Ubuntu Linux + Windows 10 dual boot setup
Ubuntu Linux + Windows 10 dual boot setup
Identify the system type—desktop or laptop? Next, visit the Ubuntu download page and get the ISO file (it holds all the necessary data). You'll also need a USB drive with at least 4GB storage. Use Rufus to write the ISO onto your USB, following the instructions provided. The exact steps may vary based on your device's requirements.
I recommend avoiding installing them on the same storage device. It performed adequately in the past, but today Windows can be quite unstable during updates. I’ve heard numerous accounts of Windows 10 updates causing dual-boot failures because Windows overwrites the area where GRUB resides. To ensure reliability long-term, consider using a second drive and keeping boot partitions distinct. Are you new to Linux, or are you an experienced user who hasn’t set up a dual-boot system yet?
Begin by launching the Windows search, type "Create and Format Hard Disk Partitions," and open it. Click right-click on your main drive and reduce its size to accommodate Ubuntu, aiming for at least 20 GB of free space. After partitioning, insert the drive into a USB port and access your boot menu via UEFI. Choose USB as the boot device, then select "Something else" when prompted. Choose the available partitions and pick the unallocated area. Set its size to match the free space, configure it as Ext4, and assign /home as the mount point. Complete the setup through the guided steps, including time zone and account settings. Installation will finish automatically.
PARTITION 2 - EFI (bootloaders: GRUB and Windows bootloader) PARTITION 3 - "Root" (the '/' character in the Linux filesystem, similar to 'C:' in a directory) serves as the beginning of the Linux filesystem. Linux enables mounting drives at any location, allowing DRIVE1 to be mounted as the root directory, DRIVE2 as /home, and so on. This setup lets you connect peripherals like USB drives, external hard disks, phones, etc., by specifying paths such as "/media/<user>/<storage_name>"
During installation on the same storage, GRUB presents a choice at startup: Windows or your selected Linux distribution. The partition layout will likely appear as follows: DRIVE1 PARTITION 1 - Windows (C
PARTITION 2 - EFI (bootloaders: GRUB and Windows bootloader) PARTITION 3 - "Root" (the '/' character in the Linux filesystem, similar to 'C:' in a directory) serves as the beginning of the Linux filesystem. Linux enables mounting drives at any location, allowing DRIVE1 to be mounted as the root directory, DRIVE2 as /home, and so on. This setup lets you connect peripherals like USB drives, external hard disks, phones, etc., by specifying paths such as "/media/<user>/<storage_name>"
You have a Windows 10 partition, one containing Ubuntu and another for general files. That setup is possible but might not be ideal.
Most setups include partitions for Windows, Ubuntu, and a bootloader area. Adding Ubuntu to a dual-boot system is straightforward and generally reliable. The "/" symbol in Ubuntu refers to its "c:" convention, indicating the start of its file system. Unfortunately, Windows only accepts NTFS for installation, which prevents reading Ubuntu filesystems, and Ubuntu isn't compatible with NTFS (usually installed on ext4). Yet Ubuntu supports reading and writing to NTFS. This allows you to edit and generate files on your Windows partition using Ubuntu, but not vice versa.
What method should I use to travel from this point to that location? (Reminder: this is on my laptop, not my desktop)