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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Can Linux be dual booted on a computer with Windows? (self.linux)

submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by shadowSprite to c/[email protected]

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I have a Lenovo Yoga running Windows 10 on a 1TB SSD and at some point will probably have to upgrade it to Windows 11. I use it for school and have to keep Windows on it for now because of what I'm currently doing. I want to start getting into Linux in hopes of making the switch sometime down the line. Is partitioning the disk and dual booting Windows/Linux a thing and is it possible/easy to do? If so, what distro would anyone recommend? (I've heard good things about Mint). Back in the day I had gotten bored one night, installed Ubuntu on an external drive and played around with it a very tiny bit before forgetting about it, but that's the extent of my Linux knowledge, so kindly keep explanations ELI5 :)

Edit: Thank you everyone! You've given me lots of good advice and knowledge, some terms to Google, and some good places to start. I appreciate it! Looking forward to joining the wonderful world of Linux!

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Yes, it's super easy to do as well. Most distro installers give you the option to automatically install for dual-boot without any manual partitioning.

Definitely try Mint, I was on it for years and it is very thoughtfully designed for stability and ease if use.

The hardest part will be getting the liveUSB made for the Linux ISO. You can find some simple tools like Balena Etcher that make it easy though.

[–] ChihuahuaOfDoom 3 points 4 months ago (2 children)

I tried this with Mint and broke my Windows partition somehow.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

That's a bummer, sorry man. That is super rare though, I've never heard of that happening to anyone else in my 10+ years of Linux life. Don't let it keep you from trying it again. I guess that is a testimony to the importance of backups, especially when working with partitions.

OP, the most trouble I've ever heard of or experienced myself was some GRUB issues, which are just a matter of the bootloader recognizing that there is a windows or Linux partition alongside whatever is being booted up. There are a ton of tutorials on how to address that type of issue though, it's usually a matter of one or two commands in a terminal or command prompt.

[–] cosmicrookie 1 points 4 months ago

Same here. It somehow broke my BIOS and I couldn't even force it to boot off my windows install flash drive!