Windows 11 and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on New HDD

Double Booting Windows 11 and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on a New HDD

Abstract: Learn how to double-boot Windows 11 and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on a new HDD. This step-by-step guide will help you boot both operating systems without using third-party software.

Created: 2024-01-26 by UserComp.com Editors

Introduction

In this article, we will guide you through the process of double booting Windows 11 and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on a new HDD. We will use the GRUB bootloader to manage the boot process and ensure that both operating systems are easily accessible.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following:

A new HDD with enough space for both operating systems
A USB drive with at least 8GB of storage for the Ubuntu installation media
A valid Windows 11 installation disc or USB drive

Installing Windows 11

The first step is to install Windows 11 on your new HDD. Follow these steps:

Insert your Windows 11 installation media into your computer
Restart your computer and boot from the installation media
Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows 11
Once the installation is complete, restart your computer and remove the installation media

Shrinking the Windows 11 Partition

Next, we need to shrink the Windows 11 partition to make room for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. Follow these steps:

Open the Disk Management tool by right-clicking on the Start button and selecting Disk Management
Right-click on the Windows 11 partition and select Shrink Volume
Enter the amount of space you want to shrink the partition by and click Shrink

Creating a Bootable Ubuntu 20.04 LTS USB Drive

Next, we need to create a bootable Ubuntu 20.04 LTS USB drive. Follow these steps:

Download the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ISO image from the official Ubuntu website
Insert your USB drive into your computer
Open the Rufus USB drive formatting tool
Select your USB drive and the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ISO image
Click Start to create the bootable USB drive

Installing Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Now we are ready to install Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. Follow these steps:

Insert your Ubuntu 20.04 LTS USB drive into your computer
Restart your computer and boot from the USB drive
Select Install Ubuntu and follow the on-screen instructions
When prompted, select the "Install alongside Windows Boot Manager" option
Select the amount of space you want to allocate to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and click Install
Once the installation is complete, restart your computer and remove the USB drive

Configuring GRUB

The final step is to configure the GRUB bootloader to manage the boot process. Follow these steps:

Restart your computer
At the GRUB bootloader screen, select the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS option
Open a terminal window and enter the following command: sudo update-grub
Restart your computer and you should now be able to select either Windows 11 or Ubuntu 20.04 LTS at the GRUB bootloader screen

In this article, we have shown you how to double boot Windows 11 and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on a new HDD using the GRUB bootloader. By following these steps, you can easily switch between both operating systems and take advantage of the best of both worlds.

References

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Installation Guide: https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/install-ubuntu-desktop#1-get-an-ubuntu-image
Windows 11 Installation Guide: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/get-windows-11
Rufus USB Drive Formatting Tool: https://rufus.ie/

Tags: Linux Windows Hardware

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