Install Linux with Windows 10 dual system, everything you need to know

Would you like to choose Windows 10 or Linux Mint? Fish and bear cake of course you can have it, but we have to master a few tricks to get it done.

Windows 10 is by no means the only one by one free operating system that deserves our installation on our own computer. Linux runs smoothly with a single USB stick and does not require any modifications to the existing system at all. Of course, if you want to use it regularly, it's best to give Linux a place on your computer.

Installing a Linux distribution with Windows, which is often referred to as a "dual system" scenario, allows you to choose which operating system you want to use each time you start your PC device. For most people, this is the best way to install Linux, and just reboot and we can always go back to the familiar Windows system environment.

Be sure to install Linux after Windows installation is complete

If you want to use a dual-system boot mechanism, the most important thing is to install Windows first and then install Linux. This installation order is very strict and must not be confused. So, if you have a blank disk, install Windows first, then Linux. If you currently have Windows installed, you can install Linux directly. Don't nag me--the important thing is to say three times!

After strictly following the above sequence, the Linux installer will complete the processing of the Windows system for us, set the partition size and provide the options in the bootloader, allowing us to choose to enter the Windows environment at startup.

The boot loader displays both Linux and Windows Startup items on top of the dual system

If you install Linux and then install Windows, then Microsoft's product will directly ignore Linux, and completely do not know how to adjust the size of the partition, or even directly use their own bootloader to the Linux to overwrite. In this case, if you still want to start the Linux system, you need to first repair the compromised Linux system boot loader. The Wikipedia entry in Ubuntu describes the commands for repairing the bootloader, which you can click here if you want. Of course, you can also reinstall Linux. But the best way is still to install Windows, post-install Linux, remember to remember.

How to set up dual system boot

The dual-system boot installation process is also fairly straightforward in modern Linux distributions. The whole process is pretty much the same as installing Linux distributions in a normal way-you just have to pay extra attention to one option.

First, choose the Linux distribution you need. Download and create a USB flash drive or burn it to a DVD. Start it on a PC device that already has a Windows system running-you may need to work with secure boot settings on Windows 8 or Windows 10. Start the Setup program first, and then follow the prompts to step through the steps. Make sure you choose the option to have the Linux system coexist with Windows, or simply adjust the partitioning options manually. If you want, you can also create a separate partition for Linux to avoid confusing it with Windows. Note that you should never choose the option to overwrite Windows with Linux.

Ubuntu's installer, for example, offers the option to "Keep Ubuntu and windows at the same time," and that's the correct answer we're looking for. You can choose how much storage capacity you want to keep for your Linux system. In general, we need to readjust the Windows partition to make storage space for Linux, and any space allocated to Linux from the Windows system. So it's entirely up to your personal choice to allocate as much storage capacity to each of them-if you just fiddle with the Linux system occasionally, you shouldn't waste too much storage resources on it. But if you're going to install a lot of steam games or use them as your main system, you can't be too stingy with your storage space.

From this point of view, Linux installers can be said to be quite mature, and can be adjusted without making any changes to the Windows NTFS partition. Most importantly, however, it is able to back up all the important files and recover them in the event of an unexpected occurrence. Of course, the Linux installer can only tweak our Windows partition to allocate it to Linux when there is a lot of free space in it. If you're using a PC device that has multiple disk drives, you just need to install Windows on one piece and Linux on a different block. It should be emphasized, however, that it is entirely feasible to install both on the same disk-without triggering any conflicts.

Select an operating system and file share

Switching between different operating systems is really easy. Just restart our computer and everyone will be able to see the boot menu. Use the arrow keys plus the ENTER key to select Windows or Linux systems. This menu will appear every time you start your computer, but if we don't press any keys for 10 seconds, most Linux distributions will start by default. If everyone's computer is newer and equipped with faster solid-state drives, switching between Linux and Windows will be faster.

Linux also allows us to easily access our Windows files, and we can also view Windows partitions in the file manager of the Linux desktop system, making it easier to browse and view Windows files. Windows systems, by contrast, do not provide a convenient access mechanism for Linux file systems. Most Linux distributions use the Ext4 file system, so if you're looking to view Linux file systems through windows, you might be able to take advantage of third-party tools that support EXT4 file systems.

Dual-system Boot configuration is also important for PC gamers who want to try their game on the Linux platform. Of course, if you find a game that only supports the Windows platform, you can switch back to Windows with a reboot to enjoy the best performance-without any adjustments at all.

Install Linux with Windows 10 dual system, everything you need to know