Linux is an open source and community developed Operating System. Over the years Linux has become more user-friendly and has able to get the attention of casual end-users such as business professionals, teachers, students etc. Linux has grown a lot since its early years and comes with a plethora of utilities and software. But, Despite such great progress there are many applications that are still not available for Linux, leaving Windows to be the only choice to run them. However, we can have the best of both worlds by dual-booting Linux. In this article we are going to learn to How to Dual-Boot Windows 10 and Linux.

We are going to boot Ubuntu (A popular distribution of Linux) from a USB.

System Requirements

  • 4GB or larger USB Drive.
  • Microsoft Windows XP or later
  • Rufus, A free software used for making USB drive bootable.
  • An Ubuntu ISO file, Download from here.

Downloading ISO File

  • Download the Ubuntu ISO file from the website. 

The download size will be around 1.85 GB.

Download Rufus

Making Bootable USB

  • Open Rufus.
  • Select USB drive in which you want to install Ubuntu.
  • Select the ISO from using the Select button (Select the ISO file downloaded earlier).
  • Then click on start. This will erase all data on the USB drive and install files necessary to boot ubuntu into the USB drive.
  • Rufus will ask in what mode to write the image, Select ISO mode, and click OK.

It will take a couple of minutes for the process to complete.

Booting from USB drive

  • Restart your system.
  • Go to BIOS settings by pressing F10 or delete or F1(or any other key depending on system). This key is displayed at the start of the boot process. Press the key before your operating system boots up
  • Change the boot order so that you can boot the system using the USB drive.
  • You might need to change the boot order back to original after installation.
  • If your system has a boot menu you can use it to boot from the USB drive without changing the boot order of the system permanently. 

(In the attached image, we can access the boot menu by pressing F9)

By pressing F9, We enter the follow menu. We now select the USB Hard Drive 1.

Installation

After booting from the USB you will get to the following screen, select ‘Install Ubuntu’.

Select your keyboard layout.

Connect to the Internet so you can download updates.

Select normal installation.

Click on the something else option to use the partitions we created earlier.

Create partition’s for home and root.

Select your time zone.

Select your username and password for the system.

The installation will begin. It will take a couple of minutes.

After the installation has completed, it will prompt for a restart.

After the restart,You will be greeted with the login screen.

You have successfully dual booted Windows 10 and Ubuntu.

Can I dual boot Windows 10 and Linux?

You can have it both ways, but there are a few tricks for doing it right. Windows 10 isn’t the only (kind of) free operating system you can install on your computer. Installing a Linux distribution alongside Windows as a “dual boot” system will give you a choice of either operating system each time you start your PC.

Which Linux is best for dual boot with Windows 10?

  • For ease of use for Windows users, I recommend either Ubuntu or Mint.
  • I would not dual boot. Instead I would install the Linux distro in a virtual machine in Windows. Download Oracle VirtualBox and the .
  • Here us a screenshot of Ubuntu in a Windows 10 computer.

Is it worth dual booting Windows and Linux?

No. Dual booting isn’t worth. Nuke the WIndows partition from Orbit, and run WIndows in a VM, if you must.

How configure dual boot Windows and Linux OS?

Follow the steps below to install Linux Mint in dual boot with Windows:
  1. Step 1: Create a live USB or disk.
  2. Step 2: Make a new partition for Linux Mint.
  3. Step 3: Boot in to live USB.
  4. Step 4: Start the installation.
  5. Step 5: Prepare the partition.
  6. Step 6: Create root, swap and home.
  7. Step 7: Follow the trivial instructions.

Can you have two OS on one PC?

Dual Booting Explained: How You Can Have Multiple Operating Systems on Your Computer. Most computers ship with a single operating system, but you can have multiple operating systems installed on a single PC. Having two operating systems installed — and choosing between them at boot time — is known as “dual-booting.”

Should I dual boot Linux?

If you were a Linux user, dual–booting just might be helpful. You could do a lot of stuff in Linux, but you might need to boot into Windows for a few things (like some gaming). And Windows is somewhat harder to use LiveCD style or from a thumb drive (just because it’s not really designed for that).

Why is dual boot not recommended?

In a dual boot set up, OS can easily affect the whole system if something goes wrong. This is especially true if you dual boot same type of OS as they can access each other’s data, such as Windows 7 and Windows 10. A virus could lead to damage all the data inside the PC, including the data of the other OS.

Why is dual booting so hard?

No it is not true. Dual booting means having more than one operating system installed on a computer and having the choice, at boot time, which one to start. Multiboot options do not cause more strain. Booting does not put a lot of strain on a hard disk.

Is Ubuntu dual boot good?

While there are some benefits to dual–booting (e.g. better performance for a native install), it is not recommended. Instead, it is best to do a native install of Ubuntu, and then virtualize the other operating system.

Is dual boot deceased?

Dual Boot is Dead: Windows and Linux are now One.

One year later and WSL 2 still has not fulfilled its promise or potential.

Is it worth installing Ubuntu?

Absolutely ! Ubuntu is a nice desktop OS. Many of my family members use it as their OS. Since most things they need are accessible via a browser they don’t care.

Should I use Mint or Ubuntu?

The Linux Mint is recommended for the beginners especially who want to try their hands on Linux distros for the first time. While Ubuntu is mostly preferred by the developers and is highly recommended for the professionals.

Is Linux Mint a good operating system?

Linux Mint has been hailed by many as the better operating system to use when compared to its parent distro and has also managed to maintain its position on distrowatch as the OS with the 3rd most popular hits in the past 1 year.

Is Linux Mint easier to use than Ubuntu?

Mint may seem a little quicker in use day-to-day, but on older hardware, it will definitely feel faster, whereas Ubuntu appears to run slower the older the machine gets. Mint gets faster still when running MATE, as does Ubuntu.

Is Windows 10 better than Linux Mint?

You have two choices. You can either buy a computer running Windows 10 or run Linux. For newer hardware, try Linux Mint with the Cinnamon Desktop Environment or Ubuntu. For hardware that is two to four years old, try Linux Mint but use the MATE or XFCE desktop environment, which provides a lighter footprint.