Dual boot or "Git Gud"
Dual boot or "Git Gud"
Moved to Linux a few weeks ago and things are mostly fine, though Windows apps have been a persistent issue. Lutris helps with some of those problems but still causes frustration with certain games. Anticheat isn’t too bothersome since I don’t play those types of titles, but I’d like to try FIFA occasionally. I’m unsure if getting another Windows drive is worth it or if giving up now is premature—maybe I should just keep going and see how it goes.
Ah yes, I forgot about "Linux" being an operating system and Nobara being some other operating system. You mean Nobara Linux? So you switched from that to what? Elaborate if you want us to help you in that. You can always dual boot on the same drive. No problem. Spoiler As a certified GNU/Linux user, we do not endorse, condone or recommend installing a Microsoft Windows operating system. We believe with enough evidence that Microsoft Windows is an inferior operating system filled with bloat and spyware. It does not respect your privacy in any way. It is an inferior option in terms of security and safety. The whole code base and infrastructure of the Microsoft Windows operating system is agreed to be overly complicated, unnecessary and bloatware by many qualified software engineers, and Microsoft seems to have no attitude in improving or maintaining the performance and reliability of their operating system. The development path of Microsoft Windows is exactly opposite to that of Linux, most GNU/Linux operating systems, or some of other UNIX based operating systems such as FreeBSD, in that it is absolutely not free and open source, meaning the code of Microsoft Windows is only managed and written by Microsoft without any free allowance of a third party entity to view or modify the code. It is not POSIX compliant, and goes beyond many of the ethics of good computer programming. Installing Microsoft Windows may harm your system, or your mental state. Proceed with your own risk and knowledge.
It seems the transition from Windows 10 to Nobara was quite a mix of things. Some games launched smoothly, while others had strange issues. For instance, applying a widescreen patch needed a DLL override, and simply restarting didn’t fix everything. Plus, I’m having trouble launching existing games properly. I have a 240GB SSD and a 500GB HDD, so dual booting is mostly just about finding another drive to use. I’m planning an upgrade soon anyway.
During the transition to Linux, I encountered conflicts when Windows interfered with GRUB because Secure Boot is mandatory for Windows 11. It seemed to actively oppose the GRUB boot loader, so I decided to run both operating systems together. For certain hardware setups, a virtual Windows installation might work, but it likely wouldn’t support kernel-level anti-cheat features—something important if you’re not playing online multiplayer games outside of Civilization. Regarding Steam, I’ve noticed few titles don’t play well through Proton, though MS Flight Simulator 2020 has run smoothly. Lutris has helped with some unusual setups, like a working Sims 2 installer on Linux. I’ve relied on community-built tools and scripts for getting started, keeping in mind that public scripts can be risky. Mostly I’ve turned to native Linux solutions or tried compatibility layers. I avoid Adobe products and haven’t found a fix for Rhinoceros 6. It might help checking WineDB, ProtonDB, or the Lutris forums for similar issues. Also, if you’re trying to run a Windows game on Linux, missing file paths or permission problems could be the issue, though this is just speculation.
Same here, Kubuntu alongside Windows 11 on the same storage, no clue secure boot is required. Probably just turned it off once and never considered again. Ignore the purists – if you actually need certain Windows programs or games and can’t figure out how to run them on Linux yet, just dual-boot and use them natively when needed. Take your time; when you have space and focus, you’ll learn how to run or replace them in Linux and be ready. Having a reliable fallback option is better than burning out from the excitement and then switching back to Windows full-time. Microsoft and Windows are okay in their way, and I hope they lose a big share of the everyday user market to Linux distributions. But you can’t expect people—yourself included—to switch overnight just to show off online. One thing to remember – if you install Windows after Nobara, it might destroy the GRUB bootloader and only boot to Windows until you reinstall GRUB. Not sure if that’s still true now, but I had a similar situation with older OS versions a few years back.
I've been running Windows 11 and Fedora together for several years with minimal problems (good luck!). I've also dual booted using EndevourOS without too many difficulties. As mentioned, keep in mind that Windows sometimes can take precedence over GRUB, which can be annoying. I've used two separate drives—one for Windows and one for Fedora. This setup seems optimal if feasible, as it lowers the risk of Windows interfering with GRUB (though not guaranteed). Many users have succeeded with a single drive, which could work well if you need certain Windows applications. If required, Linux alternatives may exist depending on the software, but they might not perfectly match every program. Be mindful that substitutions aren't always direct one-to-one. For instance, Gimp is an alternative to Photoshop, but it isn't a full replacement.
I was in your spot about three months back. I put Bazzite on one disk while keeping Windows on its original drive. It’s been smooth so far—no issues at all. I only needed to boot into Windows once just to run Titantfall 2. Now I play Titanfall 2 on my Steam Deck and it works perfectly. If you really depend on Windows apps, get an extra drive for Windows and use Linux for the parts that run well there. The operating system is just a utility; trying to ensure you have the right tool for the task isn’t a bad idea.
Secure Boot isn't a mandatory feature for Windows 11, though some anti-cheat tools may raise objections. Even if the setup demands it and you're uncertain, you can disable it later—Windows will ignore it. Ubuntu usually supports Secure Boot by default because Microsoft's keys are signed, and most BIOS updates include these signatures. Fedora (Red Hat) operates similarly, making it compatible out of the box. It’s worth noting how tightly Microsoft controls this area. If you need to enable Secure Boot without using one of these distros, you can use the "shim" package and add your own signing key with "mokutil," an extension AndrewAsd discussed earlier. On a modern system with a GPT partition and EFI boot—common on freshly formatted drives—Windows doesn’t overwrite GRUB like in older MBR setups. Instead, it rearranges the boot sequence so its loader appears first. This can be fixed in the BIOS by manually adjusting the boot order. Some BIOS models restrict this setting, but many disable it upon startup, resolving the issue completely. Windows itself can act if there’s no recovery partition on the drive; it may automatically shrink the C: partition by about 900MB and rename its recovery files as a new partition. This is harmless in terms of data but can affect booting if your distro uses GRUB to rely on partition numbers rather than PARTUUIDs. This behavior has existed for years—Windows 10 does it too, and Microsoft’s approach isn’t new. Still, given the company’s influence, a separate drive is advisable. However, dual-booting should be feasible if both systems are properly configured.
Thanks for the feedback! It’s clear that by current standards it should be significantly improved. Usually, MS lets Windows operate freely sometimes, which makes me question whether this is unintentional or deliberate. Probably the latter, though I’m leaning toward that.