Как добавить linux в windows boot manager

You can do the same as you could in Windows 7, although I’m not sure I’d recommend it using the graphical boot menu (reason in the end).

Some things first:

The usual setup for people who have dual boot configurations with Linux being one of the OSs that the machine has installed is to have a Linux bootloader by default, and there add an entry for the Windows OS. What that does is to load the Linux bootloader and if you want to load Windows it chainloads into the Windows bootloader which then boots Windows.

Since usually there’s only one Windows installed the menu selector of the Windows bootloader never appears giving the impression that the entry you added in the Linux bootloader actually loads Windows.

The opposite is possible too, although not common among Linux users. For instance, my main bootloader is the one from Windows which then chainloads into a Linux one to boot Linux; I have configured the Linux one to be mostly invisible and load right away though.

How to add a Linux entry in the Windows bootloader:

It really depends on what you install first and what later, I’m sure there are some guides around the internet to explain a detailed procedure on how to setup a dual+ boot environment. So I’ll just go through 2 different setups:

When you install Windows first: In this case when you’re installing your Linux distribution, if it allows you to install the bootloader in a partition directly instead of in the MBR of the hard drive do so. After restart you’ll find that you’re booting Windows just like Linux was not installed at all, after that follow the scenario in which Linux was installed first described below.

If you can only install the bootloader in the MBR of the hard drive after the reboot you’ll see a Linux bootloader (Syslinux, GRUB, you name it), choose the Windows entry there and boot into Windows.

Now, I like to use EasyBCD (free for personal usage) to deal with the Windows bootloader, but anything that I do with it can also be accomplished with the proper bcdboot, bcdedit, etc. commands.

1. Open EasyBCD and go to the «Add New Entry» section and the «Linux/BSD» tab.

2. Select the bootloader you have for your Linux distribution. In case of GRUB2 there’s an autoselect mode which will select the appropriate partition for you, for Syslinux for example you have to compulsory select the partition where it is installed.

3. Name the entry, the name you put there is the one that will appear in the Windows bootloader.

4. Select the partition where your bootloader resides or autoselect if that option is possible. In the end you should end up with something like this:

   

5. Click in «Add entry» and you’ll receive the result in the bottom left part of the program:

   

6. Now you have to restore the Windows bootloader as the default one, for that go to the «BCD Deployment» section, there select to write the Vista/7 bootloader in the MBR (which by the way is the same as for Windows 8):

   

7. After that you’re all set, you’ll receive a similar confirmation as before. When booting up you’ll see the boot menu prompting you to select one of them:

   

When you install Linux first: In this case you don’t have to restore the MBR (Master Boot Record, tells what to execute next grosso modo) as Windows installation will overwrite any previous value there.

NOTE: with UEFI and GPT disks this may be different though, but I have no way of trying it out.

---

Why I’m not sure I’d recommend doing this using the new graphical boot menu in Windows 8:

Essentially because the way it works is different than with the textual menu (default for Windows 7). In Windows 7 (or Vista) you’re first presented with the boot menu and then it starts to load whatever you choose to, in the new graphical menu it first loads some stuff (= takes time) and then presents you with the boot menu. If you don’t select to load Windows 8, it reboots the machine and starts to load whatever you selected which in this case is the Linux bootloader.

I find waiting to load some stuff just to discard it and reboot unnecessary if I just want to boot another OS; but it’s my personal opinion on the matter, there’s no problem whatsoever by loading Linux, or any other OS in this manner.

Anyway, there are different ways to use the textual boot menu instead in Windows 8, if you’re interested check this answer out.

You can do the same as you could in Windows 7, although I’m not sure I’d recommend it using the graphical boot menu (reason in the end).

Some things first:

The usual setup for people who have dual boot configurations with Linux being one of the OSs that the machine has installed is to have a Linux bootloader by default, and there add an entry for the Windows OS. What that does is to load the Linux bootloader and if you want to load Windows it chainloads into the Windows bootloader which then boots Windows.

Since usually there’s only one Windows installed the menu selector of the Windows bootloader never appears giving the impression that the entry you added in the Linux bootloader actually loads Windows.

The opposite is possible too, although not common among Linux users. For instance, my main bootloader is the one from Windows which then chainloads into a Linux one to boot Linux; I have configured the Linux one to be mostly invisible and load right away though.

How to add a Linux entry in the Windows bootloader:

It really depends on what you install first and what later, I’m sure there are some guides around the internet to explain a detailed procedure on how to setup a dual+ boot environment. So I’ll just go through 2 different setups:

When you install Windows first: In this case when you’re installing your Linux distribution, if it allows you to install the bootloader in a partition directly instead of in the MBR of the hard drive do so. After restart you’ll find that you’re booting Windows just like Linux was not installed at all, after that follow the scenario in which Linux was installed first described below.

If you can only install the bootloader in the MBR of the hard drive after the reboot you’ll see a Linux bootloader (Syslinux, GRUB, you name it), choose the Windows entry there and boot into Windows.

Now, I like to use EasyBCD (free for personal usage) to deal with the Windows bootloader, but anything that I do with it can also be accomplished with the proper bcdboot, bcdedit, etc. commands.

1. Open EasyBCD and go to the «Add New Entry» section and the «Linux/BSD» tab.

2. Select the bootloader you have for your Linux distribution. In case of GRUB2 there’s an autoselect mode which will select the appropriate partition for you, for Syslinux for example you have to compulsory select the partition where it is installed.

3. Name the entry, the name you put there is the one that will appear in the Windows bootloader.

4. Select the partition where your bootloader resides or autoselect if that option is possible. In the end you should end up with something like this:

   

5. Click in «Add entry» and you’ll receive the result in the bottom left part of the program:

   

6. Now you have to restore the Windows bootloader as the default one, for that go to the «BCD Deployment» section, there select to write the Vista/7 bootloader in the MBR (which by the way is the same as for Windows 8):

   

7. After that you’re all set, you’ll receive a similar confirmation as before. When booting up you’ll see the boot menu prompting you to select one of them:

   

When you install Linux first: In this case you don’t have to restore the MBR (Master Boot Record, tells what to execute next grosso modo) as Windows installation will overwrite any previous value there.

NOTE: with UEFI and GPT disks this may be different though, but I have no way of trying it out.

---

Why I’m not sure I’d recommend doing this using the new graphical boot menu in Windows 8:

Essentially because the way it works is different than with the textual menu (default for Windows 7). In Windows 7 (or Vista) you’re first presented with the boot menu and then it starts to load whatever you choose to, in the new graphical menu it first loads some stuff (= takes time) and then presents you with the boot menu. If you don’t select to load Windows 8, it reboots the machine and starts to load whatever you selected which in this case is the Linux bootloader.

I find waiting to load some stuff just to discard it and reboot unnecessary if I just want to boot another OS; but it’s my personal opinion on the matter, there’s no problem whatsoever by loading Linux, or any other OS in this manner.

Anyway, there are different ways to use the textual boot menu instead in Windows 8, if you’re interested check this answer out.

Приветствую, друзья!

Двойная загрузка Linux с Windows — один из самых удобных способов использования двух операционных систем на одном компьютере.

Обе ОС установлены на диске, на реальном оборудовании, и при включении системы вы можете выбрать, какую операционную систему использовать.

В режиме двойной загрузки вы можете выбрать операционную систему для загрузки

В этом руководстве я покажу вам, как установить Ubuntu с уже установленной в системе Windows 10.

Упомянутые здесь шаги применимы к другим версиям Ubuntu, таким как Lubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu и дистрибутивам Linux на основе Ubuntu, таким как Linux Mint, elementary OS и т. д.

Двойная загрузка Ubuntu Linux с Windows 10

Это руководство подходит для систем с предустановленной Windows 10 с безопасной загрузкой UEFI и системой разбиения GPT.

Пожалуйста, проверьте, использует ли ваша система GPT или MBR?

Проверки совместимости

Убедитесь, что ваша система использует UEFI: это руководство применимо только для систем с загрузкой UEFI.

Если вы купили свою систему в последние 5-6 лет, скорее всего, у вас уже должна быть система UEFI в разделе GPT.

Однако нет ничего плохого в том, чтобы убедиться, что ваша система использует UEFI.

Если в вашей системе используется устаревшая версия BIOS с системой разбиения на разделы MBR, следуйте этому руководству по двойной загрузке.

Процесс шифрования Bitlocker отличается: в новых системах с Windows 10 Pro диск зашифрован с помощью Bitlocker.

Система с SSD и HDD: если у вас есть система с SSD и HDD, то есть с двумя дисками, процесс будет почти таким же.

Предпосылки: что вам нужно?

Для простой и безопасной установки Linux вместе с Windows вам понадобятся следующие вещи:

• Компьютер с предустановленной Windows 10;
• USB-ключ (флэш-накопитель или USB-накопитель) размером не менее 4 ГБ и без данных на нем;
• Подключение к интернету (для загрузки ISO-образа Ubuntu и инструмента для создания Live USB). Вы можете сделать это в любой системе, не обязательно в системе с двойной загрузкой.
• Необязательно: внешний USB-диск для резервного копирования существующих данных;
• Необязательно: восстановление Windows или загрузочный диск (если у вас возникнут серьезные проблемы с загрузкой, их можно будет исправить).

Давайте посмотрим, как установить Ubuntu вместе с Windows 10.

Шаг 1. Сделайте резервную копию вашей системы Windows [необязательно]

Всегда приятно иметь резервную копию ваших данных, на всякий случай, если вы испортите систему при работе с разделами диска.

Я советую скопировать все важные данные, которые вы не можете позволить себе потерять, на внешний USB-диск.

Вы можете использовать внешний жесткий диск (медленнее, но дешевле) или SSD (быстрее, но дороже) и копировать на него важные файлы и папки.

Шаг 2. Загрузите Ubuntu (или любой другой дистрибутив Linux, который вы будете использовать)

Перейдите на сайт Ubuntu и загрузите файл ISO.

Размер файла должен быть около 2,5 ГБ. Если вам нужно загрузить Ubuntu через торрент, вы можете нажать «Альтернативные загрузки».

Шаг 3: Создайте live USB / диск Ubuntu

Я предполагаю, что вы используете Windows для создания Live USB.

Есть несколько бесплатных приложений, которые позволяют создать Live Ubuntu USB.

Вы можете использовать любой из этих инструментов.

Поскольку я не могу показать их все, я буду все делать с Rufus.

Загрузите Rufus бесплатно с его веб-сайта. Он загрузит файл с расширением .exe.

Подключите USB.

Это устройство будет отформатировано, поэтому убедитесь, что на нем нет важных данных.

Запустите только что загруженный инструмент Rufus.

Он автоматически определяет подключенный USB-порт, но все равно дважды проверьте его.

Теперь перейдите к местоположению загруженного образа ISO и убедитесь, что он использует схему разделения GPT и целевую систему UEFI.

Нажмите кнопку «Пуск» и дождитесь завершения процесса. Ваш Live Linux USB готов.

Шаг 4. Освободите место на диске для установки Ubuntu

Во многих системах при установке Ubuntu предоставляется возможность сделать раздел диска для Ubuntu.

Однако это не гарантия.

Поэтому перед установкой лучше освободить необходимое место на диске.

В меню Windows найдите «разделы диска» и выберите «Создать и отформатировать разделы жесткого диска».

В инструменте управления дисками щелкните правой кнопкой мыши диск, который вы хотите разделить, и выберите «Сжатый том».

Если у вас всего один такой раздел, вам нужно освободить на нем немного свободного места для Linux.

Если у вас есть несколько разделов значительного размера, используйте любой из них, кроме диска C, поскольку он может стереть данные.

На 256 ГБ в моей системе уже было несколько разделов от производителя, но в основном для резервного копирования и других целей.

Основным разделом был диск C объемом около 220 ГБ, на котором установлена Windows 10.

В моем случае я уменьшил диск C, чтобы освободить место для установки Linux.

Сколько места вам нужно для Linux при двойной загрузке?

Это зависит от того, сколько у вас общего дискового пространства.

Вы можете установить Ubuntu на 15 или 20 ГБ, но скоро у вас начнется нехватка места на диске.

В наши дни у вас должно быть не менее 120 ГБ на диске.

В этом случае выберите для Linux 30-40 ГБ диска.

Если у вас диск на 250 ГБ, выделите ему 60-80 ГБ или даже больше.

Если у вас больше места на диске, выделите ему еще больше свободного места, если хотите.

Что делать, если у вас есть диски D, E или F?

Это обычная путаница для многих людей, поскольку они думают, что Ubuntu можно установить только на диск C.

Это не правда.

Понимаете, у меня был только один диск C, поэтому я его сжал.

Если у вас есть диск D, E или F, вы можете сжать один из этих дисков.

Вы также можете удалить диск D, E или F.

НИКОГДА НЕ УДАЛЯЙТЕ ДИСК С.

Шаг 5: Загрузитесь с Live Ubuntu USB

Вы создали действующий USB-накопитель Ubuntu на шаге 3.

Подключите его к системе.

Прежде чем вы загрузитесь с Live USB-накопителя, давайте вкратце расскажем о печально известной безопасной загрузке.

Нужно ли мне отключать безопасную загрузку для установки Linux?

6-8 лет назад безопасная загрузка UEFI не поддерживалась Linux, и поэтому вам пришлось отключить безопасную загрузку перед установкой Linux.

К счастью, в наши дни Ubuntu и многие другие дистрибутивы Linux очень хорошо поддерживают безопасную загрузку.

Обычно с этим ничего делать не нужно.

Однако, если ваша система не позволяет загружаться с Live USB или если вы видите какие-либо другие связанные проблемы, вы можете отключить безопасную загрузку в Windows.

Хорошо! Посмотрим, как загрузиться с USB.

Вы можете перейти к настройкам загрузки, нажав F2 / F10 или F12 во время запуска системы, и выбрать загрузку с USB.

Однако некоторым это трудно.

Более длинный, но простой шаг — получить доступ к настройкам загрузки UEFI из Windows.

В меню Windows найдите UEFI и нажмите «Изменить дополнительные параметры запуска»:

Перейдите к параметру «Расширенный запуск» и нажмите кнопку «Перезагрузить сейчас».

На следующем экране нажмите «Использовать устройство»:

Распознайте USB-диск по его имени и размеру.

Он также может отображаться как USB-устройство EFI.

Теперь он выключит вашу систему и перезагрузится на выбранный вами диск, который должен быть активным USB-диском.

Через несколько секунд вы должны увидеть такой экран:

Опция «Попробовать Ubuntu без установки» позволяет вам испытать Ubuntu с Live диска.

Вариант установки Ubuntu можно найти на рабочем столе.

Опция «Установить Ubuntu» немедленно запустит установку Ubuntu.

Вы можете выбрать любой вариант в зависимости от ваших предпочтений.

Шаг 6: Установка Ubuntu вместе с Windows 10

Запустите процедуру установки.

Первые несколько шагов просты.

Вы выбираете язык и раскладку клавиатуры.

На следующем экране выберите «Обычная установка».

Пока не нужно загружать обновления или устанавливать стороннее программное обеспечение.

Вы можете сделать это после завершения установки.

Нажмите «Продолжить».

Переход к следующему шагу может занять некоторое время.

Важно: установка требует двух подходов в зависимости от того, что вы видите на следующем экране.

Поскольку это подробное руководство, я рассмотрю оба аспекта.

Подход 1. Вы видите «Установить Ubuntu вместе с Windows Boot Manager».

Если вы видите «Установить Ubuntu вместе с Windows Boot Manager» на экране установки, вам повезло.

Вы можете выбрать этот метод и нажать «Продолжить».

Если вы видите «Установить Ubuntu вместе с диспетчером загрузки Windows», выберите его

На следующем экране вы сможете создать раздел для Ubuntu, перетащив разделитель.

Вы можете выделить соответствующее дисковое пространство для Linux здесь.

Ubuntu создаст один раздел из выделенного дискового пространства, и у него будет root с home и swap (файл подкачки) размером 2 ГБ под root.

Подход 2: Вы не видите параметр «Установить Ubuntu вместе с диспетчером загрузки Windows» или он неактивен

Но если вы один из тех, кому не повезло, вам не о чем беспокоиться.

Для вас дела обстоят не так уж и плохо.

Вы все еще можете установить Ubuntu с Windows.

На экране «Тип установки» выберите «Что-нибудь еще».

Вы перейдете к экрану разбиения на разделы.

Помните, вы заранее создали свободное место?

Вы можете выделить все свободное пространство для root (файл подкачки и домашняя страница будут созданы автоматически под root) или вы можете разделить разделы root, swap и home.

Оба метода хороши.

Я показываю шаги для создания разделов root, swap и home по отдельности.

Но не стесняйтесь использовать один раздел для всех из них.

Выберите свободное место и нажмите на знак «+».

Он предоставит вам возможность создать раздел Linux.

Вы создаете корневой (root) раздел.

Для этого более чем достаточно всего, что превышает 25 ГБ.

Выберите размер, выберите «Ext4» в качестве типа файла и / (означает root) в качестве точки монтирования.

Щелкнув «OK» на предыдущем шаге, вы перейдете к экрану раздела.

Затем создайте swap.

Как и раньше, снова нажмите на знак «+».

На этот раз используйте тип файла как область подкачки.

Вопрос об идеальном размере подкачки в Linux остается спорным.

Если у вас 2 ГБ или меньше ОЗУ, используйте подкачку, вдвое превышающую размер ОЗУ.

А если у вас 3-6 ГБ ОЗУ, используйте подкачку того же размера, что и ОЗУ.

Если у вас 8 ГБ или более ОЗУ, вы можете использовать подкачку, равную половине размера ОЗУ (если у вас не достаточно места на диске, и вы хотите использовать спящий режим, и в этом случае используйте подкачку не менее того же размера, что и ОЗУ).

Если вы чувствуете, что в вашей системе меньше swap, не волнуйтесь.

Вы можете легко создать файл подкачки и добавить больше места подкачки в свои системы.

Таким же образом создайте домашний раздел.

Выделите ему максимальное пространство (фактически выделите ему остальное свободное пространство), потому что именно здесь вы будете сохранять музыку, изображения и загруженные файлы.

Когда вы будете готовы с root, swap и home, нажмите «Install Now»:

Что ж, вы почти выиграли битву.

Теперь вы чувствуете запах победы.

По запросу выберите часовой пояс.

Затем вам будет предложено ввести имя пользователя, имя хоста (имя компьютера) и пароль.

Теперь осталось только подождать.

Для завершения установки потребуется 8-10 минут.

После завершения установки перезагрузите систему.

Перезагрузите компьютер после завершения установки

Вам будет предложено извлечь USB-диск.

На этом этапе вы можете удалить диск, не беспокоясь.

После этого система перезагрузится.

Удалите USB и нажмите ENTER

Если все прошло гладко, вы должны увидеть экран «grub» после включения системы.

Здесь вы можете выбрать Ubuntu для загрузки в Ubuntu и диспетчер загрузки Windows для загрузки в Windows.

Довольно круто, правда?

Вы можете выбрать операционную систему на экране «grub»

Двойная загрузка не удалась? Вот несколько советов по устранению неполадок

Для некоторых двойная загрузка может пока не работать.

Однако вместо того, чтобы сдаваться, вы можете следовать нескольким советам и повторить процедуру установки.

Попробуйте сменить порт USB

Это может показаться смешным, но иногда некоторые порты USB вызывают проблемы с загрузкой USB или установкой Linux.

Изменение USB-порта может быть хитростью.

Старайтесь не использовать интернет при установке Linux

Я испытал, что иногда установка Linux выдает ошибку, если он подключен к интернету.

Если вы столкнулись с ошибкой «’grub-efi-amd64-signed’ package failed to install into /target», попробуйте установить Ubuntu без интернета.

Отключите безопасную загрузку и / или быструю загрузку

В некоторых редких случаях безопасная загрузка не позволит вам загрузиться с Live USB или установить Linux.

Отключите безопасную загрузку.

В некоторых случаях вы также можете отключить быструю загрузку.

Двойная загрузка завершена, но вы не видите экран «grub» для загрузки в Ubuntu

Пожалуйста, проверьте порядок загрузки в настройках UEFI.

Вы видите Ubuntu / UEFI под диспетчером загрузки Windows?

Если да, переместите его вверх по порядку.

Надеюсь, это руководство помогло вам выполнить двойную загрузку Ubuntu с Windows 10 UEFI.

Я здесь слишком подробно остановился на деталях, но я хотел ответить на все распространенные заблуждения и показать все необходимые шаги.

Если у вас все еще есть сомнения или возникла странная ошибка, оставьте комментарий, и я постараюсь вам помочь.

До скорых встреч!

Подписаться на обновления блога!

You can easily install Linux using a live disk. But unfortunately, i did not had a pendrive or cd drive when I really needed to install it. Also, softwares like Unetbootin were giving errors and it did not install. So, here is a complete guide to install Linux directly from hard-drive. I already had Windows 7 installed and I added Ubuntu 16.04 for dual boot.

Step 1:
First of all, you need to create atleast a 10 GB partition in your hard-drive. Follow this link to do so. Also give a label to the partition to make the things easier.

Then download two files from the Ubuntu Archive

Click here to know the names of all versions of Ubuntu. Decide your version to download and go to version-updates in the Ubuntu Archive.

For example, to download Ubuntu 16.04, go to xenial-updates in Ubuntu archive. Then go to main folder. Here you will get installer-amd64 (for 64-bit) and installer-i386 (for 32-bit). Select your architecture and then the rest of the path remains the same for both. ie-
/current/images/netboot/ubuntu-installer/amd64(or i386)/
Click on initrd.gz and linux (for 64-bit) or vmlinuz (for 32-bit) to download these files.
Create a new folder and name it boot in the newly created partition. Put these 2 files in the boot folder.

Step 2:
Install EasyBCD from Here. Click on Add new entry and in the Operating System, open NeoGrub tab and click on install.

Step 3:
Restart your computer and choose NeoGrub Bootloader from the available options. Simply write this commands one by one.

grub> root = (hd0,
[Press Tab to list all the volumes available on your primary hard disk. Write 1 instead of 0 if you created partition in second hard-disk]
grub> root = (hd0,n)
[Replace n with the number of the new partition.]
Then type these commands in order

kernel /boot/linux [Note: type vmlinuz instead of linux for 32-bit]
initrd /boot/initrd.gz
boot

Now it will take you to installer (Mouse won`t work. You need to control with keyboard).

Solutions for a few common errors
I faced a few problems while installing.Here is a list for you.

1. Mount Point — When you select your partition while installation, you need to format the partition as Ext4 journaling file system and select the Mount Point as /
   You won`t get such nice GUI but you will know what I mean to say

2. SWAP Partition — It will ask you to create a swap partition for linux. Select No for now. You can create another patition for linux-swap later.

3. Incomplete installation — Firstly, I had created only 6 GB partition for Ubuntu. So the installer crashed during the installation (it had already completed 64%) and then I needed to start from step 1. So, I recommend creating a pertition of atleast 15 GB.

4. Extra Softwares — During installation, it asked me whether I want to install extra softwares or not. It included Blender, GIMP, etc. Skip it for now. The installation of OS requires 5 GB, but installing these softwares were also one of the reasons why the installation crashed before.

5. GNOME Desktop — You want the nice looking Ubuntu UI, then you must include GNOME Desktop during installation of extra softwares. It will ask the type of desktop environment, gdm3 or lightdm. Choose anyone you want. But I recommend lightdm for computers with low RAM as it is faster than gdm3.

6. grub rescue — I formatted the partition where I installed Ubuntu 16.04 32-bit as I wanted to install 64-bit OS. Then on next boot, I got this error of grub rescue. It was not easy for me solve this problem because it now required an installation disk for repair but I didn`t had any. Follow this link to solve your problem.

Although I had given a very long explanation about installation process, I can guarantee that you will be using Ubuntu in just 3 hours if you get no extra errors.

This is an article detailing different methods of Arch/Windows coexistence.

Important information

Windows UEFI vs BIOS limitations

Microsoft imposes limitations on which firmware boot mode and partitioning style can be supported based on the version of Windows used:

Note: The following points only list configurations supported by the Windows Setup even though Windows itself may still work on these unsupported configurations. A good example of this is Windows 11 which still works on a BIOS/MBR configuration once the Windows Setup check is bypassed.

• Windows XP both x86 32-bit and x86_64 (also called x64) (RTM and all Service Packs) versions do not support booting in UEFI mode (IA32 or x86_64) from any disk (MBR or GPT) OR in BIOS mode from GPT disk. They support only BIOS boot and only from MBR disk.
• Windows Vista or 7 x86 32-bit (RTM and all Service Packs) versions support booting in BIOS mode from MBR disks only, not from GPT disks. They do not support x86_64 UEFI or IA32 (x86 32-bit) UEFI boot. They support only BIOS boot and only from MBR disk.
• Windows Vista RTM x86_64 (only RTM) version support booting in BIOS mode from MBR disks only, not from GPT disks. It does not support x86_64 UEFI or IA32 (x86 32-bit) UEFI boot. It supports only BIOS boot and only from MBR disk.
• Windows Vista (SP1 and above, not RTM) and Windows 7 x86_64 versions support booting in x86_64 UEFI mode from GPT disk only, OR in BIOS mode from MBR disk only. They do not support IA32 (x86 32-bit) UEFI boot from GPT/MBR disk, x86_64 UEFI boot from MBR disk, or BIOS boot from GPT disk.
• Windows 8/8.1 and 10 x86 32-bit support booting in IA32 UEFI mode from GPT disk only, OR in BIOS mode from MBR disk only. They do not support x86_64 UEFI boot from GPT/MBR disk, x86_64 UEFI boot from MBR disk, or BIOS boot from GPT disk. On market, the only systems known to ship with IA32 (U)EFI are some old Intel Macs (pre-2010 models?) and Intel Atom System-on-Chip (Clover trail and Bay Trail) Windows Tablets, which boot ONLY in IA32 UEFI mode and ONLY from GPT disk.
• Windows 8/8.1 and 10 x86_64 versions support booting in x86_64 UEFI mode from GPT disk only, OR in BIOS mode from MBR disk only. They do not support IA32 UEFI boot, x86_64 UEFI boot from MBR disk, or BIOS boot from GPT disk.
• Windows 11 only supports x86_64 and a boot in UEFI mode from GPT disk.

In case of pre-installed Systems:

• All systems pre-installed with Windows XP, Vista or 7 32-bit, irrespective of Service Pack level, bitness, edition (SKU) or presence of UEFI support in firmware, boot in BIOS/MBR mode by default.
• MOST of the systems pre-installed with Windows 7 x86_64, irrespective of Service Pack level, bitness or edition (SKU), boot in BIOS/MBR mode by default. Very few recent systems pre-installed with Windows 7 are known to boot in x86_64 UEFI/GPT mode by default.
• ALL systems pre-installed with Windows 8/8.1, 10 and 11 boot in UEFI/GPT mode. Up to Windows 10, the firmware bitness matches the bitness of Windows, ie. x86_64 Windows boot in x86_64 UEFI mode and 32-bit Windows boot in IA32 UEFI mode.

The best way to detect the boot mode of Windows is to do the following[1]:

• Boot into Windows
• Press Win+R keys to start the Run dialog
• In the Run dialog type msinfo32.exe and press Enter
• In the System Information windows, select System Summary on the left and check the value of BIOS mode item on the right
• If the value is UEFI, Windows boots in UEFI/GPT mode. If the value is Legacy, Windows boots in BIOS/MBR mode.

In general, Windows forces type of partitioning depending on the firmware mode used, i.e. if Windows is booted in UEFI mode, it can be installed only to a GPT disk. If Windows is booted in Legacy BIOS mode, it can be installed only to an MBR disk. This is a limitation enforced by Windows Setup, and as of April 2014 there is no officially (Microsoft) supported way of installing Windows in UEFI/MBR or BIOS/GPT configuration. Thus Windows only supports either UEFI/GPT boot or BIOS/MBR configuration.

Tip: Windows 10 version 1703 and newer supports converting from BIOS/MBR to UEFI/GPT using MBR2GPT.EXE.

Such a limitation is not enforced by the Linux kernel, but can depend on which boot loader is used and/or how the boot loader is configured. The Windows limitation should be considered if the user wishes to boot Windows and Linux from the same disk, since installation procedure of boot loader depends on the firmware type and disk partitioning configuration. In case where Windows and Linux dual boot from the same disk, it is advisable to follow the method used by Windows, ie. either go for UEFI/GPT boot or BIOS/MBR boot. See https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2581408 for more information.

Install media limitations

Intel Atom System-on-Chip Tablets (Clover trail and Bay Trail) provide only IA32 UEFI firmware without Legacy BIOS (CSM) support (unlike most of the x86_64 UEFI systems), due to Microsoft Connected Standby Guidelines for OEMs. Due to lack of Legacy BIOS support in these systems, and the lack of 32-bit UEFI boot in Arch Official Install ISO (FS#53182), the official install media cannot boot on these systems. See Unified Extensible Firmware Interface#UEFI firmware bitness for more information and available workarounds.

Bootloader UEFI vs BIOS limitations

Most of the linux bootloaders installed for one firmware type cannot launch or chainload bootloaders of the other firmware type. That is, if Arch is installed in UEFI/GPT or UEFI/MBR mode in one disk and Windows is installed in BIOS/MBR mode in another disk, the UEFI bootloader used by Arch cannot chainload the BIOS installed Windows in the other disk. Similarly if Arch is installed in BIOS/MBR or BIOS/GPT mode in one disk and Windows is installed in UEFI/GPT in another disk , the BIOS bootloader used by Arch cannot chainload UEFI installed Windows in the other disk.

The only exceptions to this are GRUB in Apple Macs in which GRUB in UEFI mode can boot BIOS installed OS via appleloader command (does not work in non-Apple systems), and rEFInd which technically supports booting legacy BIOS OS from UEFI systems, but does not always work in non-Apple UEFI systems as per its author Rod Smith.

However if Arch is installed in BIOS/GPT in one disk and Windows is installed in BIOS/MBR mode in another disk, then the BIOS boot loader used by Arch CAN boot the Windows in the other disk, if the boot loader itself has the ability to chainload from another disk.

Note: To dual-boot with Windows on same disk, Arch should follow the same firmware boot mode and partitioning combination used by the Windows installation.

Windows Setup creates a 100 MiB EFI system partition (except for Advanced Format 4K native drives where it creates a 300 MiB ESP), so multiple kernel usage is limited. Workarounds include:

• Mount ESP to /efi and use a boot loader that has file system drivers and is capable of launching kernels that reside on other partitions.
• Expand the EFI system partition, typically either by decreasing the Recovery partition size or moving the Windows partition (UUIDs will change).
• Backup and delete unneeded fonts in esp/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/Fonts/ [2].
• Backup and delete unneeded language directories in esp/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/ (e.g. to only keep en-US).
• Use a higher, but slower, compression for the initramfs images. E.g. COMPRESSION="xz" with COMPRESSION_OPTIONS=(-9e).

UEFI Secure Boot

All pre-installed Windows 8/8.1, 10 and 11 systems by default boot in UEFI/GPT mode and have UEFI Secure Boot enabled by default. This is mandated by Microsoft for all OEM pre-installed systems.

Arch Linux install media does not support Secure Boot yet. See Secure Boot#Booting an installation medium.

It is advisable to disable UEFI Secure Boot in the firmware setup manually before attempting to boot Arch Linux. Windows 8/8.1, 10 and 11 SHOULD continue to boot fine even if Secure boot is disabled. The only issue with regards to disabling UEFI Secure Boot support is that it requires physical access to the system to disable secure boot option in the firmware setup, as Microsoft has explicitly forbidden presence of any method to remotely or programmatically (from within OS) disable secure boot in all Windows 8/8.1 and above pre-installed systems

Fast Startup and hibernation

There are two OSs that can be hibernated, you can hibernate Windows and boot Linux (or another OS), or you can hibernate Linux and boot Windows, or hibernate both OSs.

Warning: Data loss can occur if Windows hibernates and you dual boot into another OS and make changes to files on a filesystem (such as NTFS) that can be read and written to by Windows and Linux, and that has been mounted by Windows [3]. Similarly, data loss can occur if Linux hibernates, and you dual boot into another OS etc. Windows may hibernate even when you press shutdown, see section #Windows settings.

For the same reason, if you share one EFI System Partition between Windows and Linux, then the EFI System Partition may be damaged if you hibernate (or shutdown with Fast Startup enabled) Windows and then start Linux, or hibernate Linux and then start Windows.

ntfs-3g added a safe-guard to prevent read-write mounting of hibernated NTFS filesystems, but the NTFS driver within the Linux kernel has no such safeguard.

Windows cannot read filesystems such as ext4 by default that are commonly used for Linux. These filesystems do not have to be considered, unless you install a Windows driver for them.

Windows settings

Fast Startup is a feature in Windows 8 and above that hibernates the computer rather than actually shutting it down to speed up boot times.

There are multiple options regarding the Windows settings for Fast Startup and hibernation that are covered in the next sections.

• disable Fast Startup and disable hibernation
• disable Fast Startup and enable hibernation
• enable Fast Startup and enable hibernation

The procedure of disabling Fast Startup is described in the tutorials for Windows 8, Windows 10 and Windows 11. In any case if you disable a setting, make sure to disable the setting and then shut down Windows, before installing Linux; note that rebooting is not sufficient.

Disable Fast Startup and disable hibernation

This is the safest option, and recommended if you are unsure about the issue, as it requires the least amount of user awareness when rebooting from one OS into the other. You may share the same EFI System Partition between Windows and Linux.

Disable Fast Startup and enable hibernation

This option requires user awareness when rebooting from one OS into the other.
If you want to start Linux while Windows is hibernated, which is a common use case, then

• you must use a separate EFI System Partition (ESP) for Windows and Linux, and ensure that Windows does not mount the ESP used for Linux. As there can only be one ESP per drive, the ESP used for Linux must be located on a separate drive than the ESP used for Windows. In this case Windows and Linux can still be installed on the same drive in different partitions, if you place the ESP used by linux on another drive than the Linux root partition.
• you can not read-write mount any filesystem in Linux, that is mounted by Windows while Windows is hibernated. You should be extremely careful about this, and also consider Automount behaviour.
• If you shut down Windows fully, rather than hibernating, then you can read-write mount the filesystem.

Note: You can avoid this issue for a drive by mounting a drive as an external drive in Windows and ejecting the drive in Windows before hibernating.

Enable Fast Startup and enable hibernation

The same considerations apply as in case «Disable Fast Startup and enable hibernation», but since Windows can not be shut down fully, only hibernated, you can never read-write mount any filesystem that was mounted by Windows while Windows is hibernated.

Note: Windows updates may re-enable Fast Startup, as reported in [4].

Windows filenames limitations

Windows is limited to filepaths being shorter than 260 characters.

Windows also puts certain characters off limits in filenames for reasons that run all the way back to DOS:

• < (less than)
• > (greater than)
• : (colon)
• " (double quote)
• / (forward slash)
• (backslash)
• | (vertical bar or pipe)
• ? (question mark)
• * (asterisk)

These are limitations of Windows and not NTFS: any other OS using the NTFS partition will be fine. Windows will fail to detect these files and running chkdsk will most likely cause them to be deleted. This can lead to potential data-loss.

NTFS-3G applies Windows restrictions to new file names through the windows_names option: ntfs-3g(8) § Windows_Filename_Compatibility (see fstab).

Installation

The recommended way to setup a Linux/Windows dual booting system is to first install Windows, only using part of the disk for its partitions. When you have finished the Windows setup, boot into the Linux install environment where you can create and resize partitions for Linux while leaving the existing Windows partitions untouched. The Windows installation will create the EFI system partition which can be used by your Linux boot loader.

Windows before Linux

BIOS systems

Using a Linux boot loader

You may use any multi-boot supporting BIOS boot loader.

Using the Windows Vista/7/8/8.1 boot loader

This section explains how to : install a linux bootloader on a partition instead of the MBR ; copy this bootloader to a partition readable by the windows bootloader ; use the windows bootloader to start said copy of the linux bootloader.

Note: Some documents state that the partition being loaded by the Windows boot loader must be a primary partition but usage of an extended partition has been documented as working.

• When installing the boot loader, install it on your /boot partition rather than the MBR. For details on doing this with GRUB, see GRUB/Tips and tricks#Install to partition or partitionless disk, for Syslinux, see the note at Syslinux#Manual install, for LILO see LILO#Install to partition or partitionless disk.

• Make a copy of the VBR:

  dd if=/dev/disk of=/path/to/linux.bin bs=512 count=1

  where /dev/disk is the path of the partition on which your bootloader is installed and /path/to/ is the mounted filesystem on which you want the copy to be readable by the Windows bootloader.

• On Windows, the linux.bin file should now be accessible. Run cmd with administrator privileges (navigate to Start > All Programs > Accessories, right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator):

  bcdedit /create /d "Linux" /application BOOTSECTOR

  BCDEdit will return a UUID for this entry. This will be refered to as UUID in the remaining steps.

  bcdedit /set UUID device partition=c: (or the drive letter on which linux.bin is kept) 
  bcdedit /set UUID  path pathtolinux.bin  
  bcdedit /displayorder UUID /addlast  
  bcdedit /timeout 30

On reboot, both Windows and Linux should now show up in the Windows bootloader.

Note: On some hardware, the Windows boot loader is used to start another OS with a second power button (e.g. Dell Precision M4500).

For more details, see https://www.iceflatline.com/2009/09/how-to-dual-boot-windows-7-and-linux-using-bcdedit/

UEFI systems

If you already have Windows installed, it will already have created some partitions on a GPT-formatted disk:

• a Windows Recovery Environment partition, generally of size 499 MiB, containing the files required to boot Windows (i.e. the equivalent of Linux’s /boot),
• an EFI system partition with a FAT32 filesystem,
• a Microsoft Reserved Partition, generally of size 128 MiB,
• a Microsoft basic data partition with a NTFS filesystem, which corresponds to C:,
• potentially system recovery and backup partitions and/or secondary data partitions (corresponding often to D: and above).

Using the Disk Management utility in Windows, check how the partitions are labelled and which type gets reported. This will help you understand which partitions are essential to Windows, and which others you might repurpose. The Windows Disk Management utility can also be used to shrink Windows (NTFS) partitions to free up disk space for additional partitions for Linux.

Warning: The first 4 partitions in the above list are essential, do not delete them.

You can then proceed with partitioning, depending on your needs. The boot loader needs to support chainloading other EFI applications to dual boot Windows and Linux. An additional EFI system partition should not be created, as it may prevent Windows from booting.

Note: It only appears when Linux is installed on the second hard disk and a new EFI system partition is created on the second hard disk.

Simply mount the existing partition.

Computers that come with newer versions of Windows often have Secure Boot enabled. You will need to take extra steps to either disable Secure Boot or to make your installation media compatible with secure boot (see above and in the linked page).

Linux before Windows

Even though the recommended way to setup a Linux/Windows dual booting system is to first install Windows, it can be done the other way around. In contrast to installing Windows before Linux, you will have to set aside a partition for Windows, say 40GB or larger, in advance. Or have some unpartitioned disk space, or create and resize partitions for Windows from within the Linux installation, before launching the Windows installation.

UEFI firmware

Windows will use the already existing EFI system partition. In contrast to what was stated earlier, it is unclear if a single partition for Windows, without the Windows Recovery Environment and without Microsoft Reserved Partition, will not do.

Follows an outline, assuming Secure Boot is disabled in the firmware.

1. Boot into windows installation. Watch to let it use only the intended partition, but otherwise let it do its work as if there is no Linux installation.
2. Follow the #Fast Startup and hibernation section.
3. Fix the ability to load Linux at start up, perhaps by following #Cannot boot Linux after installing Windows. It was already mentioned in #UEFI systems that some Linux boot managers will autodetect Windows Boot Manager. Even though newer Windows installations have an advanced restart option, from which you can boot into Linux, it is advised to have other means to boot into Linux, such as an arch installation media or a live CD.

Windows 10 with GRUB

The following assumes GRUB is used as a boot loader (although the process is likely similar for other boot loaders) and that Windows 10 will be installed on a GPT block device with an existing EFI system partition (see the «System partition» section in the Microsoft documentation for more information).

Create with program gdisk on the block device the following three new partitions. See [5] for more precise partition sizes.

Min size	Code	Name	File system
16 MB	0C01	Microsoft reserved	N/A
~40 GB	0700	Microsoft basic data	NTFS
300 MB	2700	Windows RE	NTFS

Create NTFS file systems on the new Microsoft basic data and Windows RE (recovery) partitions using the mkntfs program from package ntfs-3g.

Reboot the system into a Windows 10 installation media. When prompted to install select the custom install option and install Windows on the Microsoft basic data partition created earlier. This should also install Microsoft EFI files in the EFI partition.

After installation (set up of and logging into Windows not required), reboot into Linux and generate a GRUB configuration for the Windows boot manager to be available in the GRUB menu on next boot.

Troubleshooting

Couldn’t create a new partition or locate an existing one

See #Windows UEFI vs BIOS limitations.

Cannot boot Linux after installing Windows

See Unified Extensible Firmware Interface#Windows changes boot order.

Restoring a Windows boot record

By convention (and for ease of installation), Windows is usually installed on the first partition and installs its partition table and reference to its bootloader to the first sector of that partition. If you accidentally install a bootloader like GRUB to the Windows partition or damage the boot record in some other way, you will need to use a utility to repair it. Microsoft includes a boot sector fix utility FIXBOOT and an MBR fix utility called FIXMBR on their recovery discs, or sometimes on their install discs. Using this method, you can fix the reference on the boot sector of the first partition to the bootloader file and fix the reference on the MBR to the first partition, respectively. After doing this you will have to reinstall GRUB to the MBR as was originally intended (that is, the GRUB bootloader can be assigned to chainload the Windows bootloader).

If you wish to revert back to using Windows, you can use the FIXBOOT command which chains from the MBR to the boot sector of the first partition to restore normal, automatic loading of the Windows operating system.

Of note, there is a Linux utility called ms-sys (package ms-sys^AUR in AUR) that can install MBR’s. However, this utility is only currently capable of writing new MBRs (all OS’s and file systems supported) and boot sectors (a.k.a. boot record; equivalent to using FIXBOOT) for FAT file systems. Most LiveCDs do not have this utility by default, so it will need to be installed first, or you can look at a rescue CD that does have it, such as Parted Magic.

First, write the partition info (table) again by:

# ms-sys --partition /dev/sda1

Next, write a Windows 2000/XP/2003 MBR:

# ms-sys --mbr /dev/sda  # Read options for different versions

Then, write the new boot sector (boot record):

# ms-sys -(1-6)          # Read options to discover the correct FAT record type

ms-sys can also write Windows 98, ME, Vista, and 7 MBRs as well, see ms-sys -h.

Restoring an accidentally deleted EFI partition

If you have a GPT-partitioned disk and erased (e.g. with mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/sdx) the EFI partition, you will notice that Windows Boot Manager will either disappear from your boot options, or selecting it will send you back to the UEFI.

To remedy it, boot with a Windows installation media, press Shift+F10 to open the console (or click NEXT > Repair Computer > Troubleshoot… > Advanced > Command Prompt), then start the diskpart utility:

X:Sources> diskpart
DISKPART> list disk

Select the appropriate hard drive by typing:

DISKPART> select disk number

Make sure that there is a partition of type system (the EFI partition):

DISKPART> list partition

Select this partition:

DISKPART> select partition number

and assign a temporary drive letter to it:

DISKPART> assign letter=G:

DiskPart successfully assigned the drive letter or mount point.

To make sure that drive letter is correctly assigned:

DISKPART> list vol

 Volume ###  Ltr  Label        Fs     Type        Size     Status     Info
 ----------  ---  -----------  -----  ----------  -------  ---------  --------
 Volume 0     E                       DVD-ROM         0 B  No Media
 Volume 1     C                NTFS   Partition    195 GB  Healthy    Boot
 Volume 2         WINRE        NTFS   Partition    400 MB  Healthy    Hidden
 Volume 3     G                FAT32  Partition    499 MB  Healthy    System

Close diskpart:

DISKPART> exit

Navigate to C: (or what your system drive letter is):

X:Sources> cd /d C:

Next is the «magic» command, which recreate the BCD store (with /s for the mount point, /f for firmware type, optionally add /v for verbose):

C:> bcdboot C:Windows /s G: /f UEFI

Tip: If it hangs up after a minute, hit Ctrl+c. This happens sometimes, but you will get a message like boot files successfully created and it will have worked just fine.

You should now have Windows Boot Manager working as a boot option, and thus have access to Windows. Just make sure to never format your EFI partition again!

Note: Remove the drive letter G assigned to the EFI partition to keep it from showing up in My Computer.

See [6], [7] and [8].

The EFI system partition created by Windows Setup is too small

Windows Setup creates a 100 MiB EFI system partition (except for Advanced Format 4K native drives where it creates a 300 MiB ESP). This is generally too small to fit everything you need. You can try different tools to resize this partition, but there are usually other partitions in the way, making it, at the very least, difficult. One option is to use the Arch install media to create a single EFI system partition of your preferred size before you install Windows on the drive. Windows Setup will use the EFI system partition you made instead of creating its own.

Unable to install Windows Cumulative Update on BIOS system

On BIOS systems, Windows cumulative updates may fail with the error We couldn’t complete the updates. Undoing changes. Don’t turn off your computer. In such case, while in Windows, you need to set the Windows partition as active.

C:> diskpart
DISKPART> list disk
DISKPART> select disk number
DISKPART> list partition
DISKPART> select partition number
DISKPART> active
DISKPART> exit

After successfully installing the Windows update, mark back your Linux partition as active, using commands above.

Time standard

• Recommended: Set both Arch Linux and Windows to use UTC, following System time#UTC in Microsoft Windows. Some versions of Windows revert the hardware clock back to localtime if they are set to synchronize the time online. This issue appears to be fixed in Windows 10.
• Not recommended: Set Arch Linux to localtime and disable all time synchronization daemons. This will let Windows take care of hardware clock corrections and you will need to remember to boot into Windows at least two times a year (in Spring and Autumn) when DST kicks in. So please do not ask on the forums why the clock is one hour behind or ahead if you usually go for days or weeks without booting into Windows.

Bluetooth pairing

When it comes to pairing Bluetooth devices with both the Linux and Windows installation, both systems have the same MAC address, but will use different link keys generated during the pairing process. This results in the device being unable to connect to one installation, after it has been paired with the other. To allow a device to connect to either installation without re-pairing, follow Bluetooth#Dual boot pairing.

See also

• Booting Windows from a desktop shortcut
• One-time boot into Windows partition from desktop shortcut
• Windows 7/8/8.1/10 ISO to Flash Drive burning utility for Linux (MBR/GPT, BIOS/UEFI, FAT32/NTFS)

Running Windows 10 and Linux on the same computer is easier than ever. Here’s how to do it.

A computer that boots both Windows 10 and Linux can easily be the best of both worlds. Having easy access to either of the operating systems lets you enjoy the benefits of both. You can hone your Linux skills and enjoy the free software only available for Linux platforms. Or, you can switch back to Windows 10 to use apps like Photoshop, AutoCAD or Microsoft Office. The beauty of dual booting is that it lets each operating system take full advantage of the hardware resources of your computer. While virtual machines and the Windows Subsystem for Linux can give you a taste of the Linux experience, dual booting lets you tap its full potential.

The good news is that Windows 10 and Linux live in harmony better than ever these days. Dual booting Windows 10 and Linux used to be a precarious process that could wreck your Windows installation, your Linux installation or both. While the process isn’t quite a smooth as dual booting macOS and Windows with Boot Camp, it comes close. In this article, we’ll show you how to safely install Windows 10 and Linux on the same hard drive. It doesn’t matter if you’re starting with Linux or starting with Windows—dual booting is easy to set up either way.

Dual Boot Linux with Windows 10 – Linux Installed First

Let’s start with the (slightly) harder way first; you already have a copy Linux installed and you want to install Windows on a partition. The first step is to create the partition where Windows 10 will be installed. We have covered how to create partitions in Linux, so, start by reviewing our article on how to do that.

Once you have your partition set up, you will need to purchase Windows 10, download the ISO file then create a bootable copy. Creating a bootable copy of Windows 10 on Linux can be done using the free Unetbootin (USB thumb drive) or Brasero software if you are installing from a DVD.

Create Bootable Windows 10 Install Media Using Unetbootin

Unetbootin can be downloaded from the Software Center in Ubuntu. Once you have it up and running, launch it. Make sure you are using a thumb drive with at least 8 GBs of free space.

Select the Disk Image radio box, click the browse button (represented by an ellipsis …), browse to the ISO file then click Open. Chose the medium from the Type list box—in this case, your USB drive. Click on the drive list box then select your USB thumb drive.

Note: If you are not offered the option to select your thumb drive, you need to format it using the FAT32 file system. Open the file manager, right-click the thumb drive then click Format.

Click OK, then wait while the bootable copy is created.

When complete, click Exit.

Create Bootable Windows 10 Install Media Using Brasero

If you already made a bootable USB with Unetbootin, you can skip this part. If you are still using an old school system with a DVD drive, you can use the Brasero DVD Burning software, which you can download from the Software Center also. Please keep in mind, Windows 10 ISO files are getting larger beyond the standard 4.7 GB DVDs. So, in some cases, it’s best you use 8.5 GB dual-layer DVDs if supported by your drive. If you can’t, then it’s best you use a USB thumb drive.

In Brasero, click Burn Image.

Select your disc image, make sure a blank DVD disc is inserted then click Burn.

After preparing your install media, insert it or connect it. Reboot your computer, then configure your BIOS to boot from the drive. Windows 10 will boot into setup as it normally does. After you arrive at the setup screen, click Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).

Make sure you select the right partition; don’t wipe out your Linux installation. Click Next then wait while Windows 10 Setup copies files to the drive. Your computer will be rebooted several times.

When setup is complete, follow the instructions to complete the out of box experience.

After that’s complete, you might notice the obvious—there is no way to boot into Linux anymore. Here is how you fix that. Download a free utility called EasyBCD from Neosmart Technologies. Proceed to install EasyBCD then launch it. Select the Linux/BSD tab. Click in the type list box, select Ubuntu; enter the name of the Linux distribution, choose automatically locate and load then click Add Entry. Reboot your computer.

You will now see a boot entry for Linux on the Windows graphical boot manager.

Dual Boot Linux with Windows 10 – Windows Installed First

For many users, Windows 10 installed first will be the likely configuration. In fact, this is the ideal way to dual boot Windows and Linux. Again, I will be using the Ubuntu Linux distribution. You can download the Ubuntu Linux ISO image from Canonical’s web page then create a bootable copy using Unetbootin for Windows or burn to a blank DVD using disc image in Windows 10.

After creating your install media, configure your BIOS to boot from it. Ubuntu’s installation wizard intelligently detects existing Windows installations. It will ask you if you would like to install Ubuntu alongside Windows.

At the Ubuntu install screen, click Install Ubuntu.

Choose whether you want to download and install updates and third-party drivers and codecs then click Continue.

Select the option Install Ubuntu alongside Windows 10 then click Continue.

Ubuntu’s installer will set a default allocation of space for the installation. If you have enough space, you can resize the partition by placing your mouse between the divider then drag it left or right to make adjustments. Once you are satisfied with the allocated amount for your Ubuntu installation, click Install Now.

Click Continue to confirm changes.

Click Continue again.

Enter your time zone then click Continue.

Select your keyboard layout, click Continue.

Create your user account by providing your full name, computer name, login name, and password. Choose whether you want to log in automatically or be prompted for a password. You can also encrypt your home folder for extra security. Click Continue.

Wait while Ubuntu copies files.

When complete, click Restart Now.

Ubuntu will add a boot entry for Windows 10 to the GRUB boot manager, which you can select using the up or down arrow then hitting Enter.

That’s it, Windows 10 and Ubuntu is now set up on your computer.

Let us know what you think.  If you have done this before, share some of your tips with us. By the way, what’s your favorite distro?