allocating half to Home windows and half to Linux.
Observe the remaining set up steps to complete.
How one can Set up Linux
Putting in Home windows first is a good suggestion as a result of it makes putting in Linux a lot simpler. If you have already got Home windows put in, you possibly can nonetheless twin boot Linux, however you will have to create a brand new partition in your onerous drive.
We’ll be utilizing Ubuntu for our instance, however the course of is analogous for many Linux distros.
Step 1: Download the latest version of Ubuntu and retailer it someplace you possibly can simply entry. Seize your second clean USB drive and insert it into your pc.
Step 2: Download balenaEtcher and open it up. Choose your clean USB drive and your Ubuntu picture and run the software program to create your bootable Linux media.
Step 3: Retaining your Linux USB drive plugged in, restart your pc and quickly press the F12 key to enter the boot menu. Choose your Linux USB drive in addition into the set up display.
Step 4: It is possible for you to to attempt or set up Ubuntu, so in case you’re not sure about Linux, check out the OS first. It could run off of your USB drive, although with decreased efficiency. When you’re settled, choose Set up Ubuntu to proceed.
Choose your keyboard structure and language and go for a Regular set up. Ensure that to examine each packing containers below the Different choices part on this display.
Step 5: Ubuntu will mechanically detect when you have Home windows put in. Choose Set up Ubuntu alongside Home windows 10 on this display. The opposite choice, Erase disk and set up Ubuntu will take away Home windows out of your PC.
Step 6: If you happen to began with a clean onerous drive, you are carried out. End the set up and use the boot menu referenced above to decide on which OS in addition into (choose the onerous drive partition you need).
If Home windows is taking over the complete drive, you will see a display that permits you to allocate disc area to Ubuntu. Select how a lot area you need to allocate and proceed. We extremely suggest making a partition by means of Home windows first, nevertheless, to keep away from unintentionally deleting information.
Most Linux distros will launch right into a boot menu that permits you to choose between Linux and Home windows, however you could want to make use of the boot menu to decide on which OS you need to load into.
Twin booting opens up your prospects in your PC, and the method is straightforward sufficient. The one factor to bear in mind is sharing information between Home windows and Linux. If you happen to’re utilizing an exterior onerous drive, one OS might play properly with the information whereas the opposite might not.
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