Hey everyone! I'm trying to set up a dual boot system with Linux Mint and my existing Windows installation. I got a bit overwhelmed when I reached the partitioning step during the installation. My goal is to keep Windows for now and gradually switch to Linux. So, I'm looking for advice on how to divide my partitions appropriately if I want to retain Windows. Also, are there any important steps I should know about as I continue with this process? Thanks in advance for your guidance!
2 Answers
First off, you need to ensure you have enough space on your hard drive for both Windows and Linux. Linux Mint requires at least 20GB to install, but I recommend 100GB if you can spare it. 40GB is a more realistic minimum for proper usage these days. Although you can change partition sizes later, it's better to set them up correctly from the start. Also, always back up your data and have a Windows install USB ready, just in case!
Most Linux distributions will help you with partitioning during the installation. I suggest using either Kubuntu or Linux Mint; I've had a good experience with Kubuntu for a dual boot. You just need to tell the installer how much space you want to allocate for each OS, which is easy to do.
Yeah, just select 'Install alongside...' during the disk selection phase, then you can adjust the slider to set how big you want your Linux partition.