I've got Windows 10 running on my PC and want to add Linux alongside it. Here's what I'm hoping to do: I want to carve out around 50GB from my existing 256GB SSD C drive for the Linux installation. Importantly, I want to keep my Windows setup exactly the way it is, with no changes. When I boot my PC, I want it to load Windows 10 by default, but then allow me to manually select Linux if I want to use that instead. The key here is that I want both systems to operate independently without interfering with each other. Is this feasible? If so, I'd appreciate any guidance. Also, could you recommend a Linux distro that works smoothly out of the box? I haven't used Linux in about 7 years!
3 Answers
Having both systems play nicely without interference is trickier than it sounds! One option is to get a second SSD just for Linux. That way, you avoid potential boot issues with Windows updates messing up the Linux bootloader. It’s a solid way to keep things separate and stable.
You can definitely dual boot! Start by disabling hibernation in Windows using the command `powercfg /H off` in CMD or PowerShell. This helps avoid problems with Linux reading the Windows partition. Also, make sure Windows uses UTC for the time, as described in the Arch wiki. When you install Linux, configure the bootloader (GRUB) to let you load Windows by default. This should help keep things running smoothly with minimal fuss on both ends!
To dual boot, boot from a live USB with your desired Linux distro and use GParted or similar to shrink your Windows partition, freeing up at least 50GB for Linux. Keep a backup of your data just in case something goes awry. Install Linux on the new ext4 partition and ensure GRUB installs on the same drive. For distros, I'd suggest starting with Mint, Zorin, or Ubuntu; they tend to work out of the box without too much tweaking.
And to add to that, if you want an easy experience, test them out via live USB first! You can see which one plays nicely with your hardware before committing to an install.