Changing the Boot Drive Operating System within the Current OS
Have you ever wanted to change your PC's boot drive operating system without restarting your computer or going through the hassle of using a bootable USB or DVD? This article will guide you through the process of changing your boot drive operating system while keeping your current OS running.
Why Change the Boot Drive Operating System?
There are various reasons why you might want to change your boot drive operating system. For instance, you might have recently purchased a new SSD and want to move your operating system to it for faster boot times. Alternatively, you might want to dual-boot multiple operating systems on your PC without constantly restarting your computer.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure that you have the following:
- Access to an administrator account on your current operating system
- The operating system installation media (e.g., ISO file, DVD, or USB drive) for the new operating system
- A secondary drive (e.g., HDD, SSD, or external drive) with enough space to install the new operating system
Steps to Change the Boot Drive Operating System
Follow these steps to change your boot drive operating system:
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Connect the secondary drive to your PC. If it's an internal drive, install it in a free drive bay. If it's an external drive, connect it to a USB port.
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Launch the Disk Management tool on your current operating system. To do this on Windows, press Win + X and select Disk Management from the menu. On Linux, open a terminal and type
sudo gpartedfollowed by your password. -
In the Disk Management tool, locate the secondary drive and right-click on it. Select New Simple Volume (Windows) or New (Linux) to create a new partition on the drive.
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Format the new partition with a file system supported by the new operating system. For example, if you're installing Windows, format the partition with NTFS. If you're installing Linux, format it with ext4 or another Linux-compatible file system.
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Restart your PC and boot from the operating system installation media. This step may require you to change the boot order in your BIOS or UEFI settings.
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During the installation process, select the newly created partition as the location to install the new operating system.
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Once the installation is complete, shut down your PC and disconnect the installation media. Restart your PC, and you should now be able to choose between your old and new operating systems at startup.
Code Example: Changing the Boot Order in UEFI Settings
The following example demonstrates changing the boot order in UEFI settings on a Dell laptop. The exact steps may vary depending on your PC's manufacturer and UEFI firmware version.
1. Restart your PC and press F2 during startup to enter the UEFI settings.
2. Navigate to the Boot Sequence tab.
3. Use the arrow keys to select the drive containing the new operating system and press Enter.
4. Press F10 to save and exit the UEFI settings.
Changing the boot drive operating system within the current OS is a viable alternative to using bootable media. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily switch between multiple operating systems without restarting your PC. Always ensure that you have a backup of any important data before making significant changes to your PC's configuration.