duHow do you dual boot or multi-boot Window 10 and Linux

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scharfshutze009

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I'm specifically wondering how to dual boot Windows 10 and Linuxmint especially Linuxmint Debian or maybe Ubuntu, so I hope I get some responses and that this question is not to broad. Anyway though here's what I know:

1. I can boot to a Linux installation DVD or flashdrive.

2. Linuxmint debian on my multi-boot USB flashdrive refuses to boot.

3. There are guides claiming that Windows 10 can dual boot to Linuxmint Debian 17.1 and Ubuntu if I'm not mistaken.

4. Windows 10 is working fine, but locks up when I try to resize the partition to create a dual boot or multi-boot installation.

5. Apparently my webcam on my Laptop turns on during the start up of the installation of Linuxmint, which was LMDE 2 201503 from a DVD. Therefore, maybe their spying on me, which I'm not bothered and find it humorous whether it's true or not.

Either way though because diskmgmt.msc or disk management keeps locking up on me I am unable to accomplish a dual or multi-boot. Can anyone help? As a precaution I've already created a windows 10 image and recovery disk with Windows backup and restore, so I should be safe to go ahead and do this. If only disk management would stop locking up on me, so I can resize the partition.
 
Please excuse the typo in the title as well. My touchpad on my laptop keeps repositioning my cursor to places I don't want and pissing me off.
 
If you're installing to a windows 10 laptop it's probably using UEFI and secure boot. Mint won't boot when secure boot is enabled. You have to disable secure boot and fast boot for starters.

I haven't tried the actual setup part of Win10/linux dual boot though so I can't help there.
 
B00nie said:
If you're installing to a windows 10 laptop it's probably using UEFI and secure boot. Mint won't boot when secure boot is enabled. You have to disable secure boot and fast boot for starters.

I haven't tried the actual setup part of Win10/linux dual boot though so I can't help there.
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Thanks, but as far as I know UEFI and secure boot are not enabled. It may be a security issue too. However, I forgot to turn those on when reinstalling Windows 7 and you can't turn them on after the installation or else it may not boot. I already proceeded with installing Windows 10 because I lost my previous reservation when reinstalling Windows 7, so I can't go back.
 
I have done this a couple of times. If you're trying to resize on a spinner then defrag first and then defrag free space, Defraggler works good for this. If MS disk management will not do the job then burn the .iso to DVD instead of using USB, launch and resize with gpatred in a live session. After you resize be sure you test your Win 10 fully before you install LM 17.1 because gparted will let you shrink the partition even if files are in the way (it will warn you).

It helps greatly if you can shut off any thing that can write to the disk in the background first, such as automatic back up, hibernation, etc..

It's all doable I had one machine here with Win 10, LM 17.2, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Open Suse and one other that I can't remember at the moment, on SSD. Why? I needed to do a demonstration for people interested in Linux.

Some machines just will not boot certain .iso's from USB, even though they work with other .iso's on USB.

If you are on an SSD then you should reinstall, setting up the partition for Win with gparted then install Win first. This works good in win 7 but win 10 can cause problems sometimes with extend partitions so partition LM 17.1's root, home and swap after the Win install, leave room at the "backend" for wear leveling and I think Win 10 will have grabbed about 450 mb of that space

BTW: you should be able to go back/reset or reinstall despite "losing" your reservation as your hardware hash is stored with MS, it should not even ask for a key.
 
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Tom_S said:
I have done this a couple of times. If you're trying to resize on a spinner then defrag first and then defrag free space, Defraggler works good for this. If MS disk management will not do the job then burn the .iso to DVD instead of using USB, launch and resize with gpatred in a live session. After you resize be sure you test your Win 10 fully before you install LM 17.1 because gparted will let you shrink the partition even if files are in the way (it will warn you).

It helps greatly if you can shut off any thing that can write to the disk in the background first, such as automatic back up, hibernation, etc..

It's all doable I had one machine here with Win 10, LM 17.2, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Open Suse and one other that I can't remember at the moment, on SSD. Why? I needed to do a demonstration for people interested in Linux.

Some machines just will not boot certain .iso's from USB, even though they work with other .iso's on USB.

If you are on an SSD then you should reinstall, setting up the partition for Win with gparted then install Win first. This works good in win 7 but win 10 can cause problems sometimes with extend partitions so partition LM 17.1's root, home and swap after the Win install, leave room at the "backend" for wear leveling and I think Win 10 will have grabbed about 450 mb of that space

BTW: you should be able to go back/reset or reinstall despite "losing" your reservation as your hardware hash is stored with MS, it should not even ask for a key.
Click to expand...

I've never heard or read that I can remember that you need to defrag a hard drive before creating a dual boot. The only thing I've every had to do is either leave enough free space or resize the partition on Windows to make enough free space or the other way around if you install Linux first. I don't think any of you have provided a good solution, so I may just close this thread if you or anyone else can't provide a reliable solution. I would do a clean install of Windows 10, but I can't create the media because the media creation tool doesn't work and all I have are the Windows Image Recovery disks and addition file on an external hard drive.
 
Tom_S said:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowtoResizeWindowsPartitions
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Thanks for sharing a link to the documentation stating this and this is very helpful. Usually though I think most people restart their computer after resizing a partition though and as for defragging the Hard disk doesn't that only apply to mechanical hard drives because I'm pretty sure your not supposed to defrag an SSD. All the other advice in the documentation is helpful though for all applications though I'm sure.
 
There is another way if you have 2 or more HDDs. Disconnect all HDDs except the one where you want to install Linux. Install Linux to the HDD, reconnect all HDDs, on boot press the function key to bring up the bios HDD/DVD/USB selection menu, on my PC it is F5, now select the HDD with Linux or Windows to boot to it.
 
scharfshutze009 said:
Thanks for sharing a link to the documentation stating this and this is very helpful. Usually though I think most people restart their computer after resizing a partition though and as for defragging the Hard disk doesn't that only apply to mechanical hard drives because I'm pretty sure your not supposed to defrag an SSD. All the other advice in the documentation is helpful though for all applications though I'm sure.
Click to expand...

You should not defrag an SSD. In my experience you will not have any problems re-sizing the Windows partition on a SSD so the situation should not occur. Not being able to re-size the Windows partition on a HDD it is a specific problem with where Windows locates the MFT on a HDD.
 
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