Hi everyone! I recently installed Linux Mint on the same drive as my Windows 10 using a Flash Drive that I set up with Rufus. However, I went with the default settings during installation and didn't create any partitions. Now, when I start my computer, it boots directly into Windows 10 without giving me a dual boot option. I'm pretty new to this and I'm not sure what I did wrong or how to fix it. Any advice would be appreciated!
2 Answers
It sounds like you might have installed Linux Mint correctly but just need to access the boot menu. When you power on your PC, try hitting the key for the boot menu—it's usually F12 for Dell and F11 for MSI. You could also check your BIOS/UEFI settings to change the boot order if needed. If Linux isn't installed right, make sure to back up your files first, and consider turning off Secure Boot in BIOS before installing. Here are some useful links: [Prepare Windows 10 for Linux](https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/prepare-windows-10.html) and [Install Mint](https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/install-mint.html).
Thanks for the tips! I usually stay away from the BIOS because I worry about messing things up. I'll check those links out!
Another common issue is that you might have booted the installer USB in a different mode than Windows (UEFI or Legacy mode). This can lead to installing without the necessary boot files. Make sure you're booting in the same mode as Windows to avoid this problem next time!
Oh, I see! I'm currently backing up my system and thinking about resetting it. I'll be more careful with the installation next time, as I think I might have messed up by not creating partitions.
Is that really possible? To have both OSs and just boot into either one without setting up a true dual boot?