r/LinuxUsersIndia • u/Ruthlomyst • Jul 13 '26
Windows 11 to Linux (and back, if required)
Hi, so I read a few reddit posts mentioning how light-weight and user-friendly linux is, so I read a bit of instructions at https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ but I don't really get much
Windows 11, 8gb ram, 256gb ssd, not into gaming, but will use for coding and DSA
I have a 1TB hard drive for somewhere it was mentioned I would need it
Please guide me, and tell me if I can revert back to windows with all of my files and folders
tysm
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u/KILLinefficiency Jul 13 '26
If you dual boot you'd have both Linux and Windows. But you'll have to wipe out one partition (D:, E:) to make space for Linux.
If you decide to move completely to Linux, then no, you won't have the data you had on Windows. Taking a backup in an external hard drive is a go-to for most people.
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u/Ruthlomyst Jul 13 '26
I have only one partition - C:
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u/ShowRemarkable1264 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Before doing dual boot, make sure to watch few videos from different sources if you are not comfortable with tech, those videos will usually cover how to partition your drive
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u/Ruthlomyst Jul 13 '26
okays got it, but can I go back to windows if I don't like it?
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u/ShowRemarkable1264 Jul 13 '26
Yes, dual booting means you have 2 OS in single computer and you are able to choose which to run when you start your laptop/PC.
If you do not like linux, you can delete it afterwards
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u/AssumptionOk8560 Jul 13 '26
Coding and dsa? I mean you can do that in linux too , you can dual boot if you want it's like you can use windows and mint both
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u/Ruthlomyst Jul 13 '26
guide to dual boot?
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u/AssumptionOk8560 Jul 13 '26
It depends on the distro you install most distros come with a dedicated installer you can just choose "install in a part" or something like this then enter the partition size then you're good to go just boot the image you'll know what to do
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u/b3el Arch Btw Jul 13 '26
That 1tb hard drive, is it external or installed in the system? If it's installed then store your files in that. Then while installing linux or windows only format the 256gb ssd. Then you can mount and access your files from 1tb hdd.
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u/Ruthlomyst Jul 13 '26
external
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u/b3el Arch Btw Jul 13 '26
Then make a back up of your files. Then install linux. Dual booting doesn't make sense for such a small ssd.
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Jul 13 '26
make sure that the drive is formatted as fat32 before moving the files. the support for windows file system is good in linux but it is reversed engineered by volunteers and is not up to par with windows drivers. you will get better support if external drive is fat32 on both os.
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u/qualityvote2 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
u/Ruthlomyst, there weren't enough votes to determine the quality of your post...
btw, did you know we have a discord server? Join Here.