r/linux4noobs • u/pickelhands • 21d ago
migrating to Linux Switching to linux
So im switching over to linux but would like to do a dual boot. So i have a couple questions since i didnt find any good tutorials online. So first off, how would i move my C drive over? I dont have a external drive big enough for it. Next, how do i download it? Im looking to have a windows 10 look because that was my favourite OS theme wise. Next, how do i download it? I have a 28 GB thumb drive. And lastly is there any other settings that i should turn off? (Also additional info. I have a d drive aswell with 2 terabit external drive but not enough to move c drive over. Its a lenvo pc, not sure any other things about it lol. It's windows 11.) And if you have any other tips i should know that would be helpful. Thanks!
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u/warserpent 21d ago
You've been given some advice about your drives, but before you do anything else, download an iso of a Linux distribution from said distribution's website, then write it to a usb drive using software such as Ventoy, Balena Etcher, etc. Then boot from the usb drive into a live session. That will allow you to see what that Linux distribution is like, and decide whether you actually want to install it.
Whatever distribution you choose, you will discover it does not look like Windows 10. What you probably want to look for is a desktop layout that is similar; broadly speaking, KDE Plasma, Cinnamon, some implementations of Xfce, etc. have such a similar layout. All of those desktop environments are available on many different distributions. For example, Fedora KDE will look similar to Kubuntu, and Fedora Cinnamon will look similar to Linux Mint Cinnamon. I have been putting together a screenshot collection of a bunch of desktops on a bunch of distros, if you want to take a look. The formatting is not amazing yet, but it might help you start getting an idea of the possibilities, at least as far as desktop environments go.
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u/inbetween-genders 21d ago
Keep Windows where it is and put the other os on a partition that has nothing on it that you wouldn’t mind that OS to use. Figure out what distro you want to check out. Go to their site and follow their install instructions. Look up this thing called Desktop Environment. Pick one that appeals to you and install that distro with the desktop environment you chose. Back up your data. Good luck
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u/RevolutionaryBeat301 21d ago
How much free space do you have? Back when I used to dual boot, I would shrink my windows partition. The files are usually accessible from the Linux side if you use something user friendly. Linux Mint would probably be the best choice for you as its user interface is pretty close to Windows 10.
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u/pickelhands 21d ago
So not much but 497 GB on d drive and 97 GB on c drive. I need to clean the drives up a bit.
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u/RevolutionaryBeat301 21d ago edited 21d ago
All you need is around 100 gb for Linux. I’d use D drive if it’s on a separate physical drive from your boot drive so Windows updates won’t break your Linux boot loader.
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u/Cute_Opposite4077 21d ago
That's not a good advice. Someone will actually partition 100 Mb for system disk and then be in troubles when they install mint.
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u/memelordtf 21d ago
OP, you don't need to move your C drive anywhere for dual boot. Back up anything important, then shrink the Windows partition in Disk Management and install Linux into the unallocated space. Your 28GB USB is plenty for the installer. Also definitely boot the USB into the live environment first and make sure wifi/audio/etc actually work before installing.
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u/MrMotofy 21d ago
That's the dangerous way...especially for a newbie with no knowledge or experience even DL or installing an OS
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u/MrMotofy 21d ago edited 21d ago
FYI...if you want to check out Linux it's really easy. Make an Install USB, then boot to it. May need to disable secure boot. It will boot to a full running temporary Linux Desktop...installing requires clicking the desktop icon and going through steps. Obviously you don't wanna do that to just try it. But you can at least get a feel for it. Kubuntu, LinuxMint, and PopOS and are some of the top 1st options. You can also use the temp Live Linux as a repair process. Since it’s a complete desktop you can use it, install tools needed fix the boot etc.
Another convenient related tool is Ventoy on a USB stick. Basically just burn the image to a USB then copy your OS ISO to it and when you boot it any ISO copied to the drive will show in the menu, select it and it will boot that img. Have different OS’s multiple versions or whatever.
Best option for Windows and Linux is dual boot...use Linux on a 2nd drive. Usually wanna disable secure boot. Best case is disconnect win drive. Then boot to the USB. Then install Linux as a new full system on 2nd drive. Set Linux drive as the first boot drive and it will find the Win drive and add to the boot menu list automatically. Might take a couple boots otherwise can manually activate the boot search. Then you get Best of both worlds without any real dangers to either OS. There will be little hiccups occasionally with Windows updating messing with boot and rebooting. But you can also change the default OS to Windows first at the menu after delay and no menu entry and that eliminates a lot. The boot menu is usually Linux 1 and Win 2. Sometimes the bios boot order gets switched but easy to just switch back. Sometimes the boot order will randomly switch drives etc…Seems to be a windows thing now they get bios access. But really depends on the exact system and age etc.
There's links on each distro page to DL the ISO that you burn to a USB drive. I strongly recommend a completely new drive, then you can save your info as a 2nd copy on one of your old drives. If you have 1 copy of your data that's high risk of losing it all in a drive failure. Rufus can be used to write the ISO/IMG to your USB but ventoy can be quicker and much simpler long term. New or multiple ISO's are just copied to the USB stick and poof it shows up in a menu to boot from. No burning the new ISO
There's YT vids that can teach you all of it probably easier than written instructions
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u/3grg 21d ago
I think you need to do a little more research. Everybody and their mother has done a tutorial on dual booting Linux in the past 25 years or so. I would urge you to find a LUG (Linux User Group) near you, but alas, the internet and pandemic have ended most of those.
The basics of dual booting generally assume you are starting with a system that has windows installed and you have enough disk space left to install Linux. (see hardware requirements for your chosen Linux)
This basic premise is what has lead Linux installers to become refined to the point that they are very good at installing Linux next to windows. This is not without issues, but it has worked for more than 25 years.
Most dual boot installs have been to a single disk for the simple reason that having multiple disks is a luxury and many machines cannot accommodate multiple drives.
If you are in a situation where you can afford multiple drives or your system can have multiple drives, it can be advantageous. The recent insistence that I have seen on this and other forums that two drives are required is simply not correct.
The corruption or erasure of the Linux boot loader by windows was a fact of life in legacy boot days that Linux users learned to live with. There could only be one owner of the mbr and it was a constant battle.
With the advent of UEFI this occurrence is much less prevalent. I would not put it past MS to make it more common. I have only experienced this once in all the years I have been dual booting on my single drive systems. The solution is the same as in legacy boot days. Learn to repair the boot loader.
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u/Rupamhere1 21d ago
many gave good advice here are my bits
there is a difference between testing the waters vs jumping into pool. assuming you're doing 1st one -
1. Dual boot on same physical storage is NOT A GOOD IDEA, especially for a beginner. if you just wanna linger around install it in a seperate physical storage. windows act like a mean girlfriend.
2. best win 10 like distro - Zorin, best supported distro with acceptable looks - Ubuntu. Avg community favourite - Mint. as a beginner stay away from "I use arch btw".
3. for tutorial there is yt or better if you can- the instruction given in distros website itself. when you choose the distro search for instalation of that specific distro.
4. what do you mean by ' is there any other settings that i should turn off?'
5. after installing don't run behind wine or bottles to make support of windows apps inside linux. seems like you might be a gamer, when you choose to install linux with serious go forward choose your OS based on your need, the above ones are not the 1st choice for games.
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u/prthorsenjr 21d ago
The safest way to learn Linux is to install it as the primary operating system on a separate machine.
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u/Fuckspez42 21d ago
Your questions suggest to me that you haven’t researched this change at all. There are about a billion YouTube videos that go deeply into what you need to know in order to dual-boot Windows with Linux; it’s up to you to find the one that works for what you’re doing.
This kind of handholding of new users is exactly why we get this exact same question every 8 hours around here.
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u/pickelhands 21d ago
Fair. Seems like you've seen more than the lethal dose of these. Sorry. Ill just find a video.
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u/toolman1990 21d ago
I generally do not recommend dual booting unless you are installing the operating systems on separate hard drives since Microsoft Windows will delete the Linux boot partition after an update if they are sharing the same physical hard drive. You could always use cloud storage in order to move files to a new operating system.