You're starting from scratch and want to run both Windows 10 and Ubuntu side by side.
You're starting from scratch and want to run both Windows 10 and Ubuntu side by side.
Hello forum. I recently purchased a 500GB SSD (Samsung 850 Evo) at a discount and haven't yet installed it. My setup includes a 120GB SSD (an older Intel model) and a 1TB WD Black drive. I’m planning to perform a clean installation of Windows 10, keeping the 120GB SSD for daily use, the HDD for general storage, and the new SSD for games and certain programs. It seems straightforward at first glance. However, since I’ll be going through this process, I thought about installing Linux alongside (I opted for Ubuntu because it balances ease of use for beginners with solid capabilities). I’ve attempted that before, but it didn’t go well and I eventually gave up. The technical details are a bit confusing: MBR, UEFI, Windows Boot Manager, GRUB—these just sound like jargon to me. My goal is to have the PC automatically boot into Windows unless I specify otherwise. I also need enough free space for Ubuntu but still want some room on my HDD (around 150-200GB) for experimentation. How should I proceed? One idea I had was to install each operating system on its own SSD and then select the boot device via the Boot Menu. What I really want is to divide the drives into two or more partitions, so that when I power on, the system uses the larger partition first—Windows 10—or switches to a smaller one if needed, booting into Ubuntu. Thanks!
I updated my laptop by setting up Windows 10. Later, I accessed disk management and reduced the partition size to create space for dual-booting with Ubuntu. Once Ubuntu was installed on the available space, it displayed Grub, a Linux utility that lists boot options such as partitions. Choosing nothing would start Ubuntu; picking the Windows partition would launch Windows. You can configure the boot order in System Configuration to make Windows the default. This will show you options like volume1, volume2, etc., (1 for Windows, 2 for Linux, etc.). When installing Windows or Linux, you can also manage partitions directly within the OS.
I set up Windows and Linux on two different hard drives in my laptop. This setup lets me keep them separate and use the best storage each drive offers. If you still have a DVD drive, consider replacing it with a converter and an SSD. You might need to adjust the BIOS so the system boots from your Windows disk first. Let me know if this helps!
Avoid handling the original SSD unless you need a fresh setup. For a clean Windows install, navigate to Settings > Backup > Recovery and perform a reset. After completion, add the new 500GB SSD and divide the partitions as desired—perhaps 30/70. Place Ubuntu on the remaining 70% or reserve it for future distributions. Select your preferred OS during boot selection. Remember that when installing Ubuntu, ensure the bootloader isn’t already set up on the Windows drive. If you prefer Windows as the default, run Windows on the 500GB SSD and Linux on the 120GB. Linux requires less space and uses EXT4, which can read NTFS well, whereas Windows needs third-party tools to work with EXT4. The key is that a 500GB Windows installation still lets you access the drive for Linux use if needed, but switching to Linux prevents direct access to that partition.
I corrected my earlier comment about the bootloader/grub installation. Make sure it isn’t installed on the Windows drive. Putting both OSes on separate drives isn’t a major issue, as my laptop only supports one drive. However, updates to grub in Linux or Windows changes can affect the boot partition, making access to either OS difficult. This isn’t a frequent problem but has occurred before—especially after installing Linux kernel 5.0. It was resolved by rebuilding the initramfs and reinstalling grub via the command line, which can be challenging for some users. If you’re planning multiple drives, consider using them efficiently. Based on your configuration, if I were you, I’d install Linux on the 120GB drive and split the 500GB if you don’t intend to use Windows much. If you rely heavily on Windows and have space-consuming apps like Steam games, keep the 500GB untouched. After setting up Linux, add ntfs-3g so you can read and write to the 500GB from Linux. This way, if you run low on the 120GB, you can still access the larger storage.