Ubuntu

How to Install Ubuntu Alongside With Windows in Dual-Boot | Hostbillo

Introduction

Ubuntu is a well-known open-source Debian-based Linux distribution, sponsored by Canonical Ltd. It is also considered a great distribution for beginners. Although the Ubuntu operating system was mainly planned for personal computers (PCs), it can also be employed on servers as well. In this article, we will guide you on how you can install Ubuntu alongside Windows. By going through this tutorial, you will have enough insights to install Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 19.04, Ubuntu 18.10, or Ubuntu 18.04 with Windows in dual-boot. Moreover, this tutorial also supposes that your machine has pre-installed Windows 10 OS or Microsoft Windows’ older version, like Windows 8.1 or 8. Dive in to get started!

Also Read: What is a Dedicated Server?

Requirements

Before we move on to the steps to install Ubuntu alongside Windows, let us highlight the prerequisites – 

  • If your hardware makes use of UEFI, you must modify the EFI settings and disable the feature named ‘Secure Boot.’
  • In case your system is not running any operating system, you must plan to employ Windows variant alongside Ubuntu. First, you need to install the Microsoft Windows operating system and then, move on to install ubuntu alongside windows. In this specific case, you should assign a free space of at least 20 GB in size on the disk while formatting the hard disk. This step later will enable you to utilize the free space as a partition for dual boot Windows Ubuntu installation. 
  • Once you fulfill all the above prerequisites, you need to download an ISO image (Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 19.04, Ubuntu 18.10, or Ubuntu 18.04) depending on the architecture of your system. 

Install Ubuntu alongside Windows

Mentioned below are the steps you can follow in order to install Ubuntu alongside Ubuntu – 

Step 1: Preparing Windows Machine for Dual-Boot

1. Firstly, you must create free space on your computer hard disk if the system has been installed on a single partition. For doing so, you must acquire an administrative account and log in to your Windows machine. Then, click on Start Menu> Command Prompt (Admin) for entering the Windows Command-Line.

2. Once you get into the Windows Command-Line interface, you have to type diskmgmt.MSC on prompt. With this command, the Disk Management utility will get open up. Next, you need to right-click on C: the partition and then, select Shrink Volume for resizing the partition.

C:\Windows\system32\>diskmgmt.msc

3. On Shrink C: you have to enter a value on space in order to shrink in MB (utilize at least 20000 MB as per the C: partition size). Further, hit Shrink to begin the partition resize. As soon as the space gets resized, you will be able to view a new unallocated space on the hard drive. Keep it as default. You can then reboot the computer for proceeding with the dual boot Ubuntu installation.

Step 2: Installing Ubuntu with Windows Dual-Boot

4. For this tutorial, we will install Ubuntu 20.04 alongside Windows dual boot (However, you can employ any Ubuntu release for the installation purpose). 

In this step, you need to download and grab the Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 ISO image. Then, you will have to burn the Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 ISO image to a DVD. On the other side, you can also build a bootable USB stick employing a utility like Universal USB Installer (BIOS compatible) or Rufus (UEFI compatible).

Then, locate the USB stick or DVD in the right drive. Further, reboot your machine, and press a special function key to instruct the BIOS/UEFI for booting up from the DVD/USB. Generally, the key is F12, F10, or F2 as per the vendor specifications). As soon as the media boost-up, a new grub screen will get displayed on your monitor. From the menu available, you have to select Install Ubuntu and press Enter in order to continue.

5. You acquire an entirely functional Ubuntu system that will be running in live mode once the boot media finishes loading into RAM. Afterward, you have to choose Install Ubuntu on the Launcher. With this, the installer utility will begin. Then, pick the keyboard layout with which you want to perform the installation and click on the Continue button to move on to the next step.

6. Select the first option saying “Normal Installation” and click on the Continue button again.

7. Now, you need to select the type of installation. It is recommended to choose Install Ubuntu alongside Windows Boot Manager. This is because this option takes care of all the partition steps automatically. Moreover, this option is suitable for you if you do not need a personalized partition scheme. However, if you require a custom partition layout, then check and pick some other option. After selecting the desired option, click on the Continue button. Also, you must note here that the ‘Erase disk and install Ubuntu’ option should be avoided on dual-boot as it is can be unsafe and will wipe out your disk.

8. In this step, we will guide you on how to create a custom partition layout for Ubuntu. We recommend that you create two partitions. The one will be for root and the other will be for home accounts data. Moreover, you do not have to create a partition for swap (you should utilize a swap partition only when you possess RAM resources in a limited amount or when you employ a fast SSD).

For creating the first partition, i.e., the root partition, select the free space that is basically the shrinking space from Windows formed earlier. Click the + icon. Then, on partition settings, employ configurations as given below and clock on OK in order to apply modifications –

  1. Size = at least 15000 MB
  2. New partition type = Primary
  3. New partition location = Beginning
  4. Use as = EXT4 journaling file system
  5. Mount point = /

Next, create the second partition, i.e., the home partition utilizing the same steps as above. Make use of all the free space left for the home partition size. The partition settings should be as –

  1. Size = all remaining free space
  2. New partition type= Primary
  3. New partition location = Beginning
  4. Use as = EXT4 journaling file system
  5. Mount point = /home

9. Once you complete the partition step, you can click on the Install Now button for applying modifications to the disk and initiate the Ubuntu installation process. At this stage, a pop-up window will appear notifying you about swap space. You can ignore the alert and click the Continue button. Next, another pop-up window will appear asking you if you agree with committing changes to the disk. You can again click on Continue to write changes to disk. This will further process the installation process.

10. On the subsequent screen, you can adjust the physical location of your machine with the help of a map available. Once you select the nearby city, you can click on the Continue button. 

11. Now, you need to keep a username and password for your administrative sudo account. Then, you have to enter a descriptive name for your computer system and click on Continue to complete the installation.

That is all you have to do in order to customize the Ubuntu installation. After the completion of these steps, the installation process will automatically run further until it comes to the end.

12. Once the installation process reaches the end, you can click on the Restart Now button for finishing the installation.

Your machine will reboot into the Grub menu, and you will get presented with the screen for ten seconds that lets you choose the OS you would like to employ further: Ubuntu 20.04 or Microsoft Windows. Since Ubuntu will serve as the default OS to boot from, you can directly press Enter key or wait for those ten seconds timeout to pass.

13. After the Ubuntu loading completion, you can log in with the credentials constructed during the installation process. Moreover, since Ubuntu delivers NTFS file system support automatically, you can easily access the files from Windows partitions just by clicking on the Windows volume. In any case, if you are required to switch back to Windows, you can reboot your system and choose Windows operating system from the Grub menu.

Conclusion

Ubuntu is an operating system that has been officially released in three editions: Desktop, Server, and Core. One can run Ubuntu in all these editions on the computer alone or on a virtual machine. By following this tutorial guide thoroughly, you will become capable of installing dual boot Ubuntu on Windows operating system. Also, you can pin down your queries or issues with us if you face any during the installation of Ubuntu on Windows. Our experts will be happy to help you out with the same. 

Arpit Saini

He is the Chief Technology Officer at Hostbillo Hosting Solution and also follows a passion to break complex tech topics into practical and easy-to-understand articles. He loves to write about Web Hosting, Software, Virtualization, Cloud Computing, and much more.

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