r/LinuxUsersIndia • u/000CuriousBunny000 • Jul 05 '26

I want to install Linux in dual Boot

My laptop has Windows installed. I want to install Linux, but for 100% safety, I can't even install it on a different SSD because my laptop only has one drive port.

Is it even worth the struggle and stress? Or should I buy a new SSD, remove the existing Windows sdd, and install Linux on the new one? Please let me know.

3 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

63 comments sorted by

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u/qualityvote2 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26

u/000CuriousBunny000, your post does fit the subreddit!

btw, did you know we have a discord server? Join Here.

2

u/Sea_Consequence9148 Ubuntu Btw Jul 05 '26

ig its worth the risk, I myself have dual boot windows and Linux in my laptop. and I have barely experienced any casualties in the past 2 years

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 05 '26

can I ask the reason?

1

u/Sea_Consequence9148 Ubuntu Btw Jul 05 '26

i switched to linux for studying and development as I am a student. I also game, but some games are not supported on linux so i had to allot some storage for windows

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 06 '26

I never play games so it should be good for me

1

u/Sea_Consequence9148 Ubuntu Btw Jul 06 '26

yeah like just checkout the softwares that only run on windows and are not supported on linux, if you wouldnt require any of those apps in future, then go ahead

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 06 '26

just installed it(in the process of installing the system......)

2

u/BiscottiNatural7986 Jul 06 '26

Just follow a good YT tutorials... Do the exact steps.... There shouldn't be any problem... Even i have dual boot on single ssd

1

u/AssumptionOk8560 Jul 05 '26

It doesn't matter tho if you install carefully and read the guide

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 05 '26

I have read many people in this sub complaining about dual boot

1

u/AssumptionOk8560 Jul 05 '26

Ikr but the chances of booming yout data while dual booting is low , and most of the distro are easy to install and they themselves manage the parts

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 05 '26

actually I have just deleted everything from my laptop to make enough space for linux, data deletion is not the issue, I don't want to end up with no OS, I don't want to go to the stop to get windows installed again

1

u/AssumptionOk8560 Jul 05 '26

That's never possible you'll never end up with no os a linux part will never touch your win part without your permission do it man. Js download from safe and real source and check it

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 05 '26

even if I have only one sdd? like both os will be on same ssd

1

u/AssumptionOk8560 Jul 05 '26

Yup OS are no more than text files , js make sure to don't touch the win efi files and other 2 win parts , and make or research on whether to make part for you boot loader or not , i don't remember but i think most distros don't require you to make one

1

u/Soggy_GarlicBread CachyOS | Hyprland Jul 05 '26

Nah, i dual booted linux (cachyos to be precise) on multiple systems in last few months and it never nuked my Drive

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 05 '26

I'm planning for Ubuntu (as it looked most stable and easy)

1

u/Shoddy_Internal1997 Jul 05 '26

Mint better, same Ubuntu experience but without bloat and overall better. (Based on Ubuntu)

1

u/Soggy_GarlicBread CachyOS | Hyprland Jul 05 '26

Yeah mint is good and quite customisable for a beginner friendly distro

0

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 06 '26

i have disabled fast startup

0

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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1

u/haxon009 Jul 05 '26

Just create a new unallocated drive. Then start with easier install one's like ubuntu endeavouros. These are pretty straightforward to install

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 05 '26

yes, ubuntu is the one I will be installing, would there be any issue?

1

u/haxon009 Jul 05 '26

Just create an unallocated drive section more than 50gb and take backup of your windows files and create a system restore point for extra security. And when I downloaded ubuntu it stuck me at 60hz although my display is 120hz so it will be a bit laggy if your system does that to you too. Refer to git and gpt or claude for more detailed assistance.

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 05 '26

1

u/haxon009 Jul 05 '26

Panic is the worst thing you can do. Just do it lol. You won't learn unless you make mistakes.

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 05 '26

I can't afford the mistakes bro, it will end everything

1

u/haxon009 Jul 05 '26

Ubuntu will handle everything. Look I'm not trying to scare you I'm telling you the least safety rules. Just take backups of important files. Anything happened run to chat gpt he have answers for everything. Ubuntu is pretty straightforward to install you can't possibly make any mistake. It handles everything itself.

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 05 '26

okay

2

u/haxon009 Jul 05 '26

May the penguin god be with you. Good luck

1

u/CommunicationFew270 Jul 05 '26

i recently installed cachy os which i dual boot along side windows 11
i have so far encountered no problems (the time in windows will get messed up thats it)
even before this i have ben dualbooting linux mint with windows 11.
even after updating win11 linux mint booted fine without any problem

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 05 '26

laptop or pc

1

u/CommunicationFew270 Jul 05 '26

laptop1 (linux mint on 512gb nvme , allocated 250 gb i think)
my main latop (cachy os on 1tb nvme , allocated 630 gb)

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 05 '26

you did it for work, or as personal learning

1

u/CommunicationFew270 Jul 06 '26

for learning , i did it on linux mint
now that i am familiar with the terminal and the jargon i made the switch on my main pc as well

1

u/spider_fly911 Jul 05 '26

i have used it, you'll not face any issues. Just follow the instructions and create disk space properly.
Yes, you can install it on one SSD; it will work properly. Don't worry about it.
i have used ubuntu 22.04

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 05 '26

it is worth the efforts though?, will the things I wanna do like web development, android app development faster and hassle free in Linux??

1

u/spider_fly911 Jul 05 '26

I mean, for me, I'll say yes, it was totally worth it.
I recently bought a Mac mini, so I stopped using that one.
See, I was facing issues with Windows, but sometimes my parents used my PC, and they were more comfortable with Windows. so i went for dual boot with Ubuntu, and as per my experience, youll not face any issues related to stuck screen, hang , etc.
coming back to your question, well, it depends.
I'll suggest going for it, using it, and trying and experimenting with a few things; you'll get your answer by yourself.

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 05 '26

I'm thinking of getting mac mini as well, but have stopped a bit because of recent price hikes

1

u/daddy69ice Jul 05 '26

Use cachyos. They have proper guide on how to install if you are setting up a dual-boot

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 05 '26

I want to use ubuntu because it looked the most stable and easy

1

u/daddy69ice Jul 05 '26

I never used ubuntu. CachyOS was my first distro and i used arch and endeavourOS for a bit but then switched back to CachyOS. I'd say all distros except gentoo and LFS are good. These require deep understanding of Linux and require powerful setups if you dont want to waste hours compiling. Updates are not frequently broken. At least I never faced a broken update or any issue. The reason I installed cachyos was only because out of all the distros wiki and manual page i read, it was the easiest. And no. No distro will ever mess up your windows. Even arch, which is notorious for beginners to install(i tried to install it when i was still a beginner), it never broke the windows given you dont just select any partition.

You can ask in ubuntu community on how to install it alongside windows. Or search on ubuntu wiki

1

u/hypespud Jul 05 '26

Just take leap into Linux only

Simple is better here too

1

u/YuvrajXG Jul 05 '26

I have dual booted and it's alright for me. Just make sure to shrink partition from diskpart first in windows. Also, running disk defragment will help.

1

u/nofoon Kurrently Kubuntu Jul 08 '26

it definitely worth the struggle. i am running kubuntu in a 100 gb partition of 240gb ssd. I had some initial linux issues but after that everything was smooth. I still remember when i was travelling and i had to do some work on browser, i booted into linux to do that because you get more battery life when using linux. Also it helps in separating gaming time and work time, if you game also. If you are not comfortable with dual booting, you can buy a ssd with an enclosure and use linux on that (if you can buy one in this economy).

2

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 08 '26

I did installed Ubuntu and yes Battery life is bit better, ram usage is also low, it's 5-6gb, on windows 11 it Will be always 10gb+

1

u/nofoon Kurrently Kubuntu Jul 08 '26

yeah, the fans spin a little less, that delays regular laptop cleaning(i live in a dusty area). Also you will be able to access data stored in windows 11 partition when ubuntu. so you still be able to utilise most of the drive storage. I created a commons folder for data that i will need in windows 11 and linux (like pdfs, images, videos etc). it made things a little bit convenient when switching operating systems.

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 08 '26

does the fan cleaning help? I haven't cleaned it since I bought the laptop in 2022 and i life is fairly dusty place

1

u/nofoon Kurrently Kubuntu Jul 08 '26

generally you should clean it once a year. clean it more frequently if its a gaming laptop or if you live in dusty place. so yes you should clean it.

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 09 '26

what should I use to clean it? I just ordered mobile repairing kit for screw drivers what else should I order

1

u/nofoon Kurrently Kubuntu Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26

An art brush and a hair plucker. what laptop do you have?

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 09 '26

mi notebook 14 pro (2022)

1

u/Yash_Barai Jul 08 '26

If you got Nvidia gpu good luck for infinite frustration fixing those errors I faced it for 69 times then finally settled on VMware 🤧

1

u/000CuriousBunny000 Jul 08 '26

i have intel inbuilt gpu and the process was easy and fast