Preface: Dual Booting Linux Mint and Windows 10 on an ASUS Laptop
In this article, we will discuss the process of creating a dual boot laptop, where the primary drive (SDa) houses a Linux Mint installation, and the secondary drive (SDb) contains a Windows 10 installation. This setup allows users to choose between the two operating systems at startup, providing flexibility and convenience.
Introduction to Dual Booting
Dual booting is the process of installing two or more operating systems on a single computer, allowing users to choose which one to use at startup. This is particularly useful for those who need to use different operating systems for different tasks, or for those who want to try out a new operating system without abandoning their current one.
Choosing the Operating Systems
In this guide, we will be using Linux Mint and Windows 10 as our operating systems of choice. Linux Mint is a popular and user-friendly Linux distribution, known for its stability and ease of use. Windows 10, on the other hand, is the latest version of Microsoft's flagship operating system, offering a wide range of features and compatibility with a wide range of hardware and software.
Preparing the Drives
Before installing the operating systems, it is important to prepare the drives. In this setup, we will be using two drives: SDa for Linux Mint and SDb for Windows 10. It is recommended to back up any important data on these drives before proceeding.
Partitioning the Drives
Next, we need to partition the drives. This involves dividing each drive into one or more sections, called partitions, which will be used to install the operating systems. It is recommended to create separate partitions for the root, home, and swap directories for Linux Mint, and a separate partition for the Windows 10 installation.
# fdisk /dev/sda
Command (m for help): n
Partition type:
p primary (0 primary, 0 extended, 4 free)
e extended
Select (default p): p
Partition number (1-4, default 1): 1
First sector (2048-976773119, default 2048):
Using default value 2048
Last sector, +sectors or +size{K,M,G} (2048-976773119, default 976773119): +50G
Command (m for help): n
Partition type:
p primary (1 primary, 0 extended, 3 free)
e extended
Select (default p): p
Partition number (2-4, default 2): 2
First sector (1026048-976773119, default 1026048):
Using default value 1026048
Last sector, +sectors or +size{K,M,G} (1026048-976773119, default 976773119): +200G
Command (m for help): n
Partition type:
p primary (2 primary, 0 extended, 2 free)
e extended
Select (default p): e
Selected partition 3
First sector (4194304-976773119, default 4194304):
Using default value 4194304
Last sector, +sectors or +size{K,M,G} (4194304-976773119, default 976773119): +8G
Formatting the Partitions
Once the partitions have been created, they need to be formatted. This involves assigning a file system to each partition, which will be used to store the files and directories of the operating system.
# mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1
mke2fs 1.45.5 (07-Jan-2020)
Creating filesystem with 12210048 4k blocks and 3052032 inodes
Filesystem UUID: 2e0f6c5b-1a2e-4b4e-a23e-c6c08d6f4f5f
Superblock backups stored on blocks:
32768, 98304, 163840, 229376, 294912, 819200, 884736, 1605632, 2654208,
4096000, 7962624, 11239424
Allocating group tables: done
Writing inode tables: done
Creating journal (32768 blocks): done
Writing superblocks and filesystem accounting information: done
# mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda2
mke2fs 1.45.5 (07-Jan-2020)
Creating filesystem with 524288000 4k blocks and 131072000 inodes
Filesystem UUID: 8e8e8e8e-8e8e-8e8e-8e8e-8e8e8e8e8e8e
Superblock backups stored on blocks:
32768, 98304, 163840, 229376, 294912, 819200, 884736, 1605632, 2654208,
4096000, 7962624, 11239424
Allocating group tables: done
Writing inode tables: done
Creating journal (16384 blocks): done
Writing superblocks and filesystem accounting information: done
# mkswap /dev/sda3
Setting up swapspace version 1, size = 8192 MiB (8589932832 bytes)
no label, UUID=e0e0e0e0-e0e0-e0e0-e0e0-e0e0e0e0e0e0
Installing Linux Mint
Now that the drives have been prepared, we can proceed to install Linux Mint. This involves downloading the installation media, booting from it, and following the on-screen instructions.
Downloading the Installation Media
The first step is to download the installation media from the Linux Mint website. It is recommended to choose the 64-bit version, and to select the ISO image for your preferred desktop environment.
Booting from the Installation Media
Once the installation media has been downloaded, it needs to be burned to a DVD or copied to a USB drive. The computer can then be booted from this media, which will launch the Linux Mint installer.
Following the On-Screen Instructions
The Linux Mint installer will guide you through the installation process, asking you to select your language, keyboard layout, and time zone. It will also ask you to choose a password for the root user, and to create a regular user account.
When prompted to select the installation type, choose "Something else", as we want to manually select the partitions for the root, home, and swap directories.
Select the first partition (/dev/sda1) and choose "Ext4 journaling file system" as the file system, and "/" as the mount point. Select the second partition (/dev/sda2) and choose "Ext4 journaling file system" as the file system, and "/home" as the mount point.
Finally, select the third partition (/dev/sda3) and choose "swap area" as the file system. This will create a swap partition, which can be used to temporarily store data when the physical memory (RAM) is full.
Once the partitions have been configured, the installer will proceed to install Linux Mint on the primary drive (SDa).
Installing Windows 10
Now that Linux Mint has been installed, we can proceed to install Windows 10 on the secondary drive (SDb). This involves inserting the Windows 10 installation media, booting from it, and following the on-screen instructions.
Downloading the Installation Media
The first step is to download the installation media from the Microsoft website. It is recommended to choose the 64-bit version, and to select the ISO image for your preferred language.
Booting from the Installation Media
Once the installation media has been downloaded, it needs to be burned to a DVD or copied to a USB drive. The computer can then be booted from this media, which will launch the Windows 10 installer.
Following the On-Screen Instructions
The Windows 10 installer will guide you through the installation process, asking you to select your language, keyboard layout, and time zone. It will also ask you to enter your product key, which can be found on the installation media or on the Microsoft website.
When prompted to select the installation type, choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)", as we want to manually select the partition for the Windows 10 installation.
Select the unallocated space on the secondary drive (SDb) and choose "New" to create a new partition. Choose "Primary" as the partition type, and specify the size of the partition. It is recommended to allocate at least 100 GB for the Windows 10 installation.
Once the partition has been created, the installer will proceed to install Windows 10 on the secondary drive (SDb).
Configuring the Boot Loader
Now that both operating systems have been installed, we need to configure the boot loader, which is the software that allows you to choose which operating system to boot at startup. This involves editing the GRUB configuration file, which is located at /etc/default/grub.
# nano /etc/default/grub
GRUB_DEFAULT=0
GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=hidden
GRUB_TIMEOUT=10
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""
# Update the GRUB boot loader
# grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
# update-grub
The GRUB_DEFAULT option specifies the default operating system to boot, and the GRUB_TIMEOUT option specifies the number of seconds to display the boot menu. The GRUB_CMDLINE\_LINUX\_DEFAULT option specifies the default command line options for the Linux kernel, and the GRUB\_CMDLINE\_LINUX option specifies the command line options for the Linux kernel when booting into recovery mode.
Once the GRUB configuration file has been edited, the GRUB boot loader needs to be updated. This can be done by running the grub-mkconfig command, followed by the update-grub command.
- Dual booting is the process of installing two or more operating systems on a single computer, allowing users to choose which one to use at startup.
- In this guide, we have discussed the process of creating a dual boot laptop, where the primary drive (SDa) houses a Linux Mint installation, and the secondary drive (SDb) contains a Windows 10 installation.
- This setup allows users to choose between the two operating systems at startup, providing flexibility and convenience.
References
- Linux Mint: https://linuxmint.com/
- Windows 10: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/get-windows-10
- GRUB: https://www.gnu.org/software/grub/