I was talking to my dad yesterday and he talked about how he dual booted windows and Linux in his college days. I immediately left to download Ubuntu, I feel so dumb for forgetting it’s an option. I literally only use windows so I can play Fortnite with friends. PSA: you can have both Linux and Windows, or you can use a vm in Linux. Be (mostly) free from Microsoft’s clammy hands.

  • callyral [he/they]@pawb.socialEnglish
    6·
    11 months ago

    wait, you can have two different systems, on two SSDs, on the same computer? this will be useful once i get to build my pc. Thanks!

    i’m guessing having windows on a separate drive will mean that it won’t break GRUB?

    • LeFantome@programming.dev
      5·
      11 months ago

      I think they may actually be suggesting that you let each OS be the primary OS and then just control which one you want via boot order in the BIOS.

      But yes, if Windows is able to install its boot loader on its own drive, it will not mess up the Linux boot loader on another drive. The Linux boot loader can detect Windows though and allow you to boot to it ( and Linux too of course ). That is why you make sure Linux boots first.

    • Froyn@kbin.social
      5·
      11 months ago

      Muahaha, long ago had a system with a removable 5.25" HDD bay. Matching drives in enclosures, 1 linux, 1 windows. One “permanent” drive in the machine for user data.
      Super easy to swap between the OS when you’re physically changing the first drive on the IDE chain.

    • mateomaui@reddthat.comEnglish
      31·
      11 months ago

      I triple boot Windows with a Debian distro and an Arch distro. Windows is on one drive with its boot loader there so it doesn’t mess with the linux boot loaders and vice versa, and the two linux distros and their boot loaders are on a second drive. Just make sure Windows is already there and the linux boot loaders will pick it up.

      • bellsDoSing@lemm.ee
        2·
        11 months ago

        Yeah, AFAIR, the issue of “windows messing up grub” could happen when it’s installed on the same disk (e.g. on a laptop with one disk). Something about it overwriting the “MBR sector”. At least that was a problem back before UEFI.

        I too have been dual booting Windows 10 and Linux for many years now, each having their own physical disk, Linux one always being first in boot order. Not once did a Windows 10 update mess up grub for me with this setup.

    • TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml
      65·
      11 months ago

      Many ThinkPad models have a separate extra M.2 WWAN slot for 4G SIM modem, something you can check with respective models’ PSREF sheet. You can put either 128 or 256 GB (whatever specified) M.2 SSD of sizes either 2230 or 2242, which I was able to do on my L470 (a very modern laptop).

      On a desktop, it is obviously easy, but on laptops, it depends, but you will find ThinkPads to be the most pro-consumer and pro-poweruser laptops.