Is Dual Booting Windows and Linux a Good Idea?

Before committing, you can test out any Linux distro with a USB to see how you like it. And if you prefer to stick with Windows, you could use Tiny11, a simpler version that updates you without needing to meet all the typical requirements.

Dual booting can really give you the best of both worlds. Keep your Windows for those must-have games and switch to Linux for everything else. Just make sure to back up everything before you mess around with partitions! And if rebooting gets old, you might consider trying to run Windows in a VM later.

If gaming is a big deal for you and you have the space for both Windows and Linux, then dual booting can definitely be worthwhile! It really comes down to your preferences. If you're more focused on gaming, you might find yourself in Windows most of the time, which could make the dual boot less practical. Personally, I use Linux for everything but still keep a Windows dual boot for some gaming with friends.

I dual boot with separate SSDs, but honestly, I barely use Windows. I mainly just need it for syncing my iPhone and the occasional Word document work. You might find you stick to one OS more than the other anyway. If you have the resources, running a VM could also be an option if you don’t need heavy performance.

If you're committed to giving Linux a go, dual booting is a solid way to do it without making big sacrifices. I hardly switch back to Windows nowadays—I mostly run Windows programs in a virtual machine, which works great, but sometimes it’s nice to have that dual boot option just in case.