Dual Booting

 

DUAL BOOTING

Are you tired of your operating system dictating what you can and can’t do with your PC or laptop? Need more control over your computing environment? Dual boot might be the answer. Dual booting allows you to install two operating systems on one computer and switch between them whenever you like. It's helpful if you have a primary operating system but need a different one for specific tasks.

Getting Started with Dual Booting

To dual boot, you need to install one operating system and then install the second operating system in a slightly modified way to live alongside the original. Most Linux distributions make this easy.

Before you dual boot, you should strongly consider backing up your files and original operating system. You can use third-party software like Macrium to back up Windows or do it manually if you prefer.

You also need to have at least 10 GB of free space on your hard drive. If you don't, you won't be able to install Linux alongside Windows.

Add a New Hard Drive

The simplest way to make room for Linux is to add a new hard drive to the computer and then install Linux on that drive. For example, if you add a second IDE hard drive to the computer, the Linux installation program will recognize it as hdb and the existing drive (the one used by Windows) as hda. (With SCSI hard drives, the newly installed hard drive would be recognized as sdb and the other hard drive as sda.)

Use an Existing Hard Drive or Partition

The next simplest way to make room for Linux is to use a hard drive or disk partition that is currently being used by Windows. For example, suppose that Windows Explorer shows two hard drives, C: and D:. This could indicate either that the computer has two hard drives, or a single hard drive with two partitions. In either case (assuming it is large enough), you can install Linux on the hard drive or disk partition that Windows recognizes as D:.

This choice is available to you only if the computer has two or more hard drives or disk partitions.

	Please Note
	Windows uses letters to refer to removable drives (for example, a ZIP drive) and network storage (virtual drives) as well as for local hard drive space: you cannot install Linux on a removable or network drive.

If a local Windows partition is available that you want to install Linux in, just do the following:

1.      Copy all data you want to save from the selected hard drive or partition (D: in this example) to another location.

2.      Start the Linux installation program and tell it to install Linux in the designated drive or partition -- in this example, in the hard drive or partition that Windows designates as D:. Note that Linux distinguishes between hard drives and disk partitions. Thus:

o    If C: and D: on this computer refer to two separate hard drives, the installation program will recognize them as hda and hdb (IDE) or sda and sdb (SCSI). Tell the installation program to use hdb or sdb.

o    If C: and D: refer to partitions on a single drive, the installation program will recognize them as hda1 and hda2 (or sda1 and sda2). During the partitioning phase of Linux installation, you'll delete the second partition (hda2 or sda2), then partition the unallocated free space for Linux. (You don't have to delete the second partition prior to beginning Linux partitioning. But if you don't, Windows will complain whenever you boot that it cannot read Drive D; and should someone accidentally format D, your Linux system would be destroyed.)

Create a New Partition

The third way to make room for Linux is to create a new partition on the hard drive being used by the other operating system. If Windows Explorer shows only one hard drive (C:), and you don't want to add a new hard drive, you must partition the drive. After partitioning, Windows Explorer will reveal a smaller C: drive; and, when you run the Linux installation program, it will partition the remainder of the drive for Linux.

You can use a destructive partitioning program, such as fdisk, to divide the hard drive, but doing so will require you to re-install Windows. (This is probably not your best option.)

A number of non-destructive third-party partitioning programs are available for the Windows operating system. If you choose to use one of these, consult their documentation.