• Windows 10 linux partitions. Installing Ubuntu next to Windows

    If you decide to get acquainted with the Linux operating system in more detail and are wondering how to install Linux is nearby with Windows 10, then in this article, we will tell you how to do this on your device. Let’s assume that you have already settled on choosing the best edition of a system based on the Linux kernel, or if you are still thinking about “what to choose,” then we recommend you with our article, where we choose best build for the novice user of the system and his laptop.

    The installation process does not take much time for the user. In this article you can read how to install Linux next to Windows 10 in detailed instructions. If you liked the Linux system and want to install it on your device, while also running Windows on which you have some games and programs, then this will be for you ideal option. This is pretty convenient option, for most users who work on Linux. The guide is based on latest version operating system from Microsoft Corporation, but these instructions are quite suitable for users who are still working with Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1.

    We assume the fact that you have already decided which partition on your disk to allocate space for the new system and simply do not know how to do it correctly. Now we will try to tell you about this as clearly as possible. We will also pay special attention to the topic of UEFI, because this technology is used very often on all modern laptops and a huge number of users are interested in how to install Linux on UEFI and what features the system may have.

    Preface

    To install a Linux-based system next to Windows 10, you will need to expand your number of partitions to at least three. Among literate Linux system users, it is usually not customary to install all OS files on one partition. This is due to the fact that it allows you to place system files and the user’s personal data on different partitions. And when reinstalling, all files will be saved.

    These are the three main sections:

    • System
    • Local
    • For swap files

    The minimum memory requirement for the system partition varies from seven to twenty gigabytes. This will allow the system to install all the software it needs. If you are thinking of installing some files on the system partition in addition to the system ones, then it is better to allocate about another 50 GB. We recommend setting at least 50 gigabytes for the C partition as this will allow the system to expand as it needs.

    A partition for swap files is required in situations where you have a limited number of RAM, and programs need to save files somewhere to work. Typically this partition is made into half the amount of your RAM. But if you plan to use hibernation or sleep mode, then it is better to allocate an equal amount of your RAM to your partition. Indeed, in such situations, the system will transfer files from RAM to hard drive.

    Let's prepare the disk for installation on Windows

    Before creating additional partitions on your disk, we recommend that you save all important information to the archive. That is, before you decide to install Linux next to Windows 10, it would be best to create a system archive or at least backup copy files that are important to you. If installation will pass well, everything will be fine with your files, but due to some kind of power failure or simple carelessness, your files and file system may become damaged.

    Therefore, if you carry out installation or any operations on the system disk, we recommend copying everything to external drive, flash drive, or at least create a backup copy through the appropriate item in the Control Panel:

    When working with non-system partitions, such as D, E, F then it will be enough to simply copy the files from these partitions.

    Now let's move on to setting up the disk for Windows installations 10 and Linux. The most in a simple way will use the system utility " Disk management" in Windows. On the desktop, click on “My PC” and select “Manage”.

    Here you will see your system drives. Usually these are partitions named C and D. Where C acts as the System disk, and D as local or regular. I will give an example of how to change the size on drive D, but for the system partition, the actions will be similar.

    Right-click on the desired volume and select " Shrink Volume«.

    It is worth paying attention to what you cannot indicate larger size than is freely available on your disk. Therefore, you will need to make room if you haven't already. Then just click on the “Compress” button. After the system distributes the space between the disks, you will have unallocated space from which we will create a new disk.

    That's it. Now you definitely have a place for Linux installations next to Windows 10. You need to perform further partitioning on the disk in the Windows utility according to the correct distribution. How much space are you going to leave for each section? Sections for Linux is better all created in the Linux environment.

    Preparing a Disk in Linux

    It’s worth saying right away that this is not a continuation of the guide for installing Linux next to Windows 10. It’s kind of alternative way disk partitioning without using Windows. If for some reason you do not want to set space for a new partition via standard utility Windows, then you can do this using any LiveCD from a Linux distribution with installed program for disk management - Gparted. For example, the most famous Linux collection called Ubuntu has this feature.

    You need to boot from the Ubuntu disk and enter the word in the Dash search Gparted:

    A new window will open for you to manage disks in Linux.

    Here we will also note that in Linux partitions may be named a little differently than in Windows. Here, drives are simply addresses of files in the dev filesystem. Later we will tell you what it is, but now you need to understand that the name of each partition begins with /dev/sd, followed by a letter that means the physical disk (sda, sdb, sdc, sdd, and so on). Well, followed by a number that indicates the partition number on the disk, for example: sda1 and sda2.

    In the window system program can be seen free space on the disk, file system and disk size. Now, based on the size and file system, we can understand which disk our system is located on.

    As an example, /dev/sdb1 is drive C in Windows, and /dev/sdb2 is drive D. This is the same system as in the previous example. Let's reduce the size of the dev1/sdb2 (D) partition to 12 Gigabytes so that there is free space and install Linux next to Windows 10. To do this, hover over and right-click on the partition and select “Resize/Move”.

    In the new window, you can enter the new size manually in the News Size field or use the slider.

    After this, you need to click on the “Resize/Move” button.

    As you can see, free space appears on the disk, but real changes not in the section yet. In order to burn everything to disk, you need to click green tick, or in the Edit menu select Apply All Operations.

    The file system resizing process may take some time.

    After this, you can notice that the /dev/sdb2/ partition has become smaller and free space has appeared.

    For the system partition, you need to carry out the same operations, only with the remark: You do not need to touch the beginning of the partition. You can freely reduce the size of the partition by adding free space after, but not before.

    So why shouldn't you do this? You may hurt Windows boot loader, it’s very easy to restore it, even I had to do it, but I think you don’t need unnecessary problems when getting to know Linux.

    We will not create partitions with Linux here because it is best to do this during installation using a program specifically designed for this.

    Installing Linux next to Windows 10

    In this section, we will look at only the most important aspects of partitioning when installing Linux, using Ubuntu as an example. Moreover, this distribution is recommended for all beginners who want to get acquainted with a Linux-based operating system. All distributions are very similar to each other, so if you get used to Ubuntu, then other builds will be also understandable to you.

    This is where you come from free space on the disk, create a new partition for the operating system as we described earlier. For the root partition the mount point must be /, for the home partition /home and for the size of the swap file the mount point is not specified.

    Installing Linux next to Windows 10 UEFI

    Almost all modern laptops use UEFI technology, which has become quite ridiculous old BIOS. Probably the most important and noticeable difference is the use GPT markup, instead of the legacy MBR. And of course, creating a separate disk for operating system loaders. Many users have probably heard that UEFI will complicate the installation of Linux next to Windows 10 on their portable device. But as it turns out, in most cases this is quite simple. If you had Windows preinstalled, then most likely the EFI partition has already been created and during disk partitioning you just need to select it to install the bootloader. An EFI partition is typically defined by the FAT32 file system and occupies approximately 30 megabytes of disk space.

    If you have a completely blank hard drive, then you need to create a table GPT partitions. This can be done in a few steps, very simply, using the same Gparted utility. To do this, select the menu Device-> Create Partition Table.

    After this, you will need to specify this partition when installing Linux next to Windows 10. You will need to specify the mount point for it /boot/EFI/. In principle, these are all the difficulties when installing Linux next to UEFI.

    Also, you might be interested in the fact that UEFI installation is supported by all Linux-based distributions that run Grib2.

    How to boot my Windows later

    Many users are interested in this question, and let's find out how to do it. It's very simple: Grub bootloader will automatically find your installed Windows and offer you a window with a choice of operating system before starting the system.

    It turns out that the bootloader automatically optimizes the dual boot of Linux next to WIndows 10. And even if there is something that the bootloader does not detect, then everything is very easy to set up even for a beginner. If you try to do everything right, then everything should work perfectly.

    So you have learned how to install Windows 10 on Linux and how to do it if you have UEFI. If you have any questions about this topic, write them in the comments form on the site.

    If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

    Many who have visited this page are hearing for the first time that it is possible to install two operating systems next to each other, but such an opportunity exists. This article is intended for those people who want to know how to install Ubuntu next to Windows 10. The article will examine in detail all aspects of the presented operation, from the very beginning to the last stages.

    Why install Ubuntu next to Windows?

    Initially, it’s worth talking about why this is necessary in general. After all, many people use only one on their computer throughout their lives, and do not complain. Of course, everyone has their own need for such an installation, but in any case, it is stupid to say that it is necessary.

    To parse this question in detail, you need to first familiarize yourself with operating systems, that is, with Ubuntu and Windows. And if almost every person knows about Windows, then perhaps someone is hearing about Ubuntu for the first time. Of course, it will not be possible to talk about everything in the article, after all, that’s not what the topic is about, but a couple of aspects are worth touching on.

    The first difference, and perhaps the main one, is that in the operating room Ubuntu system there is no registry. This probably means nothing to many people, but this fact is positive. After all, everyone has encountered such a problem that after using Windows for a long time, it begins to slow down: processes take a long time to start, CPU cannot cope with the processing of assigned tasks and the computer periodically freezes. So, this is all due to a clogged registry. That is, even if you use Ubuntu for a very long time, its performance will not drop.

    In addition, there are no viruses on Ubuntu, and there is no need to protect the system with antiviruses.

    All this has a positive effect on the operation of this OS, and that is why most people are interested in how Ubuntu is installed next to Windows 10.

    First stage: creating a bootable USB flash drive

    Before we talk about how Ubuntu is installed next to Windows 10, we need to explain how to burn a bootable USB flash drive with the desired operating system.

    Everything is simple here, but many at this stage they reach a dead end. Nowadays, there are a lot of programs that allow you to record an OS image, and they are all good in their own way, some allow you to do this quickly and without deep knowledge of computers, while others do the opposite.

    The article will talk about one of these programs, more precisely about Rufus.

    Now let's take a closer look at it.

    Burning a USB Flash Drive Using Rufus

    Record bootable flash drive using Rufus software can be considered the easiest and fastest. And if you doubt your abilities, then this method just for you.

    This program is located in open access, and everyone can download it for free from the official website. After downloading, no installation is required; you can immediately start writing the image to a USB flash drive.

    After opening, it will appear before your eyes. As you can see, it is very compact, and this is good, because it is free of unnecessary necessary information, and all actions performed will lead to only one thing - writing a bootable flash drive.

    So, the flash drive is inserted into the computer, and you are ready to begin the process. To do this:

      We determine which image will be recorded. In the lower right part of the program window, find the button with the disk icon and click it. Explorer will open, in it navigate to the downloaded file, in in this case to Ubuntu, and click OK.

      Determine the flash drive. In the program window, find the “Device” item, click on it, a drop-down list will appear, select your flash drive in it.

      We determine the partition scheme and the type of system interface. On this step you need to choose your indicators. If you have MBR, then choose it, if GPT, then choose it. We'll talk about this in more detail below.

      Define the file system. In our case, we choose FAT32, since we are installing a Linux distribution; if we had to record Windows, then we should have chosen NTFS.

      Now press start and wait for the flash drive to write.

      As for choosing a partition scheme and the type of system interface, everything is generally simple here. If installing Ubuntu next to Windows 10 on GPT disk happens, then select this item in the drop-down list; if on an MBR with BIOS or UEFI, then select it accordingly. But do not think that the instructions will be different for each item. Installing Ubuntu next to Windows 10 MBR is no different from GPT.

      Stage two: start of installation

      Unfortunately, this stage may vary significantly between users, since it directly depends on the type of system interface. As you know, there are two types: BIOS and UEFI. The article will talk about each of them, and will describe in detail how Ubuntu is installed next to Windows 10 on UEFI and BIOS.

      Starting installation via BIOS

      BIOS is most likely installed on every second person reading this article. In general, it is already considered a relic; it was UEFI that replaced it. But since there are still a lot of people with BIOS, it’s worth touching on the topic of installing Ubuntu through it.

      After the OS image has been written to the USB flash drive, the installation of Ubuntu 16.04 next to Windows 10 begins. To do this, restart your computer and press the Del or F2 key while it starts. This will cause you to end up in Computer BIOS. Here we are only interested in one tab. Use the directional arrows on your keyboard to navigate to the BOOT tab. It is here that we need to select a priority device when starting the computer. We need to select a flash drive.

      Important! The BIOS may be different on each computer, and the choice of priority device may vary, so there will be no specifics.

      If you are having trouble understanding a foreign language, then pay attention to the fields where Hard, Disk and Priority are written. Opposite these fields will be written the name of your hard drive, it often starts with SATA, it is SATA that needs to be changed to USB Flash Card.

      We hope this abstract representation will help you choose the right settings, but even if a mistake was made, don’t be afraid, it won’t lead to anything bad.

      After selecting the priority device, go to the Exit column and select the first item - “Exit while saving changed settings.”

      Your PC will now reboot and the Ubuntu installer will launch.

      Starting installation via UEFI

      In general, installing Ubuntu next to Windows 10 UEFI and BIOS is no different, only the steps are slightly different.

      You will also need to restart your computer after burning the bootable USB flash drive and log into BOOT Menu, only now UEFI. To do this, when you boot the computer, you need to press the corresponding key, it is different on each computer, it depends on your motherboard. Below is a table that will clearly show which key you need to press.

      Manufacturer/device

      Key to start UEFI

      MSI motherboard

      Gigabyte motherboard

      Asus motherboard

      Intel motherboard

      AsRock motherboard

      Asus laptops

      Acer laptops

      Dell laptops

      HP laptops

      Lenovo laptops

      Laptops Packard Bell

      Samsung laptops

      Sony Vaio laptops

      Toshiba laptops

      So, you restarted the computer and pressed the corresponding key, now the BOOT Menu has opened in front of you, in it select launching the flash drive via UEFI - this is the item where the word “UEFI” is written before the name of the flash drive.

      This will open the Ubuntu installer.

      Choosing an Ubuntu installation method

      So, after following the above instructions, the grub menu should open in front of you, from which we select the method of installing Ubuntu itself. In general, there are two options: launch the operating system from a flash drive and, after checking it for functionality, perform the installation, or proceed with the installation immediately. The choice is up to you. But it is worth noting that if you launch the OS from a flash drive, you will be able to use the programs during installation.

      Disk partitioning

      After selecting the operating system installation method, the installation itself begins.

      Algorithm of actions:

      1. On the first page, select the language and click “Next”.

        On the second page you need to choose whether to download updates during installation or not. This is optional, but if you don’t check the box, the updates can be downloaded later. But it’s better to check the box next to installing third-party software so that there are no conflicts with your devices and everything functions correctly after installation. Click “Next”.

        The third step will be to select the installation type, since we are installing Ubuntu next to Windows 10 (on another drive or not, it doesn’t matter), select “Other option” and click “Next”.

        At this stage we need to partition the disk. If you have not left free space under Ubuntu before, then you need to take a piece of memory from the created partitions. It is best to take memory from drive D, since it is not a system drive on Windows 10. To do this, based on its size, find it in the list and right-click and select Resize/Move from the menu. In the window that appears, opposite the Free space following line, indicate the size of the memory to be taken, 50,000 MiB is enough.

        Next, you need to split the detached section into subsections. To do this, select it and click the “+” sign. In the window that opens, allocate memory for the root partition and in the opposite “Use as”, select “ext4”, and opposite “Mount point” - “/”. Click OK.

        Now let's create a swap partition. To do this, allocate 4,000 MiB of memory and select swap in the drop-down list. Click OK.

        At this stage you need to select your time zone.

        At the last stage, you need to fill out all the fields and click “Continue”.

      That's all, the installation has begun, after it is finished the computer will reboot and you can choose which operating system to boot from, Ubuntu or Windows 10. I would also like to remind you that installing Ubuntu next to Windows 10 on the same disk or on different ones is no different, You just need to select the one you need during installation.

    Beginner users with computer skills entry level, they don’t even suspect that you can install two operating systems on any desktop PC or laptop and use them simultaneously. Nevertheless, such a possibility not only exists, but in some situations it turns out to be very relevant. Professional users choose Ubuntu as a second OS because it has excellent reliability, good functionality and does not consume a lot of computer resources. We will discuss below how to install this common OS on a computer running the latest version of Windows.

    Why install a second OS?

    Before we begin discussing the process of installing Ubuntu next to the top ten, we need to talk about why this is even necessary. This is very important, since most modern users throughout their lives have not only never even thought about installing a second OS on their computer, but have never even heard of the existence of any alternative operating systems other than Windows.

    Windows is a commercial operating system that monopolizes the global software market, while Ubuntu is based on Linux and is freely available. However, despite its openness, only a few advanced users know and use Ubuntu.

    The main difference between Ubuntu and Windows is that the former lacks system registry, which is a huge advantage that manifests itself in the speed and stability of the system. Probably every Windows user has noticed that after using the OS for a long time, it begins to take a long time to load and slow down during operation. This all happens due to the fact that the registry accumulates large number tasks that require more resources and time from the processor. Moreover, if you do not periodically clean the registry, the system may crash altogether, as a result of which the computer can only be restored to functionality through a complete Windows reinstallation. Ubuntu, in turn, works stably and quickly throughout its entire operation. Another significant advantage in favor of Ubuntu is the absence of malicious software, so you can use it without any fear for your PC without antivirus software.

    It is thanks to all these advantages that many users are thinking about installing Ubuntu along with Windows 10 on their desktop PC or laptop, so that if the second one fails, they can continue to work with a computer running Ubuntu.

    Preparing for installation

    To install Ubuntu, you will first need to create a bootable USB flash drive with the installation distribution, from which the installation process will be carried out. This process is quite simple, however, many novice users have certain difficulties with it. You can write an OS image to a flash drive using special utilities, of which there are a great many on the network. The main difficulties are associated precisely with their wide variety, since choosing a good utility is not so easy. One of the most common such utilities is Rufus. It has a simple and intuitive interface, a good set of tools and fast speed recording, so many users prefer it.

    The program is free and does not require activation, and you can download it to your hard drive on the developer’s website or on any thematic Internet resource. No installation is required to start working with the utility, so you can immediately start creating a bootable USB flash drive.

    The program interface is very simple and clear; the main window contains only the main tools, so even inexperienced users can understand the features of the utility.

    So, the program is downloaded to the computer and launched, and a flash drive is inserted into the computer’s USB connector, what next? And then you can start recording the installation distribution onto the drive. To do this you need:

    1. Specify the address where the Ubuntu image is saved. To do this, you need to click on the button with the image of a CD located in the lower right part of the working window, then go to the folder with the image through Explorer and confirm your choice.
    2. Determine the recording device. This is what the button is designed for. By clicking on it, a drop-down menu will open in which you need to select the appropriate flash drive.
    3. Set scheme MBR partitions or GPT, depending on which one is used on the flash drive.
    4. Set the file layout of the drive. In this case, you must select FAT32, since operating systems developed on the basis of Linux do not support NTFS.

    When the four conditions described above are met, you can begin to create a bootable USB flash drive. To do this, simply click on the “Start” button.

    Starting the Ubuntu installation

    At this stage, many users may encounter certain difficulties, since the process of starting the installation depends on which system interface it occurs through. Today there are two types of system interface: BIOS and UEFI. Next, we will look at each of them and talk about the main features of working with them.

    Starting the installation via BIOS

    Absolutely every user is familiar with the BIOS system interface, since until recently it was installed on every desktop and laptop computer, until it was supplanted by the more modern UEFI.

    In order to start the Ubuntu installation through the BIOS, you need to go into its settings using the Delete or F2 key, depending on the version of the BIOS itself and the computer manufacturer. Next, in the settings you need to go to the “Download” or “BOOT” tab, if you have an English-language BIOS version, after which you need to specify a USB drive as the primary bootloader.

    If with English things are not going well for you, then just move through the tabs until on one of them you see fields with inscriptions Hard Disk and Priority, next to which the model of the hard drive installed in the computer will be indicated. To install a flash drive as the primary bootloader, you must specify it instead of the main hard drive.

    If this seems difficult for you, then use the user manual that came with your desktop PC or laptop. It has a detailed section on working with the BIOS, in which everything is laid out very well and in detail.

    When all the settings are set, press the F10 key or go to the “Exit” tab, where select the “Save and exit” line and click on the “Yes” button to save changes made. After this, when you reboot the computer, a non-standard Windows boot 10 and the Ubuntu installation process will start.

    Starting the installation via UEFI

    UEFI is a more modern version of the system interface, which replaced the outdated BIOS and is used on many modern computers. By and large, both interfaces are not much different from each other, with the exception of some setup steps.

    To start the Ubuntu installation process you will also need to go to system settings, where you will need to perform similar steps described above. To do this, at the very beginning of the computer boot, you need to press the enter settings key UEFI interface. If you have desktop computer, then regardless of the motherboard manufacturer, use the Delete key to enter. When it comes to laptops, things are a little different. Laptop manufacturers such as Asus, Dell, Toshiba, Samsung, Sony Lenovo, Acer and Packard Bell to enter UEFI settings By default, the Delete key is set, but Hewlett-Packard uses the Escape + F10 key combination.

    When you find yourself in the BOOT Menu itself, all you have to do is select the section whose title says UEFI, followed by the name external USB drive. Having saved the changes, the next time you boot your computer, the system will begin the Ubuntu installation process.

    Selecting a partition for installation

    The Ubuntu installation process begins with choosing an installation method. There are two of them: installation with a preliminary check of the operating system for operability and installation in normal mode. There is no fundamental difference in which one to choose, so you can use any of the installation methods. However, it is worth noting that the first method will work in background and you will be able to work with any programs through the top ten.

    Installation process

    After selecting the installation method, it will launch installation distribution and the installation of Ubuntu will begin. The user will be required to take the following steps, which must be performed step by step:

    1. On the first page you need to indicate your native language in which the OS will be installed.
    2. On the second page you can ask the system to download the latest versions system files during the installation process. To do this, you need to check the box next to the corresponding item. If you install without downloading updates, you can do this at any time after Ubuntu is installed. Very important nuance is permission to install software from third party developers. This is necessary so that utilities and drivers work normally and do not lead to conflicts with the OS.
    3. On the third page, from the proposed options, you must select “Another option,” since Ubuntu in our case is installed not on a “bare” computer, but next to the top ten.
    4. On the fourth page you should indicate the installation location. If this is a separate hard drive or an already created partition, then simply specify it, but if you are installing on one of the current partitions, then simply mark it up. To do this, right-click on any disk, select “Distribute” and specify the amount of memory that you want to allocate for Ubuntu. For stable operation OS 30 GB will be enough.
    5. Next, you need to distribute the space of the virtual partition created in step 4 into subpartitions. Click on the virtual partition with the left mouse button and press the “+” key, after which the system window will open. In it you should select the amount of memory that will be allocated for the system partition, then in the drop-down menu go to the “Use as” item, select the line “ext4” and write in the line opposite the “Motivation point” the division sign.
    6. After partitioning the disk, you need to create a paging file that will act as virtual RAM memory. For stable operation, it is better to allocate 4 GB for these needs.
    7. When the preliminary Ubuntu setup When the installation is complete, select “Install now” and click on the graphic “Continue” button.
    8. On the next page, indicate the time zone in which we live and click on the “Continue” button.

    After completing all the steps described above, the installation of Ubuntu will begin.

    Many users cannot come to terms with some of the gaming limitations that Linux OS imposes, despite the fact that lately increased attention is being paid to the development of the gaming component in Linux. However, many users want to dual boot, but this becomes quite difficult with the release of the new Microsoft OS.

    It is known that Windows is not friendly with Linux; in particular, it does not recognize formatted Linux disks and partitions and does not provide a bootloader that would allow you to run a system with a Linux kernel, for example, Ubuntu. Additionally, many computers now come with Windows 10 boot loader protection pre-installed.

    The first thing you need to do before trying to install Ubuntu or another Linux distribution with Windows 10 is to open the computer's BIOS/UEFI menu and disable the option Secure Boot.

    Windows 10 disk partitioning

    Before installing Ubuntu, you need to partition the disk with Windows 10. At this stage there are two possible scenarios, but initially you need to check whether the system has one partition dedicated to Windows 10 or several partitions. If you only have one partition, you will need to shrink it, but first make sure there is enough free space on it.

    In the second case, where there are two or more partitions, you need to decide which partition will be cleared to install Ubuntu. In both cases, right-click on the Start menu, select “Disk Management”. In the first case, select the drive (C:) and context menu Right-click and select the “Shrink volume” option.

    Set the new partition size for Ubuntu, which depends on the original disk size and free space on it, as well as your choice. Please note that you need at least 10 gigabytes to install Ubuntu (20 gigabytes or more recommended). After compression is complete, close the Disk Management utility.

    In the second case, select the partition that needs to be cleared, for example (D:) and in the Disk Management application, right-click on the corresponding partition and select “Delete Volume”, and you will have an unallocated partition, just like in the first case.

    Disk management

    Shrink Volume

    Download and Install Ubuntu

    The latest release of Ubuntu is available for download from our website, make sure you download the 64-bit ISO image which you need to burn to USB drive 2 gigabytes or higher.

    Once the USB creation is complete, plug the USB flash drive with Ubuntu into a free port on your computer, restart your computer and bring up the boot menu to select it as the source USB boot flash drives. Do not select UEFI USB (this Windows case 10 is not recognized!) *. After that, install latest version Ubuntu.

    The only difference is when you see the first installation screen, you need to select the option “Install Ubuntu alongside Windows 10.” Once the installation is complete, reboot your computer. Choose between Ubuntu and Windows 10 using the Ubuntu bootloader (available when pressing Esc).

    *Update: There is no need to disable Secure Boot or not select UEFI USB when installing Ubuntu. On a specific test machine without applying these measures, UEFI did not recognize Windows partition 10 on your hard drive, everything can work on your computer without these operations.

    Found a typo? Press Ctrl + Enter

    The long-standing rivalry between Windows and Linux has given rise to two completely irreconcilable camps of supporters of these operating systems. Indeed, both systems have enough advantages and disadvantages. Not all users have the opportunity to compare them, since the majority of them use computers with advanced installed Windows. Another part of the users is confused by the unfamiliar operating system and it seems to them easier time from time to time to look for pirated keys on the Internet rather than face the installation of a new one, even free system. In fact, few of them realize that installing Linux is no more difficult than Windows and, moreover, it is possible to use them together on one computer without any additional difficulties.

    Before you begin the installation, you must select a Linux distribution.

    Selecting a Linux distribution

    Linux is an operating system kernel that uses the capabilities and developments of the operating system Unix systems. Linux is open source software. This property served as the main catalyst for the development of the platform’s popularity.

    Rarely in its pure form Linux kernel is rarely used and more often serves as the basis for the creation of distributions that have different names and capabilities depending on the purpose of their use. The distribution consists of the Linux kernel and the applications that define its functionality.

    The most popular distributions:

    • Ubuntu tops the list of most popular Linux distributions for servers. It can also be installed on workstations.
    • Debian is a leader in application and library content;
    • Parrot Linux is an indispensable distribution for system administrators:
    • LXLE is based on Ubuntu 16.04 - the most compact in volume;
    • Elementary OS is an excellent solution for workstations and laptops;
    • Gentoo - for Linux connoisseurs, allowing the user to achieve individuality;
    • Snappy Ubuntu Core - for IoT lovers;
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is a server distribution for corporate systems;
    • CentOS - for small businesses, based on RHEL.

    There are many other flavors of Linux that you can use for your work. Moreover, some distributions (Ubuntu, for example) can be used without installing directly from a USB drive. Such a drive can be carried with you and used on any computer. However, you need to understand that such use of the distribution significantly affects performance, especially if the installation is made on a flash drive.

    If you managed to decide on the choice of distribution, then next step will work with the disk. Ubuntu 16.04.3 LTS will be used as an example

    Preparing the Disk

    First of all, you need to make a backup copy of Windows. This will avoid unexpected troubles when making changes to the disk structure. To do this you need to use the Windows Control Panel

    Using the control panel, you can also create a point for Windows recovery. It is better to copy all important information (work files, music and videos) to external media.

    Since we are talking about installing Linux next to Windows10 (or any other modern version Windows) you will need to make changes to the partition structure system disk. This allows you to organize your content file system by providing additional protection valuable user information in case of system reinstallation, for example.

    For better work Linux is better to use several partitions: system, user and partition for the swap file.

    To allocate space for new disk partitions, you need to open Disk Management. To do this, in Explorer, you need to right-click on the “This PC” icon. In the menu that opens, select “Computer Management”

    Then in the window that opens, you need to select “Storage Devices” and “Disk Management”. In the list of drives below, you need to select drive C, and by clicking on the partition that will allocate space for Linux, right-click the menu item “Shrink Volume”

    A dialog box will pop up allowing you to determine the amount of space to free up.

    by clicking the “Compress” button. At this stage, the preparation of the disk for installing Linux is complete. Now you need to move on to preparing a USB drive with the distribution kit.

    Preparing a USB Drive

    You will need a drive with a capacity of at least 1.5 GB to install Ubuntu 16.04.3. Other distributions will likely have different capacities. The process of creating a bootable USB drive will erase all data on it. This must be taken into account if there are important files on the drive.

    After downloading the Ubuntu 16.04.3 ISO image from the official website, you need to transfer it to the installation drive using, for example, unetbootin for Windows. After launching this application, a window will open

    in which you will be asked to select the distribution image and the drive where the image will be transferred. Confirmation of the start of recording is made using the “OK” button. After preparing the drive, you need to proceed to setting up the BIOS of the computer on which Linux will be installed.

    BIOS setup

    To configure the BIOS, you must restart the computer, and after new launch started, you must enter the BIOS by pressing the key indicated in the startup startup screen (F2, Del or another). After entering the BIOS, you need to select the option to boot from a USB drive. It will look something like this:

    After this, you need to make sure that the prepared drive with the distribution image is placed in the appropriate USB connector and proceed directly to the installation process.

    Installing Linux (Ubuntu as an example). A little more work on the disc

    If all preparation was successful, then after a reboot it starts boot disk and after a while a screen with different options Linux works. You need to select the option “Download without installation”, since there is a need to carry out additional procedures with disk partitions. After booting Ubuntu, you need to type Gpart into the search field and then open the “Gparted partition editor” application, which can manage the disks.

    The window that opens contains a list of disks, indicating their current parameters. If Windows 10 is already installed on your computer, it will occupy the first partition of the disk. Next will be the section for installing Linux. For drive C this will look like /dev/sda1 and /dev/sda2, respectively. The designation sda2 indicates that:

    • the first letter is this SATA drive, SCSI or USB (for IDE it will be hda2);
    • the second letter is disk;
    • third - ordinal letter physical disk;
    • number - section number.

    Similar to disk management in Windows, you need to allocate 10 GB from this space to place the system partition in this space. This is done using the "Resize/Move" menu option. In the newly appeared partition, you need to select another partition, leaving in it space for a partition with paging and hibernation files in an amount equal to the size of the computer’s RAM. If hibernation mode is not planned, then the volume of this section can be halved. The remaining space will be used for the user data section.

    The result of working with the disk will be three partitions for Linux:

    • /dev/sda2 - system;
    • /dev/sda3 - swap file;
    • /dev/sda4 - home.

    To complete the procedure, select “Apply All Operations” from the “Edit” menu.

    To avoid damage to the installed Windows, you should not do any operations with the /dev/sda1 partition at this stage.

    After completing operations with the disk and its partitions, you need to restart the computer again and select the desired boot option in the Ubuntu screen that appears. After choosing to install the system, a dialog will appear that will check your network connection and offer to install third-party device drivers, after which you will be offered several installation options:

    • “Install Ubuntu next to Windows 10” allows you to eliminate the work of creating additional partitions. The system will do this on its own.
    • "Erase disk and install Ubuntu"
    • “Other option” - a detailed installation option is offered.

    The further scenario depends on the choice of these options, but leads to the appearance of a window in which you must specify user data: name and password, which are very important and must be remembered or written down. Next, the installation wizard will offer to transfer settings to Ubuntu from Windows credentials.

    The next installation wizard window prompts you to do some additional settings and start installation. To do this, you must select the “Install” button. This will begin to copy the system files to disk and create the system. This will take some time, causing the following dialog box to appear asking you to restart your computer. Clicking on the “Reboot” button does a final reboot, after which you can start working with the installed Linux.

    Installing Linux next to Windows 10 UEFI

    UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - new technology, which is an interface between installed operating systems and the BIOS. It involves creating an additional disk partition that controls the computer's boot script. And the presence of Windows 10 installed on the computer indicates that such a partition most likely exists and at the time of installation you should select this partition to install the bootloader there.

    Download Linux

    Once the installation is complete and you reboot, the start screen will appear, and since Grub finds the Windows boot loader automatically, several boot options are provided that can be selected from the keyboard using the arrow keys and the Enter key:

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