Creating a Dual Boot System for Windows and Linux OS

This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to create a dual boot system for Windows and Linux OS. It covers topics such as preparing the system for installation, creating a live disk or USB drive, booting into the live USB or disk, starting the installation, preparing the partitions, booting the Ubuntu OS, and booting the Windows OS. The article also includes a bibliography for further reading.

Running head: DUAL BOOT ENVIRONMENT
Dual Boot Environment
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Creating a Dual Boot system using Windows and Linux OS:
Installing an operating system for in a computer system is a very much critical task,
and it becomes more complex and critical task when two operating systems need to be
installed in a single computer system using dual boot environment. There are several steps
which needs to be followed for creating a dual boot environment. In the following section,
some steps will be evaluated for creating a dual boot environment for installing both the
Windows and Linux in the same computer system. For the demonstration of this method,
Windows 10 and Ubuntu OS is selected in this case. In this case, we already assume that the
Windows 10 is loaded into the system and we just need to create the dual boot environment
and need to install the Ubuntu in this case.
Step 1: Get the System ready for the Installation Process
1. As the Windows 10 is already loaded in the targeted system, first of all, a backup
must be taken of the existing Windows 10 system to avoid any type of data loss issue
during the installation process.

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(Figure 1: Backup of existing Windows System)
2. In the next step, the fast boot of the targeted system must be disabled in order to boot
from an external device rather than the internal hard drive of the system.
(Figure 2: Turning off the fast start up feature)
3. The secure boot also needs to be turned off in this case so that the GRUB menu of the
Ubuntu can be booted.
Step 2: Create a live disk or live USB Drive
1. First to create a live Ubuntu environment the ISO file of the OS must be downloaded
from the official website of Ubuntu. The Ubuntu environment would be developed
with the help of the consideration of the successive and implied management works.
2. In the next step, the ISO file must be burned to a disk using some appropriate tools or
can be mounted in an external bootable USB drive. The burning of ISO file would
take care of the factors for integrating the implied management of the USB drive
inclusion and taking care of the OS work alignment.

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Step 3: Boot into the Live USB or disk
1. First of all the USB device or the live disk need to be plugged into the targeted
computer and the computer must be restarted. The USB device must be bootable for
ensuring the reading of the USB drive in the boot menu of the system.
2. While the computer is being restarted the user needs to enter in the boot menu of the
system by pressing an appropriate key combination.
(Figure 3: Restarting the Windows 10 system)
3. After entering into the boot environment, the user must select the disk or the USB
device as the boot source of the system.
Step 4: Start the Installation
1. Once the USB or the disk is selected as the boot media source for the system the user
should get the menu of either trying the Ubuntu or directly installing the Ubuntu. In

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this case, the user needs to select the install Ubuntu option for the direct installation.
Also, the user can also try the Ubuntu system before installing.
(Figure 4: Starting Ubuntu from live disk)
2. The user needs to follow some simple steps then and needs to select the installation
location and then to design the partition of the system appropriately. The simple steps
would enable the listing of the functional management of the activities. The
integration would help in forming the continuation of the innovative system OS
configuration.
Step 5: Prepare the Partitions
This step is the most important step for creating a dual boot environment for both
Windows and Linux.

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1. In this case, first of all, a separate partition needs to be created for installing the
Ubuntu system. As an Ubuntu system only supports an ext4 system, an ext4 partition
must be created.
(Figure 5: Partition creation for installing Ubuntu)
2. In the next case, the system will prompt the type of the installation of Ubuntu OS. The
user needs to select something else for this step.

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(Figure 6: Choosing installation type as something else)
3. Creation of the root partitions is the next step. Using some free space of the internal
hard disk of the system easily a root partition can be created for the system.

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(Figure 7: Creation of the root partition)
4. After the root partition, the swap partition is also needed in this case. Thus in this
step, a swap partition must be created.
(Figure 8: Creation of the swap partition)
5. Following the swap partition, a home partition will be created in this case. The swap
partition must be double size of the actual ram size of the targeted system.
Step 6: Boot the Ubuntu OS
1. In the first step, the Ubuntu OS is booted in its start-up setting page for the first time
logging in the system. In this case, the user needs to select the location.

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(Figure 9: Selecting current time zone of the user)
2. After that, the layout of the keyboard needs to be selected for further continuation of
the setup process. In this option, the user can choose the keyboard layout of his or her
own choice.

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(Figure 10: Selection of the keyboard layout)
3. The next step is the process of registering the user name and the password for the
logging into the system. The user can select the user id of his or her own choice and a
password need to be selected which must consist of at least one uppercase and lower
case letters, numbers and special characters.
(Figure 11: Securing Ubuntu with a user id and password)
4. After this, the system would be required for rebooting as it would involve the
automatic configuration of the system.

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(Figure 12: Restarting Ubuntu after successful installation process)
5. After the restarting of the system the system will boot directly to the GRUB menu,
and from the GRUB menu, Ubuntu needs to be selected for booting to the Ubuntu.
(Figure 13: GRUB menu)
6. After booting to the Ubuntu, it will show the login page in which the user needs to
input the user id or the user name and the respective password for successfully
logging into the system.

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7. In the next step after logging into the system, the user of the system will be able to
browse the files of both the Windows and Ubuntu directory as Ubuntu supports the
NTFS file system.
Step 7: Boot the Windows OS
1. First of all the current running Ubuntu OS need to be restarted by following proper
methods.
(Figure 14: Restarting Ubuntu)
2. In the next step the system will again boot into the GRUB menu, and from there
Windows operating system needs to be selected.
3. The system will boot in to the account login page of the Windows.
4. The user will simply input the password for his or her account and then can use the
Windows OS, but the user will not be able to browse the Ubuntu directories as the
Windows 10 does not support the ext4 type system partitions.

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(Figure 15: Windows 10 user login page)

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Bibliography:
Gorman, M. (2013). Canonical Gives Developers a Preview of a Dual-Booting Ubuntu and
Android Future. Published on: Dec, 23.
Hoffman, C. (2014). Dual Booting Explained: How You Can Have Multiple Operating
Systems on Your Computer. HowToGeek, April, 28.
Silberschatz, A., Gagne, G., & Galvin, P. B. (2018). Operating system concepts. Wiley.
Sobell, M. G. (2015). A practical guide to Ubuntu Linux. Pearson Education.
Zynel, M. (2016). Multi-booting Solaris and other operating systems.