Linux is an open-source family of operating systems. These operating systems are free to download and are based on Linux’s kernel. You can install them on either a Mac computer or a Windows PC. This is how to install Linux on Windows 10 computers.
You will need to create space for Linux OS to live if you want to dual-boot Linux and Windows. Partitioning your main drive is necessary in order to accomplish this. Here are the steps:
Windows 10: How to partition a hard drive
- Open Windows Search Bar. This icon is located in the lower-left corner.
- Type “DISKMGMT.MSC” in the search bar, and then hit enter.
- Right-click your main hard drive, and choose Shrink Volume. If you have multiple drives, ensure that you choose the Primary Partition. This is usually labeled the C: drive.
- Next, choose how big you want your drive to shrink. Linux users should have at least 20GB (20,000MB).
- Click Shrink.
Once you have allocated space for Linux installation, you will need to copy the Linux Distro to a USB thumb drive (or external drive) of 4GB or more. Here’s how you do it:
How to Make a Linux Bootable USB
- Download Linux distros in ISO format. An ISO file is a disk picture. Some of the most popular options include Ubuntu and Mint. You can download them from the main distributions website. We are using Ubuntu for this article.
- Insert your USB drive into your computer. It is possible that you will be asked to format the drive. You might be asked to format your drive. This will wipe all data on your drive. Make sure you back up all files before you start.
- Download Rufus. The latest version of Rufus can be found here.
- Open Rufus, and choose your USB drive from the Device list. You can eject any other drives until you have only one drive.
- Click the Select button under Boot Selection and select the ISO file that you have downloaded previously. Do not change any other default settings.
- Click Start. Click Start if you receive a pop-up message asking you to choose a mode to write the image.
Wait for Rufus’ to mount the ISO file onto your drive. It might take some time so please be patient if your progress bar is stuck.
Warning: This will wipe all data from your drive. Make sure you back up any important files.
How to install Linux from a USB
Here’s how you can use your Linux distro on a USB.
- Insert a bootable Linux USB drive.
- Select the start menu. This button is located in the lower-left corner of your screen and looks similar to the Windows logo.
- Hold down the Shift key and click Restart. This will launch the Windows Recovery Environment.
- Select Use a Device
- Locate your device in the list. strong>Find your device in the list.
- Now your computer will boot Linux. Your computer might reboot Windows if it hasn’t been responding to any of these commands.
Warning: If you don’t understand what you are doing, changing BIOS settings could cause irreparable damage to your computer. - Select Install Linux. Select Install Linux.
- Follow the installation steps. This process will vary depending on the distro you’re trying to install. This information could include the language and keyboard layout of your WiFi network. A username and password may also be necessary to create an account. You will probably need these details in the future.
- Many distros allow you to partition or erase your drive and then do a clean installation.
Warning: If you erase your disk, your files and settings will be lost. If you have backups of all your files prior to starting the installation process, only select Erase. - When prompted, reboot your computer. After rebooting, you’ll be taken to the GNU GRUB screen if you have more than one OS installed. This screen lets you choose which OS you wish to boot.
If your computer does not display a GRUB screen, you may try moving your Linux distro to a higher place on your boot list in BIOS.
After you are done, you can perform a hardware test. You may need additional drivers in some cases to perform certain hardware tasks. You can find the Systems Settings section of your Linux OS to allow you to download drivers. Once you have verified that your hardware works properly, you are ready to explore and use your Linux distro.
