Installing ubuntu on windows. Installing Ubuntu next to Windows. Installing Ubuntu alongside Windows

If you want to install Linux on your PC, and at the same time keep Windows running, this is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. To install Linux as a second operating system, you need a system image. Let's look at an example of installing Xubuntu alongside Winodws 7. Xubuntu is the same Ubuntu, but with the XFCE shell instead of Gnome3. In fact, all distributions of Ubuntu or based on it are installed absolutely alone, that is, Linux Mint, Xubuntu, Ubuntu, Ubuntu-Mate, ElementaryOS, Lubuntu and all sorts of buntu and other forks have the same installation process. In general, the installation process goes smoothly, but it is recommended that you back up important data.

01. Download the distribution image (Xubuntu).
02. Create a bootable USB flash drive using any of the programs:
03. We boot from a USB flash drive.
04. Launch the Live system.
05. Launch the Gparted program.
# If Gparted is not installed # You need to install it sudo apt install gparted
06. Right-click on the main Windows partition and select "Resize".


07. Set the required size (Recommended at least 20GB).


08. Clicks the "Apply Changes" button.


09. Next, the process of resizing the NTFS partition will begin, depending on the volume and fragmentation of files, the process may be long, so do not restart or shut down the PC.
10. When you see a message that the process is complete, close Gparted and run the Linux installation from your desktop.
11. Carefully read the information during installation and set the appropriate settings for you until you see a screen with a partition selection for installation.
12. As soon as the installer prompts you to select "Installation Type", you should carefully study the options offered and select " Installing Ubuntu/Mint/*buntu alongside Windows 7"(The system itself recognizes which Windows you have installed).


13. Press " Install now" and wait for the installation to finish.
14. After installing the system, restart the PC and remove the USB flash drive.
15. During the installation of Linux, the Grub bootloader was written to the hard disk, with which you can choose to boot one or another OS (Ubuntu or Windows, plus system utilities and start the OS with additional parameters), OS to boot by default with an asterisk.


16. Boot into the Linux system and start working on it.


17. If you want to change the order of the available OSes in Grub or just set a different default system, the best way to do this is through the program grub-customizer.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install grub-customizer
18. Run the installed program and make the necessary changes.

Many people are faced with the need to have two operating systems “in the arsenal” at once: Windows and Linux, and decide to install both OSes on their computer. However, when installing Linux alongside Windows 10, you may run into unexpected issues and conflicts. Let's see how to deal with them for Ubuntu, Mint, Kali, Kubuntu, Rosa, Archlinux versions

Preparing for installation

Before you install Linux, you need to prepare for its installation. Allocate a certain amount of unallocated disk space, prepare a boot disk (or USB flash drive) for installation, check if some features are disabled in the BIOS. Before proceeding with the direct installation, let's figure out what needs to be done first.

Allocate disk space

The first thing that is required before installing any alternative operating system is to allocate disk space for it. By default, all disk space is used by Windows and is not suitable for installing another OS (especially Linux, which generally uses a different file system). So, if you do not leave unallocated disk space for Linux, the system will not want to install.

This can be done both using Windows tools and through the Linux installer itself. Consider the first case for now, and return to the second at the time of direct installation.

Before repartitioning the disk, you should create a backup copy of the system. This is done in the "Backup and Restore" item in the Windows Control Panel. All you need is disk space to store the backup.

The "System Backup and Restore" item is located along the following path: "Start - Control Panel - System - Backup and Restore".

When the backup is created, you can get down to business.

  1. We go to the disk management wizard. To do this, either right-click on "Computer" and select "Management" - "Disk Management", or find the appropriate section in the control panel.
  2. To free up space for Linux, right-click on the desired drive and select Shrink Volume.
  3. The window that appears will display the amount of space available for compression in megabytes and a field where you can specify the size of the new unallocated space. We focus on our needs: the Linux system partition is at least 20 GB (the system as such takes 7–20 GB, but you need more space for programs), the best is 30–40; swap file partition - half the amount of RAM in the computer (say, if you have 4 GB of RAM, then the swap partition will take 2 GB); custom section where your files will be stored - based on needs. Remember that 1 GB = 1024 MB. When calculating the freed space, we proceed from this formula.
  4. After we click on the “Compress” button, the number of unallocated gigabytes we need will “break off” from the disk. Everything. Further manipulations with disk space are best done in the Linux installer. Close the wizard and move on to the next step.

Now you can proceed to create a boot disk or flash drive.

Media preparation

Traditionally, a CD is used to install the operating system, but recently it has often been replaced with an installation flash drive (which is not surprising: a flash drive is much more convenient for further use). We will consider both options.

The first thing to do is download the image to install the OS. Linux is a free system, and most of its distributions can be found in the public domain on the official website, for example, Ubuntu or Linux Mint (the most popular systems among beginners).

In the case of a disk, we simply need to insert it into the drive and, when it appears in Windows, double-click on the disk icon to open the window for writing data to disk. Also, the "Burn disc" option may be present in the autorun of an empty disc. However, if you do not trust the standard Windows tools, you can use third-party programs, such as Nero or UltraISO.

In the case of a flash drive, everything is somewhat more complicated. Preparation of the installation flash drive is carried out exclusively with the help of third-party programs. But in general, there is nothing complicated either. Let's consider the recording using the UltraISO program as an example.

  1. First, open ("File" - "Open") the system image that we need.
  2. Now go to the "Boot" tab and select "Burn hard disk image". In the window that opens, select our flash drive. The flash drive must be pre-formatted, otherwise nothing will work.
  3. Select the USB-HDD+ recording method and click "Burn".
  4. After the recording is over, the flash drive can be used as an installation one.

Video: burning an image to a disk or flash drive

How to install Linux alongside Windows 10 (Ubuntu, Mint and other distributions)

Now that the space has been allocated and the image has been written to a USB flash drive, you can proceed to the direct installation.

The installation process for different versions of Linux looks different, but in general, the principles for a clean installation (without using encryption and other bells and whistles) of “simple” (does not require kernel compilation and other manipulations) distributions are similar. Especially in places that relate to installation next to Windows.

The pitfalls of this stage are largely related to the BIOS, in particular, with its new incarnation - UEFI, which often conflicts with classic (Legacy) devices. Most often, UEFI is installed on new computers and laptops with Windows 8 or Windows 10 preinstalled. Before you get started, you should make sure that the Secure Boot option is disabled in the BIOS. In some cases, this may not be necessary, but it is better to play it safe.

  1. First, boot from a USB flash drive or disk. To do this, you can use the BIOS or the menu of special boot options (while holding Shift, press "Start" - "Shut down", the item "Special boot options" will appear in the shutdown menu), where you need to select the item "Use device".
  2. In the list of devices that appear, select the desired flash drive or disk. If it is not there, pay attention to the line "View other devices".
  3. The computer will now restart from the specified drive. A live version of the Linux system will open. You can “run around” on it, see how it works, but the thing we need most is the “Install” button. We press it.
  4. Depending on the distribution (Ubuntu, Mint, Kali, Kubuntu, etc.), the interface may vary, but in general, the general principles are similar. Consider the installation using the example of Ubuntu as the most popular Linux system.
  5. At the very beginning of the installation, everything is simple: select the language, time zone and layout that will be used in the system. There is nothing complicated here. But then it’s more interesting: Linux will ask which installation option to choose. It is best to choose manual: so you can be sure that the automation will not make a mistake anywhere, and you will practice yourself. But, if you don’t want to bother, you can also choose the first option - “Install next to Windows”.
  6. The most interesting point is disk partitioning: here you need to partition three partitions that are used by default in Linux. We proceed to this step only if we chose manual markup in the last step. The root partition (the one where the system is installed) corresponds to the mount point /, the user partition corresponds to the /home point, nothing needs to be specified for the swap partition. The file system used by Ubuntu is called ext4 (some other distributions may need a different one, such as xfs for archlinux). We select it for the root and home partitions. For the swap partition, use the swap item. Select sizes as above.

    The root and home partitions use the / and /home mount points and the ext4 file system, while the swap partition uses the swap system with no mount points

  7. If you have UEFI, then some manuals recommend specifying the efi partition for the bootloader (the default used in Windows to boot from UEFI). Finding it when partitioning is easy: this partition will take up little space and use the fat32 file system or the efi type. Otherwise, you may encounter problems when booting the system later. However, a significant part of users recommend installing the bootloader directly on the media and do not encounter these problems.
  8. On some versions of Linux, installing a bootloader is located in the "Advanced" tab in this or one of the following steps.
  9. It remains the simplest: specify the username, password, login settings (with or without a password) and computer name. The system may offer you to import users from Windows, but it does not do it in the best way, so you should not agree. After everything is specified, Linux will clarify whether you really want to apply exactly this configuration, and begin the installation. Once the installation has started, you can't change its settings.
  10. Now it remains only to wait for the OS to install. Some versions of Linux show the user short manuals during installation during installation, so if you are not sure about yourself, you can read them while the system is being installed on the computer.

In general, there is nothing difficult to install. There are also alternative methods, but they are more difficult to implement and require a solid technical background.

In the case of a virtual machine, the principle of installation is the same, but compatibility problems with Windows are practically eliminated: the virtual system is isolated, it does not need to compete with the Windows bootloader. To install the OS on a virtual machine, you do not need an installation flash drive or disk: only a system image and any software for virtual systems (for example, Oracle VirtualBox or VMware Workstation). For the virtual machine to work, be sure to check that virtualization is enabled in the BIOS. Otherwise, work with the virtual OS will be impossible.

Video: Installing Linux with Windows 10 UEFI

How to return to Windows 10 at boot

Many users have difficulty configuring the bootloader: how to make it so that you can select a system? The answer is simple: set the system boot priority in the BIOS. The Linux bootloader should be enabled by default. Why is that? The built-in Linux bootloader, which is called Grub, recognizes the Windows system and can redirect the boot to it, but this does not work in the opposite direction.

If everything went well, the next time you boot your computer, the Grub boot menu will appear, where you can select the system to boot: both Linux and Windows.

So, there is nothing particularly complicated about installing Linux OS next to Windows 10. The main thing is to be attentive and careful: with the slightest mistakes, you will not end up with problems. Install systems properly and do not forget about backups.

Almost every user today has heard about the free Linux operating system. The open platform for development and the availability of the system made it very popular. But if you've never used it, installing it instead of Windows can be reckless. It is much more convenient to install any of the versions of Linux as a second operating system on your device.

Reasons to install Linux alongside Windows 10

Windows 10 is the latest operating system from Microsoft. She is successful and versatile. Few users will be able to completely abandon its use for the sake of installing Linux. In turn, Linux has a number of advantages over other operating systems:

  • freedom and variety - there are many builds of Linux, and each of them is distributed free of charge. Downloading, installing, using and even modifying them is completely legal;
  • low requirements - some Linux builds will work even on very old computers. The operating system takes up little space and consumes little RAM, which means that more resources will be left for your programs;
  • fewer viruses - virus programs for Linux, of course, exist, but the chance of stumbling upon them is much less than in the operating system from Microsoft. As a result, getting rid of them is easier;
  • free software - there is a lot of free software on Linux for every taste. It can be both analogues of paid programs on Windows, and completely new software. Finding the program you need is very easy;
  • good compatibility with other systems is an extremely important point. Linux is easy to install and works with any operating system: both Windows and Mac.

The downsides, however, are also obvious:

  • calculation for experienced users - installing Linux is not difficult at all, but some actions in the system itself require a lot of technical knowledge;
  • problems with support for programs and games of other operating systems - not all games or programs support Linux, and the way to launch through wine does not always work correctly.

By installing Linux as a second operating system, you have nothing to lose, and if you like it, you can completely move to it.

Installing different builds of Linux

Since Linux is open to user development, there are many different versions of this operating system.

  • Linux Ubuntu is a common version of the operating system that is installed with various programs. It has both “light” options and full-fledged complexes for working with media; Ubuntu is one of the most widely used versions of Linux.
  • Kali Linux is a version of the system with a lot of emphasis on safe operation;
    Kali Linux is known for enhanced security
  • Linux Mint - this operating system is based on the version of Ubuntu and is a development of its ideas for the better;
    Mint Linux is an improved version of Ubuntu
  • Kubuntu is the official offshoot of the regular version of Ubuntu. It differs by a different graphical shell (KDE);
    Kubuntu Linux - Ubuntu with a different graphical environment
  • Rosa Linux - Russian version of Linux with a number of own developments;
    Rosa Linux - Russian assembly with a number of innovations
  • Arch Linux is a very lightweight and optimized build aimed at advanced users.
    Arch Linux - Power Users Build

Each user should choose an assembly for their needs before proceeding directly to the installation.

Preparations before installation

Before you start installing the version of Linux you have chosen, you need to do some preparatory work with your hard drive. To begin with, it is worth saving all the necessary files to the drive, since during installation there is a risk of losing them. Then you should partition the disk into sections for the correct installation of the second operating system.

Partitioning a partition using the Disk Management system program


You can also split the partition directly during the installation of Linux. But if you do this in advance, you can avoid some unnecessary risks during installation.

Partitioning a Partition Using the Linux Installer

Regardless of which version of Linux you are installing, you will need to partition your drive. If you didn't do this before installation, you can also do it during installation.

  1. To do this, when choosing the type of installation, select the "Other option" item.
    When installing, select the line "Other option" and click "Continue"
  2. The required utility will be launched. Here you can see the partitions of your hard drive. For installation, it is better to divide a partition that is not a system one.
    Linux has its own disk utility that can also be used to partition a volume.
  3. Select a non-system partition and press the Edit key.
    Select a partition that has enough free space and click "Edit"
  4. Specify a different hard disk size. It is recommended to set the value to more than 20 thousand MB, so that there is enough space for the system and for its normal operation. All "extra" space will be cut off and become an unallocated area. Of course, it is necessary that this space is not occupied by files.
    In the Edit Partition window, you can see the total amount of free disk space
  5. Confirm the resizing by pressing the OK button.
    In the Edit Partition box, enter the weight of the space you want to partition and click OK
  6. A warning about the irreversibility of the process will appear. Again, agree to the changes and select the "Continue" button.
    Review and confirm changes when creating a partition in Linux
  7. The split will be completed and you will see the line "free space". Select it and click on the plus sign.
    Select a new section and click on the plus to create a section
  8. Fill out the section creation form. To install Linux, you will need to create a root partition, a swap partition, and a file storage partition. To create a root partition, specify a size of about 15 GB, set the partition type to "Logical" and specify the "/" sign in the "Mount point" line so that the partition is considered the root partition.
    Enter the required information to create the root partition and click OK
  9. In the same way, create a partition for system swap by choosing the appropriate partition type. You should allocate as much space for it as you have RAM.
    Enter the necessary data to create a swap partition and click OK
  10. In the last section for storing files, select all the space that is left. Select "/home" as the mount point.
    Enter the required information to create a home partition and click OK

Partitioning is complete, which means you can continue with the installation.

Install Linux Ubuntu alongside Windows 10

You can download the latest Linux Ubuntu system from its official website. After that, follow these steps:

  1. Write the system image to a flash drive. This can be done using any program convenient for you. For example, the Rufus program can help you. Download and run it.
  2. Select the recording device on the top line. This can be a writable disc or a flash drive. Specify your drive in Rufus
  3. Specify the partition scheme - "GPT for computers with UEFI". Select GPT as partition scheme
  4. Then click on the image icon. In the explorer that opens, specify the path to your Linux image. Click on the disk icon and select the Linux image you downloaded from the official website
  5. Make sure "Create a boot disk" is checked and click "Start".
  6. After the boot disk has been created, restart your computer and go to the Boot Menu. Select the load of your drive there. Select your drive type from the Boot Menu
  7. The start window for installing Linux Ubuntu will appear. Set the desired language in the left panel and start the installation.
    Select your system language and click "Install Ubuntu"
  8. Since the partition has already been created before, select the "Install Ubuntu alongside Windows 10" option.
    From all installation types select "Install Ubuntu alongside Windows 10"
  9. Then select a section. It will be of type fat32 if done right.
    Select a fat32 partition that should have enough space
  10. If there is no partition, but there is an unallocated area, create it. To do this, in the devices tab, select Create Partition Table. Set the partition type to GPT.
  11. In the next window, specify the size of the partition, select fat32 as the file system, and enter EFI in the Label line.
    Specify the weight of the section at your discretion
  12. After selecting a partition, the installation will be fully automatic. To do this, simply select Ubuntu the next time you boot your system.
    After reboot select Ubuntu as operating system
  13. After installation, indicate your time zone on the map.
    Set time zone in Ubuntu installation settings
  14. Then choose your language and keyboard layout.
    Select default keyboard layout for Ubuntu
  15. Think up and enter the details of your new account and click "Continue".
    Enter your new account details on Ubuntu
  16. The installation will complete the final steps and require a system restart. Execute it.
    Agree to restart your computer by clicking "Restart"

Video: detailed installation of Linux Ubuntu on a computer with BIOS

Installing Linux Mint next to Windows 10

To install Linux Mint, you need to do the following:

  1. Go to the official site of this build and select the version to download. It is worth choosing based on the necessary options and the capacity of the system.
    Download the right version of Linux Mint from the official website
  2. Choose torrent as the download method or download the client from one of the mirrors.
    Download Linux Mint using any of the methods suggested on the site
  3. Then write the Linux Mint image to a boot drive. You can do this with the help of the already familiar Rufus program. Burn the Linux Mint Image to a Bootable Drive
  4. After the installation starts, you will see a window with a countdown.
    Wait until the timer expires to start installing Linux Mint
  5. If you press any key, the advanced settings window will appear. It is not necessary to do this, but if you did, select the first item to start the installation. Or just wait until the time is up.
    Select Start Linux Mint to login
  6. After a short boot, you will see the desktop of the new operating system in front of you. But the installation is not completed yet. Find the Install Linux Mint file on your desktop and double-click it to open it.
    Run the Install Linux Mint file on your desktop
  7. The language settings will open. Select the required language and proceed with the installation.
    Choose your language for Linux Mint
  8. Check the box next to install the software automatically.
    Check the box to install additional programs and click "Continue"
  9. Then select the installation type. If you have already partitioned the disk and separated the installation area, select "Install Linux Mint alongside Windows 10".
    To install Linux Mint along with Windows 10, select the appropriate item
  10. After selecting the installation section, the time zone selection will open. Specify your region.
    Select your region for the correct time zone setting
  11. Then select your keyboard layout languages.
    Select the keyboard layout you want to use on the new system
  12. Create and set your account name and password, if needed.
    Enter your Linux Mint account login details and confirm them
  13. Wait for the installation progress to complete. Progress can be tracked using the bar at the bottom of the screen.
    Wait until the end of the installation progress to access the system
  14. Installation is complete and after restarting the computer, you can start using the operating system.
    Restart your computer when prompted

Video: installing Linux Mint on a computer with another OS

Installing Kali Linux alongside Windows 10

Installing a Kali build is somewhat different from the previous ones.

  1. Download the image from the official assembly site, choosing the version that suits you.
    Select the version of Kali Linux to download on the official website
  2. Burn the image to a bootable drive using Rufus.
  3. After launching the boot program from the flash drive, you will see installation options. Installing with graphics (Graphical install) will be the easiest, so we choose it.
    Choose a graphical installation for a more visual process
  4. A list of language configurations will appear. Select the desired language and confirm your choice.
    Specify language for installing Kali Linux
  5. If a window appears about the impossibility to mount the installation disk correctly, simply select the "Yes" item, having previously connected the drive to a different connector.
    If an error occurs, install the drive with the operating system in a different slot and click "Yes"
  6. Enter the password you thought up for the main account, and then repeat it in the line below.
    Enter the password for Kali Linux twice, which will be used when making changes to the system
  7. Perform the time zone setting to correctly sync the time on your computer.
    Select the appropriate time zone from the list
  8. The disk partition window will open. Indicate that you want to manually select a section.
    Indicate that you want to select the area manually
  9. Specify the unallocated area ("Free space") that you created earlier.
    Select an unallocated area: it's labeled "Free Space"
  10. Then select Automatically Mark Free Space.
    Select "Automatically mark free space"
  11. In the next menu, click on the "All files in one partition" item.
    Select "All files in one partition"
  12. Select the disk you were working on, click Finish and Write Changes to Disk.
    Select a section and click "Finish Markup..."
  13. The computer will detect your Windows 10 operating system. Select "Yes" to select one of the operating systems when the computer boots and continue with the installation.
    Select "Yes" to continue installation when Windows 10 is detected
  14. Specify the system drive manually in the next window and the installation will be completed.
    Manually point to the system drive to install the operating system loader

Video: how to install Kali Linux on a computer

Installing Kubuntu alongside Windows 10

The process of installing Kubuntu Linux is similar to installing Ubuntu, which is not surprising at all. To install Kubuntu alongside your Windows, follow these steps:

  1. Download the system from the official site and write it to a bootable drive. Reboot the computer, and by calling the Boot Menu by pressing F12 when the corresponding inscription appears, select the desired device to start the installation.
    Download the Kubuntu image from the official website
  2. Press any key while the icon is flashing to open options.
    When the keyboard icon appears, press any key
  3. Select Start Kubuntu to start installing the OS.
    Select Start Kubuntu to start installing the operating system
  4. Wait for the installation GUI to load.
    Wait for the Kubuntu GUI to finish loading
  5. In the next window, select the system language and click "Run Kubuntu". You must select this option in order for the system to be available for use during installation to a hard disk.
    Select "Start Kubuntu" to access the operating system

  6. Desktop loading without installation may take some time
  7. Then start the installation by clicking on the installer shortcut.
    Select the Install Kubuntu file to start the installation
  8. The installation window will open. Please select Russian to continue.
    Specify the language you want to see during installation and in the system itself
  9. It will check your internet connection and free space for installation. After it is finished, click "Continue".
    After checking the Internet, click the "Continue" button
  10. A window for selecting a partition will open. If you want to install along with another operating system, select the Manual installation. Automatic partitioning can be used if the hard drive is completely free of files.
    Since you need to keep Windows 10, select the Manual installation type
  11. You need to create four partitions in turn. The process itself is no different from creating partitions in Ubuntu. Create partitions:
  12. Once the partitions are created, confirm the changes and the installation will begin.
    Accept the changes to continue installing Kubuntu
  13. While the files are being copied to the hard drive, select the time zone settings.
    Set the time zone of the new operating system by selecting your region
  14. In the next window, select the layout language.
    Visual keyboard layout helps you to make sure that you have chosen the right language
  15. In the last settings screen, set the data from the account.
    Enter the details for the new account and click "Continue"
  16. After that, wait until the installation of the system is completed.
    Wait until the Kubuntu installation process is complete
  17. When installation is complete, restart your computer.
    Restart when the prompt window appears

Installing Rosa Linux alongside Windows 10

As with other builds, to install Rosa Linux you need to download the required image and burn it to media.

  1. Access the Boot Menu by pressing F12 after restarting your computer. Select your drive load. A window will appear with various diagnostic actions. Select the line Install ROSA Desktop Fresh R6.
    Select Install ROSA Desktop to start installation
  2. The language selection panel opens. Install the required one and proceed with the installation.
    Select your language when installing the system
  3. Read and accept the Rosa Linux License Agreement.
    Accept the terms of the license agreement to continue installation
  4. Specify your keyboard layout.
    Select also the keyboard layout language
  5. In the next window, specify a convenient way for you to switch between layouts.
    Specify the desired way to switch the language layout
  6. Specify the time zone to correctly determine the time.
    Specify your time zone in the list of regions
  7. To complete the time setting, select the type of its display.
    Choose the time display method on your system
  8. In the partition selection, select "Use free space" if you want the system to create the necessary partitions in the unallocated area.
    Select "Use free space" when installing rosa linux
  9. Wait for the installation to finish.
    Wait for the installation to finish, the slides will change in the process
  10. Select a partition as the boot device and set the boot delay if needed.
    Specify the system drive for the operating system loader
  11. Set a password for system changes.
    Set any password to your taste, but remember it
  12. Add a new user and enter their details.
    Enter account details in the new operating system
  13. Specify a name for your computer.
    Set any name for your device
  14. Check the boxes to check the services that should start when the computer is turned on.
    Set up automatic startup of operating system services
  15. After the message that the installation is complete, restart your computer.
    After the installation is complete, you need to restart your computer
  16. The installation is complete - all that remains is to log in.
    Sign in with your account password

Video: Installing Rosa Linux on a Windows PC

Installing Arch Linux next to windows 10

Installing Arch Linux will be significantly more difficult than installing others. If you are not an advanced user, it is recommended to select a different build. Otherwise, follow these steps to prepare for system installation:

  1. Download the system image from the official site.
    Download the build of Arch Linux from the official site
  2. Burn the image to disk. This can be done using special programs or Windows tools - through the context menu.
    Burn Arch Linux to media in a convenient way for you
  3. Connect your boot drive to your computer and restart your computer. During the reboot, go to the Boot Menu, the key for this will appear on the screen (usually F12).
    Press F12 to enter Boot Menu
  4. Set the download priority to your drive's device. So, if it's a boot drive, set the drive to boot before booting the hard drive.
    Install your drive first in startup order
  5. After that, when you restart your computer, you will see a choice of actions. Click on Boot Arch Linux to start the installation.
    Select Boot Arch Linux
  6. The network connection will be checked. Enter the command "ping -c 3 www.google.com".
    Enter command to check network before installation
  7. Then create system partitions from free space. To run this utility, use the cgdisk /dev/sda command.
    Select free space and create partitions for installation one by one
  8. Create a root partition to store system files. It is recommended to allocate at least 20 GB of free space for it.
  9. From the space left, create the Home partition. This is where your files will be stored. But you should leave about 1 GB for EFI space.
  10. Allocate the rest of the space to EFI space. Then click "Burn" to start installing Windows to the created partitions.
  11. Then format each of the partitions. To do this, use the following commands to format all three partitions in turn:
  12. Then map partitions to directories with the following commands:

Directly installing Arch Linux will also require you to enter commands:

  1. Enter the pacstrap -i /mnt base base-devel command. This will start installing the operating system. Wait for this process to finish.
    Enter the command to start the installation and confirm the input
  2. Then type genfstab -U -p /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab. This is necessary for the partition to be detected by the system.
    Enter command to detect partitions during installation
  3. Type arch-chroot /mnt /bin/bash to access the new OS.
    Enter the last command to access the arch linux operating system
  4. Set the currency format by typing nano /etc/locale.gen. Find the line with your country entry and remove the hash mark next to it. Then enter the locale-gen command and, after confirmation, the command echo LANG=en_US.UTF-8 > /etc/locale.conf, where instead of en_US.UTF-8 there should be a line from which you removed the hash.
    With the help of the above command, set the region for the currency
  5. To accept the language settings, enter export LANG=en_US.UTF-8, also with the appropriate language instead of the specified one.
    Set also the language zone using a special command
  6. The next setting is to set the timezone. Type ls /usr/share/zoneinfo/ to display the available time zones, and then type ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/Zone/Subzone /etc/localtime with your region instead of Subzone.
  7. To set the GMT time, enter the hwclock -systohc --utc command.
    Enter the command to synchronize the operating system time to Greenwich Mean Time
  8. Enter the command echo myhostname > /etc/hostname, where myhostname will be the name of your computer for the network.
  9. Set a password for the computer to use with the passwd command. It can be anything, but it is important to remember it.
    Set a password using the passwd command
  10. And then it remains to set the system bootloader. For a modern UEFI BIOS, this is done with the commands:
  11. With a regular BIOS, the commands will be different:
    • pacman -S grub;
    • grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg.
  12. Exit the installation with the exit command and then type Reboot to restart the computer.
    Complete the installation with the exit command and restart the system with the reboot command
  13. After restarting, enter the login password. Installation completed.
    Login to arch linux using password

Installing Ubuntu on VirtualBox Windows 10

Before installing the Ubuntu operating system on VirtualBox, you must complete the following steps:


After that, open VirtualBox and follow these steps:

  1. Click on the icon labeled New to open the virtual machine creation wizard.
    Click on the New button, VirtualBox panel
  2. The name of the virtual machine can be anything, and in the "Type" field, select Linux.
    Enter any name for the virtual machine and click Next
  3. In the next window, confirm the amount of memory for the virtual machine. Depending on the type of installation, the value will be set by itself. You can increase it if necessary.
    You can leave the default value if it suits you.
  4. Make sure the marker is set to create a new virtual machine and click the Create button.
    Choose to create a new virtual machine and click the Create button
  5. Select "Dynamically allocated" virtual disk type and click "Next".
    Set dynamic VM disk size
  6. In the disk location and size menu, leave the default values ​​or set the size you need.
    The virtual machine disk value can also be left as default
  7. Finally, click Create again to finish creating the virtual machine.
    When all virtual disk settings are set, click Create
  8. Click on the virtual machine you created and go to its settings.
    Select the virtual machine you created
  9. In the Storage tab, add a new media by clicking on the blue plus icon below the media field.
    Click on the plus icon below the media overview
  10. Set the media to the image of your Ubuntu that you downloaded earlier.
    Download the Ubuntu image to your virtual machine
  11. Open this image with a double click so that it is placed in the system.
    After double-clicking on the image, it should have loaded into the media menu
  12. In the system settings section, make sure that the CD / DVD drive is placed higher than the Hard Disk in the Boot Order section.
    Set CD/DVD as the boot priority so that the image is mounted at system startup
  13. Now proceed to launch and configure the operating system. To do this, select a virtual machine and click the Start button.
    Click Start to start the virtual system
  14. Wait for the system to finish loading.
    Wait for the system to finish loading on first start
  15. Select Install Ubuntu. You will be taken to the language settings window. Select the desired language and click Continue.
    Select the language for installing the system in the virtual machine
  16. Check the box to download updates during system installation.
    Check the box for downloading updates and click Continue
  17. Since you are installing the operating system in a virtual machine, feel free to select the Erase disk and install Ubuntu option, which will erase all other files on the disk.
    Select disk cleanup - since we are installing the system in a virtual machine, the files will not be affected
  18. Set the time zone to the one in which your region is located.
    To set the time, select the region where you are
    Wait for the installation of Ubuntu on the virtual machine to finish
  19. Restart your computer after installation is complete by clicking Restart Now.
    Reboot the virtual machine by clicking the Restart Now button
  20. Enter your password and log in. The installation of Ubuntu on the virtual machine is now complete.
    Enter password to login

Restoring Windows 10 Boot After Installing Ubuntu

If errors occur during system installation, the Windows boot loader may fail. This will make it impossible to start Windows 10. Luckily, this isn't hard to fix. You will need a Windows 10 installation disc, which you can prepare just like you would any other boot drive. It is important that the version of Windows is exactly the same as the one you have installed. Mount the image and then do the following:


Installing Linux as a second operating system is a good idea, but it's important to choose a build based on your goals and technical knowledge. If you have certain skills, you can easily install any of the assemblies. Using Linux along with Windows 10 will help you get the most out of your PC.

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Linux can be useful to you for many reasons. For example, your old computer can't be upgraded to new versions of Windows or macOS, or you need Linux-specific apps, or you're just curious to try something new. Or maybe you just bought a new computer without an operating system and want to save money by choosing free Linux.

Installing Linux is easy. Of course, there are distributions like Arch that are quite difficult to install for a beginner. But most modern distributions are very easy to install. Perhaps even easier and faster than Windows.

Before you install Linux on your main computer, back up your important data. When working with partitions on your hard drive, you can inadvertently erase something important. Of course, if you follow the instructions and read carefully what you are doing, then nothing unexpected will happen. But - not superfluous piece in any case.

You can install Linux on computers running Windows and macOS, or on an empty hard drive. You can choose Linux as your primary system, or you can use it side by side with your old system.

1. Download the Linux distribution

First of all, you need to choose a Linux distribution. The DistroWatch.com rating will help you decide.

Then you need to download the selected distribution. It's easy to do this: open the site of the desired distribution, find the download section and choose what suits the bitness of your processor.

As a rule, Linux distributions on official sites are offered to download in two ways. The first way is a normal download. The second is through P2P using a torrent client. The second way is, of course, faster. So choose it if you want to save time.

When the distribution in ISO format is downloaded, you need to burn it to a CD or a regular USB flash drive.

Burning to a CD can be done using standard system tools: Windows Disc Image Burn or macOS Disk Utility. It is enough to click on the downloaded image with the right mouse button and select the appropriate item in the menu.

To write ISO to a USB flash drive, you will need special utilities. For Windows, it's best to choose Rufus, and for macOS, UNetbootin. These programs have a very simple interface, it is quite difficult to get confused in them.

3. Prepare disk partition

This step should be followed if you want to keep your system installed and use Linux at the same time as it. If you decide to transfer your computer to Linux completely or install the OS on an empty hard drive, skip the paragraph.

Windows

Open Windows Disk Management. Select the drive or partition from which you plan to carve some space for your Linux installation. Most distributions will be fine with 10 GB. But if you plan on installing a lot of apps, take more. Right-click on the partition and select Shrink Volume. Enter a size and click OK.

The process can take quite some time, so please be patient.

When Disk Management has finished resizing the partitions, the disk will have empty unallocated space marked in black. This is where we will install Linux.

Later, if you don’t need Linux, you can delete partitions with it and give the freed space back to Windows using the same Disk Management Tool.

macOS

You can allocate a place for installing Linux through the "Disk Utility" macOS. Select your drive and click on the "+" sign to create a partition for Linux. It may take some time to create a new partition.

4. Prepare the bootloader

Windows

This item only applies to new computers that are pre-installed with Windows 10, 8.1, or 8. These computers use a UEFI bootloader that will not allow you to boot to any system other than Windows.

To fix this, go to your computer's BIOS settings and disable the Secure Boot option. Then reboot. Done, you can now download and install other systems alongside your Windows.

macOS

Unlike most computers, a Mac requires a couple of extra steps to install Linux in a dual boot with macOS.

First of all, disable SIP. Restart your Mac and press Cmd + R. The Recovery menu will appear. Select "Terminal" in it and enter csrutil disable .

Restart your Mac again. SIP is disabled.

Manual

Suitable if you want to set the sizes for your partitions yourself or, for example, create a separate partition for your files. To do this, select "Other option" and click "Continue".

Linux will display what partitions you have on your computer. You can delete them, format them, or, conversely, leave the sections with the information you want to keep intact.

To install Linux instead of your system, select the partition with the installed system and delete it with the "-" button. Then create new partitions on the freed space.

  • Root partition for Linux system files. Select the Ext4 file system and mount point /.
  • A swap partition, or a swap partition, comes in handy if you don't have enough RAM, but a fast SSD drive. In the list of file systems, select Swap Partition.
  • The Home section is where your files will be stored. Select an Ext4 file system and a /home mount point.

Click "Continue" and confirm the changes. The installer will erase the partitions you selected and create new ones in the freed space.

How to install Linux next to the current system

There are two ways to install Linux next to your system.

Auto

Most Linux installers detect the systems you have installed right away. If you haven't created a separate disk space for Linux, you can try selecting "Install next to Windows". The installer will automatically create the necessary partitions, and you do not have to do anything manually.

Manual

If you want to determine how much space to allocate the system yourself, and followed the instructions in step 3, click "Another option" and click "Continue". You will see your disk partitions and the empty space we prepared for Linux. Create a root partition there (mount point /) as described above. The home partition is not required in this case: you will be able to copy and modify files on your main system.

Click Continue. The installer will leave your files where they are. It will simply create new partitions in the free space. You will be able to choose which system you want to boot at startup.

8. Complete the Linux installation

You will then be asked to introduce yourself. Enter your name and create a password. Don't forget your password, as you will need it at all times to complete tasks on behalf of everyone. Optionally, you can encrypt your home folder.

Then just wait. When the installation completes, you will be prompted to remove the installation disk and reboot. Do not forget to disable booting from external drives in the BIOS if you enabled it.

What to do after installation

When you reboot and your Linux desktop appears in front of you, you will be able to do everything you can on Windows and macOS: surf the web, edit documents, and listen to music. Don't forget to update and look in the "App Store" (or its equivalent, depending on the distribution) to install the applications you need.

Try Linux and you will see that in everyday life it is no more complicated than Windows or macOS.

Windows and Linux are used for different purposes. The user himself decides with which system it is more convenient for him to work. But why not choose both OS at once? After all, each of them has its own advantages. It is quite possible to load them on one machine. And for this, virtualization technologies are not even needed. The systems will be next to each other. And you can switch between them. Installing Linux from Windows will allow you to run both OSes even if you don't have a second computer.

Installing Linux from under Windows will allow you to work on both operating systems at the same time

To run both systems, there must be enough space on the PC. Different versions require different amounts of memory. On average, this is 7-20 gigabytes. But for stable operation, you need to allocate 30-40 GB for each OS.

It is best to put two hard drives. Otherwise, you will have to cut the disk space. Win and Linux must be on different logical drives. That is, one distribution is in the C:\ partition, the other is in D:\. At the same time, you need to leave space for storing personal data: documents, images, music, videos, games, programs, and more. If all this ends up on the system drive, problems may arise.

As a result, you should have at least three partitions: two for Linux and Windows, the rest for personal use. And better - two hard drives. The following utilities are suitable for partitioning disk space:

  • Mini Tool Partition Wizard.
  • Paragon Partition Manager.
  • AOMEI Partition Assistant.

The OS changes boot entries in the MBR that control the startup order. If you reinstall Win, you will no longer get into Linux. That is why it is not recommended to use one local disk for these systems. If you place them in different sections, they will not interfere with each other.

Installation takes place in order: first Windows, then Linux. The Microsoft product erases important components of other operating systems and replaces them with their own.

Before installation, it is better to make a backup copy of the existing system. If problems arise, you can return the computer to normal. This copy must be saved to external media or to a local drive that does not have system files.

In Win, programs are suitable for this:

  • Acronis True Image.
  • Paragon Backup & Recovery 2013.

  • Macrium Reflect Free.

Windows also has a built-in function:

  1. Go to Control Panel.
  2. Menu "Backup and Restore" (or "Data Backup"). It is in the System category.
  3. Button "Set up backup".
  4. Select a drive to place the copy. Or you can send it to the network. But for this you need a suitable online storage.
  5. To restore the system, go to the same menu.

On Linux, you can use the "Back In Time" utility to back up. It is Ubuntu's Software Center. Ubuntu's built-in Deja Dub tool is also suitable.

To work with it:

  1. Go to System - Backup (Options - Backups).
  2. Open the "Storage" tab.
  3. In "Folder" ("Folder"), specify the directory in which the copy of Linux will be stored. Do not place it next to the OS. Select a directory on another drive.
  4. Instead of a folder, you can use network storage.
  5. Go to the "Overview" section. There will be options to create backups and restore from them.

Installation in any case should start with Windows. If you have a computer with Linux, this system will have to be removed.

Save your personal files. It is not necessary to transfer them all to the drive. You can reserve only the data you need.

Partitioning a Disk with the MiniTool Partition Wizard

MiniTool Partition Wizard has a free version and a professional one. To use the application to cut a disk into sections, you do not need to buy it. This feature is also available in the Free package.

  • Find on the Internet, download and install the program on your computer. It is on the developer's site partitionwizard.com.
  • Run it.
  • Local disks are displayed in the middle of the workspace. Click on the one you want to cut.
  • In the list on the left, click on "Split" ("Move / Resize").

Click on "Split" ("Move / Resize")

  • In the next window there will be items "Original size" ("Partition Size") - the one that will remain on the disk. And the "New size" is the one that the new volume will have. Allocate memory and click OK.

  • You can change the name of the newly created section. To do this, click on "Set label" and type in a name. For example, "UbuntuDisk".
  • If you are going to use the disk to boot a new OS, select it and select "Make Primary" from the list on the left.
  • Click on the "Apply" button. She is on the top left. Next to it is a checkmark icon.
  • Restart your computer. Wait for the system to cut partitions. In this case, you can not turn off the PC. Otherwise, you will lose all the data that was stored on the processed disk. You can see the changes after the restart.

Other programs for cutting sections have the same principle of operation. It won't be hard to figure it out.

Acronis True Image can function not only on Windows, but also on Linux. But this program is paid. Unlike Partition Wizard.

Windows installation

Let's say you decide to start from scratch and remove all old OSes. Now you have a "clean" PC on which no distribution is installed. Start Win from a disc or flash drive. To do this, change the boot order.

  • Go to BIOS. It can be called up by pressing a certain key immediately after turning on the PC. It differs depending on the motherboard. F1, F2, F5, F7, DEL or Ctrl+Alt+Esc. Information about which button is needed will appear next to the "PRESS TO ENTER SETUP" line.
  • In BIOS, all control is set to the keyboard. Navigate through the menu - using the arrows, enter - Enter. A small manual with instructions is in the BIOS menu on the right.
  • Open the Boot tab.
  • Subsection "Boot Device Priority".

  • Put USB or CD-ROM first. Depends on which drive you are using to boot Windows.
  • Press F10 to save your changes. The computer will restart.
  • The message "Press any key to boot from CD" may appear. It means "Press any key to load data from CD".
  • Reading information from the source will begin. Don't interrupt the process.
  • The installation wizard will open. Just follow his instructions.
  • You will need to select the partition into which the system will boot. You can also share it there if you haven't already done so. Select the volume and click on Disk Setup. After that, click on "Create" and set the size in megabytes.
  • Save all changes and click on the "Next" button. Installation will begin. Do not interrupt it, do not turn off the power of the PC. The computer may restart several times.
  • After that, you need to configure Win: select a password and name for the account, time zone, specify which update options to use.
  • Go into the BIOS and change the boot order again so that the PC starts from the hard drive.

linux

Before booting Linux, you need to prepare the disk. This can be done in Win.

  1. Right click on "My Computer".
  2. Select Manage.
  3. In the Storage category, click on Disk Management.
  4. Right-click on the partition on which you plan to install the system. It cannot be loaded on the same disc as Windows.
  5. Click on Shrink Volume.
  6. In the "Compressible space" field, specify how much space should be allocated for the OS (in megabytes). This memory will be reserved for the system.
  7. Click Compress. "Unallocated space" will appear in the disk ruler.
  8. If you want to return the volume to its previous size, instead of Shrink, select the Expand command.
  • Insert the operating system CD into the drive.
  • Go into the BIOS and change the boot order so that the computer starts from the disk.

  • When the installer opens, select the interface language.
  • The Installation Type menu will offer installation options. Check the "Others" box.
  • On the previously compressed volume, create partitions for the OS. For the root directory, simply specify "/" (forward slash). For the home directory - "/home". And for the swap partition, you do not need to enter anything.
  • Follow the installation wizard's instructions.
  • A little setup is required: creating an account, entering a PC name, and the like.
  • During the installation, pictures will be shown that tell about the capabilities of the system.
  • The installation will complete and a notification will appear on the screen prompting you to restart your computer.
  • Go into the BIOS and change the boot order.

Now, when you turn on your PC, you can choose whether to use Linux or Windows.

Linux has a feature for multibooting operating systems. Ubuntu even provides for collaboration with Win.

  1. Prepare the disk, allocate memory on it for the OS.
  2. Run the installer. It will automatically detect if there are other systems on the PC.
  3. The option "Install Linux alongside Windows" should appear. Select it.
  4. Follow the installer's instructions.
  5. Don't boot two OSes on the same partition.

Installation on two hard drives

The simplest and most effective option is to download to different hard drives. So the systems will work stably even without division of space.

  1. You have a hard drive 1 and a hard drive 2.
  2. Turn off hard drive-2, put Windows on hard drive-1.
  3. Turn off hard drive-1, put Linux on hard drive-2.
  4. Connect both hard drives.

Now you will be able to select the OS through the BIOS Boot menu. Just change the boot order to run from the desired HDD.

Installing completely different systems next to each other is not such a big deal. This does not require software virtualization. You will be able to take full advantage of operating systems. And work in the environment that is best suited for the tasks at hand.

In order for the installation of Linux and Windows on one computer to be successful, you need to allocate enough memory for each OS and upload them to different partitions.