Dual booting Win7 and Linux?

[WBMc36]

I currently have a laptop running Win7, and have never dual booted a computer. I am wondering how hard it would be for me to do this. I downloaded win7 from my university, so i can still access that and have my product key for it. Since i don't know the first thing about dual booting and have never used linux before i am wondering how difficult of a transition this will be? I assume it might be difficult to find drivers for my laptops hardware that would allow it to function on linux, or am I mistaken? Any help/guidance is appreciated.

 

[lunatic59]

Dual booting is fairly simple to do depending on the linux distro. For a linux noob, I'd recommend Ubuntu or Mint.

First thing you need to do is make room for the Linux filesystem. Shrink the Win7 partition to leave enough comfortable room on each partition for files and applications.

Here are two similar sets of instructions with slightly different approaches:

Dual-Boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu in Perfect Harmony

Dual Boot Your Pre-Installed Windows 7 Computer with Ubuntu - How-To Geek

I wouldn't be too concerned with function or drivers. Linux has come a long way in the last 10 years

 

[drdoom]

It's super easy man. Those guides lunatic59 posted are helpful, but you can basically download the Ubuntu live CD, and it will allow you to set up a dual boot install hassle free. All you have to do is click "Next" a few times, allocate the hard drive space for Windows and Ubuntu, and then press "install."

 

[karandpr]

For Beginners I will suggest investing in a nice 4-8 GB pendrive (or using an old one )

Go to
http://www.linuxliveusb.com/
Download Lili

Download your favorite distro iso
Ubuntu,Linux Mint ,or knoppix are my suggestions

Open Lili and

Set the persistence to 1.5-2 GB .(or whatever you like )

Just boot from pendrive .
You can save 1.5 to 2 GB of your work .(or depending upon persistence )
e.g
if you download 15 applications and theme it ,
after a reboot a normal live CD/USB without persistence changes to default .

But with persistence the applications are saved and on next boot you will have the modified system as is .

I have 8GB drive with Mint 10 LXDE . This greatly increases my productivity since I can carry my workspace with me .All I need is one PC/laptop .

 

[WBMc36]

Thank you all for your help. I have downloaded Ubuntu and am burning the live cd now. This seems a lot easier than i thought it was going to be. I am assuming if i change the directory of the my documents, pictures, etc in windows to my external hard drive that i will still be able to see them in ubuntu? Or will ubuntu pick them up if i leave them on the C: drive with the windows partition?

 

[lunatic59]

Thank you all for your help. I have downloaded Ubuntu and am burning the live cd now. This seems a lot easier than i thought it was going to be. I am assuming if i change the directory of the my documents, pictures, etc in windows to my external hard drive that i will still be able to see them in ubuntu? Or will ubuntu pick them up if i leave them on the C: drive with the windows partition?

Ubuntu won't automatically recognize the documents but it will allow you to mount the partition and read and write to them. Leave them on your windows partition. No need for an external drive.

 

[WBMc36]

I am having problems allocating hard drive space. In the second guide it shows a picture with a slide bar that you can allocate space for ubuntu. When i am going to install i do not see this rather one bar, no slide. I do not want to use the full 300gb that windows is installed on, but it won't let me create a new partition. Any ideas?

 

[lunatic59]

Boot into Windows 7 and from the start menu, right-click on computer and choose manage. From there under storage got to disk management. Find your C: drive partition and right-click on it (either in the list or the diagram) and choose shrink volume. If your C: partition is currently 300 GB and you want to allocate a third of it to Ubuntu, shrink it to 200 GB. Then just leave the free space alone and let Ubuntu use it for the Ext4 partition.