How To Dual Boot Linux Mint And Windows 10 [Beginner's Guide]
So you have chosen to switch to Linux. Good decision! And if you're considering to use Linux Mint, that’s obviously any good better decision.
Linux Mint is just about the best Linux distributions for novices. Using Linux Mint is pretty easy and installing Linux Mint isn't any rocket science either. In this tutorial, we’ll see how to fit Linux Mint in conjunction with Windows 10.
Before that i want to recap that you simply few reasons for installing Linux Mint. There are a few methods for you to start using any Linux based main system.
Install Linux alongside Windows: This method is referred to as dual booting Linux with Windows.
Use Linux inside Windows in the virtual machine: This runs a Linux OS like every other application within Windows. This is also among the safest the way to get a feel of Linux. However, it will utilize the body resources and when you have a lot less than 4Gb of RAM, I won’t advise making use of it extensively.
Use a live version of Linux: In this method, you add Linux with a USB or DVD so you boot from that. This is usually slow as well as your changes performed to the Linux system are (normally) not saved. This is particularly useful in case you just want to find out what Linux feels as though.
Remove WIndows and Linux: If you might have backed up important computer data and have a recovery or installation disk of Windows ready along with you or in case you are determined that that you are not time for Windows, you'll be able to remove Windows completely and make use of only Linux.
Install Linux alongside Windows: This method is referred to as dual booting Linux with Windows. Here, you install Linux with a system that already has Windows. And when one's body powers up, it is possible to choose in case you want make use of Windows or Linux. This involves touching the disk partition and infrequently boot order. Absolute beginners end up finding it complicated but this can be a best way to work with Linux and Windows together within a system. And in this informative article, we’ll find out how to dual boot Linux Mint with Windows 10.
Will dual booting Linux with Windows slow down one's body?
I was asked this question repeatedly in the Linux Users Group. So, the short answer is not any. Dual booting Linux and Windows won’t slow your body in any way.
The only delay is boot time that as well because you get just a few seconds of buffer time for it to select between Linux and Windows. Once you could have booted into either of Linux or Windows, it'll work similar to if it is really the only OS from the system. No affect the usability of the body. Dual boot won’t slow down your whole body.
Install Linux Mint in dual boot with Windows:
Before we start working on see the procedure to dual boot Linux Mint with Windows, allow me to give you some optional yet recommended safety instructions:
Back up your computer data: You are going to touch disk partitions. Normally, it’s not really a big issue but merely in case should you touched wrong partition etc, you could lose data. So whereby you constantly to back increase important files, documents, music, movies etc with an external disk or cloud, whichever sounds best.
Have a boot repair disk: If your boot gets all messed up, you are able to try to mend it with boot repair disk. If you've an extra USB or CD, you may use that to build boot repair disk.
Have a live or recovery disk of Windows ready: If your boot gets all smudged and despite all efforts, you ended having an unbootable system, you are able to use the Windows disk to reinstall Windows.
I am not discouraging you. I am asking you to there will be the even worst scenario.
Remember that this informative article applies to computers who have Windows 10 already attached with the system. You are installing Linux Mint upon an already installed Windows system, not the opposite way round.
I are creating a detailed video tutorial on installing Linux Mint alongside Windows 10. You can talk about it in the event you want to see the many steps in a lot more details. I also help you to subscribe in our YouTube channel to get more Linux tutorials.
Follow the steps below to put in Linux Mint in dual boot with Windows:
Step 1: Create a live USB or disk
Go to Linux Mint website and download ISO file. This ISO file could be the disk image that it is possible to burn to some USB or DVD.
Download Linux Mint
Once you've downloaded the Linux Mint ISO, you'll need a tool to post the image to your disk. I recommend having a free tool called Universal USB Installer in Windows:
Download Universal USB Installer
It’s an executable exe file. Just double select it to operate the software and study it to your ISO. Make sure that you could have your USB key plugged in:If you'll need more hints, listed here is a screenshot tutorial on how to produce a live USB for Linux.
Step 2: Make a new partition for Linux Mint
Your existing data are going to be safe if you've got enough free space.
This is where you could have to be cautious. If you might have multiple partitions (not the recovery ones), it is possible to either use one of which or produce a new partition from an active partition. Your existing data are going to be safe if you could have enough free space. Typically, you install Linux within just 10 Gb, however, if disk space if not only a concern, I advise using 30-40Gb at the very least. This way it is possible to have more space available for downloading and keeping various files.
In Windows 10, check out start menu and type ‘partition’. This will mention Disk Management utility. Now carefully pick the disk through which you’ll have free space by shrinking the amount:
In my case, I only had the C Drive with 223Gb of space onto it. So I shrunk it for making 110Gb of free partition into it. I recommend watch the video to view the exact steps you'll need more hint.
Step 3: Boot into live USB
Plug the live USB or disk in to the computer and restart your computer. While booting laptop press F10 or F12 function key (defers from computer to computer) to go on the boot menu. Now, find the option to boot from USB or Removable Media.
Important Note: If your computer sported Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 and you also upgraded your body to Windows 10, you could have to disable secure boot. Most modern system with Windows 10 ought not need this task, especially with Linux Mint or Ubuntu.
Step 4: Start not hard to install
It takes some time for it to boot in the live USB or disk. Have some patience. Once it boots directly into live disk, you’ll be provided to Try Linux Mint or Install Linux Mint. Even when you choose to try it out, you are able to find the install option within the desktop:
In next few screens, you’ll be asked to pick the language of the operating-system. It will then perform some checks on available space, battery and Internet connection.
Step 5: Prepare the partition
This will be the most important part in the whole installation. Where to set up Linux Mint? As mentioned before, I prefer separate partitions for Windows and Linux. Windows is installed here, we’ll make a new partition for Linux Mint. In the Installation Type window, choose Something Else:
Step 6: Create root, swap and home
Since you already made a new partition in Windows, it’s time to setup Linux Mint about it. Now, there are numerous ways to undertake it. But here, I’ll demonstrate my favorite way and that's to have a Root, a Swap and also a Home.
Create a root partition first. Choose the free space available and select +.
Here, opt for the size from the root (10 GB is sufficient but I thought we would have 20 here), choose ext4 file system, and mount point as / (i.e. root):
Now, next is to produce the swap partition. Now the real question is what medicine swap size for Linux Mint installation?
The answer is determined by your RAM size, your requirements, available disk space and whether you'd utilize hibernation or otherwise. You can use the below suggestion:
- RAM a lot less than 2 GB: Swap really should be double the size RAM
- RAM between two to four GB: Swap must be RAM size + 2 GB
- RAM between 6 GB to 8 GB: Swap should be dimensions of RAM
- RAM a lot more than 8 GB: Swap needs to be half the dimensions of RAM or less
Don’t spend a lot of time thinking about swap. It is great for systems with less memory. For system with greater than 8 GB of RAM and SSD, the less the swap, the higher it is.
The following step is to generate Home. Try to allocate the utmost size to Home because this is to’ll be downloading and keeping the files.
Once you've got created Root, Swap and Home partitions, select Install Now button.
Step 7: Follow the trivial instructions
Technically, you could have crossed the key hurdle should you reached this aspect successfully. Now you are going to be taken by having a number of screens to pick out options like keyboard layout, login credentials etc. You don’t must be a genius determine what to perform here afterward. I have attached screenshots for reference purpose here.
Once mobile phone is over, you is going to be presented with the substitute for keep trying live version or restart the machine.
And that might be it. On next boot, you will begin to see the option of Linux Mint about the grub screen. And thus you are able to enjoy the stunning and beginner-friendly Linux distribution. I hope you found the following information to Linux Mint dual boot with Windows helpful.
Here are a couple of common troubleshoot you've got to do after dual booting Linux Mint:
Fix Grub Not Showing For Windows 10 Linux Dual Boot
Fix No Bootable Device Found Error After Installing Ubuntu
error: no such partition grub rescue in Ubuntu Linux
Fix Minimal BASH like line editing is supported GRUB Error In Linux
I strongly counsel you to read things to accomplish after installing Linux Mint so that you'll be able to have a good start.
If you wish to remove, you may follow this ebook to uninstall Linux Mint from Windows 8 dual boot.
If you could have questions, suggestions or perhaps a word of thanks, go ahead and drop a comment. Stay tuned for much more Linux Mint tutorials.
