Dual boot Linux and Windows (7 or10)

[richardf77]

I want to try a Linux distro installed properly not just on a live disc. I don't want to give up on windows though. I have read mixed things about how easy it is to set up a dual boot machine like this. Some say it's easy, other say it's difficult to set up without messing  up windows.

I need a clear answer one way or another before I decide to do it or not. If it is possible, which type of Linux is the best one to dual boot with windows and is it the easiest to install?

[newman1984]

I currently have Windows 7 Ultimate and Ubuntu dual-booting.  Previously, I had Windows 7 Ultimate and Fedora dual-booted.  If I remember right, I created a partition of 750GB for windows and left the other 250 alone.  I then installed Windows onto the 750GB partition, rebooted and installed Linux on the rest.  I haven't had any issues at all, it works great.

[richardf77]

I have 2 partitions, one with windows, the other with user data. The OS partition has spare capacity, so if I shrink it and create a third partition will that be OK for installing linux? How much space does a typical linux install need?

[CPowa]

About 20GiB is safe for a Linux install, provided you do not want to install Steam games or TeX stuff.

Actually if you're not installing Steam or TeX and don't need too much room for video files or other large documents then you can get away with a lot less, around 10GiB is safe.

I have a 'work' install of Debian on my computer that currently takes up 5.7GiB, 1.8GiB is just random home files, about 90% of those home files are media like pictures and videos I've downloaded.

[DaveLembke]

I regularly build systems with dual boot and one thing to add is if you had a drive that has a FAT32 partition you can use this FAT32 space as a file sharing area between both Linux and Windows.

Generally Linux see's all. But Windows sees the Linux partitions as unknown. With FAT32 partition you can maintain a data location that both can access without any problems.

[Salmon Trout]

Generally Linux see's all. But Windows sees the Linux partitions as unknown.

There are various 3rd party Linux file system viewers you can use in Windows

http://www.howtogeek.com/112888/3-ways-to-access-your-linux-partitions-from-windows/

[CPowa]

There are various 3rd party Linux file system viewers you can use in Windows

http://www.howtogeek.com/112888/3-ways-to-access-your-linux-partitions-from-windows/

Nevertheless these all have their own headaches. For the easiest solution I'd agree with Dave on the FAT32 partition.

[richardf77]

Thanks for replie.

Whats a FAT32 partition and how is it different to normal partitions? My current partitions are NTFS as required by Windows 7 etc.

I have been thinking about this. i have a spare old laptop HDD which is now in an enclosure and used as an external drive. It is partitioned and recently formatted via Windows 7 format tool to standard settings NTFS, default file allocation size  etc. Could i use this for a linux install and boot from it to my main PC instead of installing it on the PCs own hard drive. In effect making it a linux extension of the PC?

[DaveLembke]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_Allocation_Table

I'd remove the laptop HDD from the case if its a newer SATA 150 or SATA 300 drive and plug it direct to SATA port in desktop system. Then figure out your BIOS hot key at boot BIOS splash screen to select device to boot from from menu. * WARNING: You will want to disconnect your Windows 7 drive when you install Linux to the laptop drive. This way you dont get confused and wipe out your windows installation. Once Linux is installed. You can reconnect your Windows 7 drive and use the boot device menu to select Windows or Linux

[richardf77]

Oh I was hoping it would be easier than that. Didn't want to have to install the spare drive into the PC. I wanted to have a bootable and writable drive that wasn't permanently part of the machine.

[richardf77]

Would using a high capacity flash drive be an option? As a full install i mean not Live CD. I am still wary of installing Linux direct to my PC HDD.

Apart from Mint amd Ubuntu, what other distros would you recomend for a beginner at LInux?

[Origiin]

1.The purpose of this Instructable is to set up your computer to dual-boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu Linux. Dual-booting is a technique which allows a single physical computer to run two or more operating systems (OSes). This is useful for experimenting with new OSes without putting all your eggs in one basket.
2.If you do want to dual-boot, the most important time-honored piece of advice is to install Linux on your system after Windows is already installed. So, if you have an empty hard drive, install Windows first, then Linux. If you already have Windows installed, you’re clear to install Linux.When you install Linux after Windows, the Linux installer knows how to deal with Windows, resize its partition, and set up a boot loader with an option allowing you to choose Windows at boot time.