I've been experimenting with Ubuntu on a virtual machine for a few months and now I'm ready to install it directly on my PC. When I booted from my USB drive (64GB), I was given the option to either install alongside Windows or to do a manual installation on my hard drive, which I assume would involve wiping my USB. I'm trying to figure out the advantages and disadvantages of choosing the option to install alongside Windows. Is it a good idea to go that route?
4 Answers
Choosing to dual boot with Windows is a solid choice if you want to keep both operating systems. If you go this route, be careful during installation because installing Linux alone will wipe your Windows data. Make sure you back up everything first! I've found some great YouTube tutorials on both installing Linux and dual booting that might help you through the process.
Just a heads up, the installer typically wants to install on your main hard disk. If you don't choose the option alongside Windows, it could wipe your entire Windows partition. So, definitely double-check your selections during installation! It can get tricky, but once you get past that step, it's usually smooth sailing.
Installing alongside Windows can be a good choice for flexibility, but there's a catch. If you later decide you want to remove one of the OSs, it can get messy, especially with the boot manager. I'd suggest considering how you might want to switch between them in the future.
I use Windows primarily for gaming and Linux for everything else, and dual booting has worked well for me on the same drive. Just make sure to back up your data before you dive in!
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