▷ Dual boot windows 10 and ubuntu

In this article we will see how to Dual boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu in order to choose which operating system we want to boot on our computer. Many users want to work as much as Windows as with some Linux operating system. This is why instead of virtualizing a second system, what is best for them is to physically install another operating system on the physical computer.

Index of contents

For that matter, one of the best is undoubtedly Ubuntu, which combines a well-worked graphical interface with the classic Linux functionalities. Having this operating system is very simple, since it is completely free like almost all Linux distros and it has the possibility of doing precisely what we have been looking for.

Preparations and things to consider

The first thing we must do is make the preparations regarding the system that we must add to our hard drive. We assume that we already have a Windows system installed on it.

Check the type of partition table

One thing to keep in mind is the type of partition table we have on our hard drive. There are two types, MBR which is the traditional and classic Windows format and GPT which is another more advanced, complete and safe format that is gradually replacing MBR. To check if our hard drive is GPT or MBR we will do the following:

• We open the start tools menu by right-clicking on the same button. We choose the option of " Disk Management " In the program that appears to us, we must identify which is the hard disk where we are going to dual boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu. Right-click on the section below it and choose " Properties "

• We are located on the tab " Volumes " In the line " Partition style " we can identify if this is MBR or GPT

We will take this information into account and then create the bootable USB

Download of operating systems (the one you need)

If we go to the Ubuntu website we can download the latest version available, which is 18.10. We will download an ISO image that we must either burn on a DVD or USB

From Windows we can also download the Media Creation Tool in the second link that appears on this page. With this we can download another ISO image of the Windows operating system.

In the Media Creation Tool wizard we will have to choose at each step:

1. Create installation media Choose which version of the system we want to download ISO file (to download ISO image)

Create bootable USB with systems

To create the bootable USB one of the simplest and simplest programs that we can find is Rufus. It is free and we can download them from their website.

With Rufus we can create bootable USB for both Windows and Linux. And we can also create it for GPT partitions and for MBR.

• We open the program and insert the USB device We choose our device in the program in " Device " We select our ISO image from the " Selection " button If our disk is GPT we choose in " Partition scheme " GPTSIf it is not, we choose MBR

• When we choose the "Start" option, the program will notify us that for Linux distributions it is necessary to download two extra files, we must click on Accept so that these files are automatically downloaded. Then another message is shown that the ISO image is of hybrid type. We will choose the first option that is shown to us and click on "OK". Now the process is ready to start

When we have the configuration as the image, click on " Start " to create the bootable USB.

The process with the ISO of Windows 10 is exactly the same as with Ubuntu, in case we need it

Create partition for new system from Windows 10 (OPTIONAL)

During the installation of Ubuntu, we can easily create the destination partition of the system, but if you want to know another way to do it, we also propose it to you.

If we do not already have a partition enabled to install the system we can do the following:

• We open the Windows Disk Manager again. We are located on the hard disk that interests us, in our case it will be the same one that has the Windows system installed. Right click on the main partition (the system) Click on " reduce volume "

• Now we type in MB the space that we want to reduce the unit. We recommend at least 30 GB for Ubuntu Then click on " Reduce " and we will see how a black space with the label not assigned will appear

Modify BIOS boot sequence

Finally, to have everything ready, we must make our computer capable of booting from a USB drive rather than from the hard drive.

Visit this tutorial to configure your BIOS

Or if we have a UEFI BIOS it will only be necessary to press the " F8 " key or in other cases " F12 " or " Esc " to open the device boot menu of our BIOS. There we will select the USB device to start the Ubuntu installation

Create installation with dual boot of Windows 10 and Ubuntu

With all the preparations made, all that remains is to insert the USB with Ubuntu into the computer and boot it to start the installation. Let's see what process we should follow.

• Once in the installation wizard click on " Install Ubuntu "

In the following windows we will choose the options that best suit us until we reach the key moment in the process. This moment will be when “ Type of installation ” appears.

• Here we will have to choose the option " Install Ubuntu with Windows 10 " (it is the one we recommend)

Manually create Ubuntu partition

We can also make the partitions here if we choose "Install Ubuntu with windows 10" to manually allocate a certain amount of disk space.

It will be as simple a process as dragging the partition divider from one side to the other.

• If we want, we can also choose " More options " for manual partition creation and installation.

• When we have chosen the option that is we choose " Install now " or otherwise, " Continue "

The system will automatically take the partition that we left free in the previous section to install the system there and make its partitions automatically. The process will continue trivially from now on.

Once the installation is finished we will notice how now, when the computer starts, we can select which system we want to start.

In this way we can do a dual boot of Windows 10 and Ubuntu

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What Linux distro do you use? We hope the tutorial has answered your questions about this topic