I'm getting ready to install Linux on my PC after doing some research on different distributions. I decided to go with Nobara since it's designed for gaming, but it also offers a solid desktop for other tasks like coding and browsing. My plan is to set up a dual-boot configuration—keeping Windows on my primary 2TB drive and installing Linux on a 256GB SSD that I've cleared out.
However, I'm concerned about retaining access to my files on the Windows side. I've read a bit about Linux being able to access Windows drives, but I want to know how much effort that really takes. Additionally, I have a lot of games on Steam, and I'm wondering if I need to download all of them again for Linux or if it's possible to share my Steam library between both operating systems. It would be super convenient to manage them without duplicates, but I'm not sure if that's feasible with Linux.
4 Answers
Check out the migration page for tips on making the transition smoother! Just a reminder: it's best to only use root when necessary and steer clear of third-party repositories for safety. Verify checksums of your ISOs to catch any issues early on!
You can access Windows NTFS partitions in Linux by downloading some open-source packages like ntfs-3g, which lets you mount and fully read/write to those drives. Just be sure the contents aren't encrypted. Linux has more flexibility when it comes to handling different filesystems compared to Windows. You can use packages like libfuse to manage various drives effectively!
Unfortunately, you’ll likely have to redownload your games. There's a workaround to access the Windows filesystem, but it's usually slow and unreliable. Proton creates a separate 'prefix' for each game, which is handy for backups. If you keep it on a different drive, restoring games becomes super easy if anything goes wrong with your Linux installation. Nobara is a solid choice for gaming, by the way!
To easily access your Windows files from Linux, make sure to disable BitLocker and Fast Startup in Windows. You can share a Steam library, but keep in mind it’s not officially supported, so there might be some complications. If you want to avoid duplicates, try to separate your Linux games on one partition and keep your Windows-only games on another; that way, you won't have to redownload everything.
Yeah, it sounds like dealing with that unsupported sharing might not be worth the hassle. Thanks for the heads up!
That makes sense. I'm trying to set everything up right now, but Windows takes ages to load! It’s around 20 to 30 minutes, which is definitely frustrating.