Dual Boot Linux And Windows [SOLVED]

[LtStaffel]

Here's the run down:

I have Windows 10 Pro installed on a SSD

I have a HDD and another SSD for extra space and stuff

I'd like to dual boot Linux on to this PC

I'd like to put the Linux on the HDD because it has significantly more space

The HDD is the F: Drive

Is it possible to dual boot like this? Not having both OSes on the same disk?

 

Thanks in advance

 

EDIT: It is fully possible. Just make the partition on the drive of your choice and it works as it should.

[Wander Away]

It is possible, you would have to partition your F: disk, and install grub or some other boot manager to switch to windows/linux on boot

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Yea, that's possible. Might be even ideal because Windows 8 and above don't really play nice with having another OS on the same drive. You'll have to repartition your current F drive to make room for Linux.

[Rainin]

Yeah, when installing Linux, it will ask what disc you wish to install it on. 

 

Most Linux distros come with Grub so you can pick the OS during boot. 

[LtStaffel]

3 minutes ago, Wander Away said:

It is possible, you would have to partition your F: disk, and install grub or some other boot manager to switch to windows/linux on boot

 

2 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Yea, that's possible. Might be even ideal because Windows 8 and above don't really play nice with having another OS on the same drive. You'll have to repartition your current F drive to make room for Linux.

 

2 minutes ago, Rainin said:

Yeah, when installing Linux, it will ask what disc you wish to install it on. 

 

Most Linux distros come with Grub so you can pick the OS during boot. 

Okay, so I'll partition and everything should work? Thanks

[Wander Away]

Just now, LtStaffel said:

 

 

Okay, so I'll partition and everything should work? Thanks

 

may I ask which distro you're installing?

To my knowledge linux mint has a very user friendly install process, it will handle all the configuration for you, accessing windows boot manager to link to grub and everything

[LtStaffel]

Just now, Wander Away said:

may I ask which distro you're installing?

To my knowledge linux mint has a very user friendly install process, it will handle all the configuration for you, accessing windows boot manager to link to grub and everything

Kali

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

3 minutes ago, Rainin said:

Yeah, when installing Linux, it will ask what disc you wish to install it on. 

 

Most Linux distros come with Grub so you can pick the OS during boot. 

Does GRUB have the ability to detect OSes on different physical drives? No too sure about that. Might actually have to explicitly select the drive from the boot menu during post.

[manikyath]

so.. the way to do this is pretty simple, but i just wanna state something:

if you screw up your data is gone, i take no responsibility, neither does anyone else on this forum, you're on your own if you make a mistake

 

- you make bootable media for your distro of choice (if i have to explain this step... dont even try what you're about to)

- boot into the bootable media

- most distros ship a live distro that allows you to try it out, and use the preinstalled tools, like Gparted that's included with the great majority.

- you select your hard drive, and RESIZE the partition on it.

- you apply

- you enter the installer for your distro, if it gives multiple options for installing, choose advanced or "i wanna choose where to install"

- you pick your hard drive, and make the appropriate partitions on it (this varies per distro)

- you install.

 

NOW, two things to note: keep the drive that contains your windows install plugged in, this'll make the bootloader of choice also detect windows, and allows you to use its menu to choose between OS. also make sure to set your bios to boot from the hard drive first.

[LtStaffel]

Just now, manikyath said:

so.. the way to do this is pretty simple, but i just wanna state something:

if you screw up your data is gone, i take no responsibility, neither does anyone else on this forum, you're on your own if you make a mistake

 

- you make bootable media for your distro of choice (if i have to explain this step... dont even try what you're about to)

- boot into the bootable media

- most distros ship a live distro that allows you to try it out, and use the preinstalled tools, like Gparted that's included with the great majority.

- you select your hard drive, and RESIZE the partition on it.

- you apply

- you enter the installer for your distro, if it gives multiple options for installing, choose advanced or "i wanna choose where to install"

- you pick your hard drive, and make the appropriate partitions on it (this varies per distro)

- you install.

 

NOW, two things to note: keep the drive that contains your windows install plugged in, this'll make the bootloader of choice also detect windows, and allows you to use its menu to choose between OS. also make sure to set your bios to boot from the hard drive first.

External drive is keeping my data safe otherwise I wouldn't try this. This is also pretty much what Kali's site said, but they did it on the same drive as Windows so that's why I'm here asking about it. Thanks!

[Rainin]

3 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Does GRUB have the ability to detect OSes on different physical drives? No too sure about that. Might actually have to explicitly select the drive from the boot menu during post.

If I am going to be honest, I have never tried using two drives myself but I am sure I have seen it done. I think you have to go into the Grub configuration and add an entry for the second hdd.

[Rainin]

4 minutes ago, LtStaffel said:

External drive is keeping my data safe otherwise I wouldn't try this. This is also pretty much what Kali's site said, but they did it on the same drive as Windows so that's why I'm here asking about it. Thanks!

As you are going to be running Kali, why not just run it as a VM?

[LtStaffel]

Just now, Rainin said:

As you are going to be running Kali, why not just run it as a VM?

I actually have done so. You will not get equivalent network or PC performance through a VM, and my GPU won't get used really either.

[Rainin]

1 minute ago, LtStaffel said:

I actually have done so. You will not get equivalent network or PC performance through a VM, and my GPU won't get used really either.

Ah I see. Fair enough. 

 

Going to give that GPU a work out with some brute forcing?

[LtStaffel]

Just now, Rainin said:

Ah I see. Fair enough. 

 

Going to give that GPU as work out with some brute forcing?

hashcat

Plus whatever else I can pass it

[LtStaffel]

1 minute ago, AlexTheRose said:

GRUB does indeed support multidrive configurations. And if I recall correctly, so does Syslinux.

 

To be honest @LtStaffel, if you like having an elegant out-of-the-box experience, you should definitely give BunsenLabs Linux a go sometime. It’s a community continuation of #! (pronounced Crunch-Bang). If you require the latest software though, you may have to take a different route and use a rolling release distro like Arch.

I'd absolutely love to get a handle on C++ and get Arch sometime. But right now I'm more focused on security stuff, thus I'd like Kali

[straight_stewie]

I would highly recommend practicing in virtual box first. You can set up multiple "hard drives" and then install one version of linux on one drive, and then install another version on the other, just to get a feel for how it will work.

[LtStaffel]

10 hours ago, straight_stewie said:

I would highly recommend practicing in virtual box first. You can set up multiple "hard drives" and then install one version of linux on one drive, and then install another version on the other, just to get a feel for how it will work.

I think I get how to do it from Kali's site. It was just a question of whether or not it would work with another drive than Windows is on.

[LtStaffel]

On 7/21/2016 at 9:14 PM, straight_stewie said:

I would highly recommend practicing in virtual box first. You can set up multiple "hard drives" and then install one version of linux on one drive, and then install another version on the other, just to get a feel for how it will work.

 

On 7/21/2016 at 3:36 PM, AlexTheRose said:

GRUB does indeed support multidrive configurations. And if I recall correctly, so does Syslinux.

 

To be honest @LtStaffel, if you like having an elegant out-of-the-box experience, you should definitely give BunsenLabs Linux a go sometime. It’s a community continuation of #! (pronounced Crunch-Bang). If you require the latest software though, you may have to take a different route and use a rolling release distro like Arch.

 

On 7/21/2016 at 3:29 PM, Rainin said:

Ah I see. Fair enough. 

 

Going to give that GPU a work out with some brute forcing?

 

On 7/21/2016 at 3:20 PM, manikyath said:

so.. the way to do this is pretty simple, but i just wanna state something:

if you screw up your data is gone, i take no responsibility, neither does anyone else on this forum, you're on your own if you make a mistake

 

- you make bootable media for your distro of choice (if i have to explain this step... dont even try what you're about to)

- boot into the bootable media

- most distros ship a live distro that allows you to try it out, and use the preinstalled tools, like Gparted that's included with the great majority.

- you select your hard drive, and RESIZE the partition on it.

- you apply

- you enter the installer for your distro, if it gives multiple options for installing, choose advanced or "i wanna choose where to install"

- you pick your hard drive, and make the appropriate partitions on it (this varies per distro)

- you install.

 

NOW, two things to note: keep the drive that contains your windows install plugged in, this'll make the bootloader of choice also detect windows, and allows you to use its menu to choose between OS. also make sure to set your bios to boot from the hard drive first.

 

On 7/21/2016 at 3:20 PM, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Does GRUB have the ability to detect OSes on different physical drives? No too sure about that. Might actually have to explicitly select the drive from the boot menu during post.

 

On 7/21/2016 at 3:19 PM, Wander Away said:

may I ask which distro you're installing?

To my knowledge linux mint has a very user friendly install process, it will handle all the configuration for you, accessing windows boot manager to link to grub and everything

Thank you all. I am now dual booted with Kali on my F Drive HDD and my Windows 10 on my C Drive SSD with zero trouble as of now. Thanks again.