Questions tagged [multi-boot]
Installation or use of multiple operating systems on a single computer.
2,860
questions
59
votes
15
answers
39k
views
Hibernating and booting into another OS: will my filesystems be corrupted?
IMPORTANT
If you came here looking for an answer to this question, please read all the answers below. There are some testimonials from people who have lost data doing this. If you plan to do this ...
- 11.8k
54
votes
7
answers
232k
views
Windows 10 Installation - A media driver your computer needs is missing
The most weird thing is happening to me:
I have a hp notebook which has no internal DVD drive, so I installed via an external USB LG Blueray burner.
First I installed Windows 10 customer preview into ...
- 1,071
49
votes
8
answers
35k
views
Does dual booting split RAM between the two systems?
I would like to install Kali Linux on my computer using dual booting. My computer has 8GB of RAM. Will that RAM be separated into 4GB for Kali Linux OS and 4GB for Windows if I use dual boot?
- 669
44
votes
9
answers
64k
views
Is it possible to dual boot two OS's at the same time?
Is it possible to dual boot two OS's at the same time?
For example: I'm currently dual booting Ubuntu 11.04 and Windows 7. Ubuntu is running on a single 500gb HDD, Windows 7 is running on 1TB RAID 1 ...
- 1,079
38
votes
8
answers
40k
views
How to make a multiboot CD that will start a user-chosen ISO file
I have many CD ISOs downloaded from the Internet. They are each about 100 MB in size and consist of repair/diagnostic programs and other tools. Some of them are Linux-based; others are based on DOS ...
- 1,452
37
votes
11
answers
72k
views
Will my computer slow down if I install multiple operating systems?
Many of my friends have said that installing multiple operating systems on a single PC slows down individual OS's because the total RAM gets divided among the OS's.
Is there any truth in the above ...
- 407
35
votes
6
answers
53k
views
Windows 10 time falling an hour behind when dual booting
I've checked and my BIOS clock stays correct so it can't be the CMOS battery.
Also when I boot Windows 10 and the clock is an hour behind if I got and sync the clock with the time server it shows ...
- 595
32
votes
1
answer
192k
views
How can I add Linux to the new Windows 8 boot manager?
Which OSes can be put into the new bootloader that Windows 8 provides?
It seems to be quite pretty and consistent with the rest of the new Windows 8 design, so it would be cool to put Linux (Ubuntu) ...
- 2,224
30
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Windows reverting changes made by Linux to FAT32 partition
I have a laptop with dual-boot Windows 10 and Linux Mint 19 Tara installed to the internal M.2 SSD.
Apart from all the OS-specific partitions, I have a 4 GB FAT32 partition on that SSD that I intended ...
- 403
27
votes
3
answers
23k
views
Are partitions to the inner/outer edge significantly faster
Some linux dual/multi-boot tutorials / general partitioning tutorials say that the inner side of a hard disk is faster than the outer side so partitions towards the outside tend to be slower while ...
- 451
26
votes
5
answers
122k
views
Ubuntu 14.04 installer doesn't show existing partitions
I am trying to install Ubuntu 14.04 alongside Windows 7. I have a 500 GB hard disk split into 3 partitions. I am installing Ubuntu from a live USB drive. But I am stuck at the "Installation type" ...
- 361
26
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Hibernate between OS X and Bootcamp Win 7
Is it possible to use the true hibernate system functionalities of Win 7 and OS X to create a kind of instant switching between the two? Imagine this when reading/writing the sleep images to a quick ...
- 584
25
votes
9
answers
129k
views
What is it that makes some USB sticks not-bootable?
I recently got a 64GB USB stick and planned to make it a system repair multitool, with different Linux and Windows installers and live images, but I seem to have a USB stick that cannot be booted.
...
- 595
24
votes
4
answers
60k
views
How to boot a physical Windows partition with qemu?
I have gentoo and windows 7 installed alongside on my only hard drive. I want to start my windows install from within gentoo through qemu. Boot menu works fine but windows bluescreens on me soon after ...
- 371
22
votes
5
answers
55k
views
What is the best drive format to share data between Mac, Linux and OS X?
Note: I'm not asking how... I know that. I'm currently using Paragon Software's drivers which let you access all drive formats from all OSes (e.g. the Linux drive from OSX or the OSX drive from Win7, ...
- 777
20
votes
3
answers
10k
views
How to configure dual boot NixOS with Mac OS X on an (U)EFI MacBook?
I could not find any description of configuring dual boot of NixOS and Mac OS X on an (U)EFI MacBook. I am willing to experiment, but i would like to know at least that what i will try is supposed to ...
- 1,191
19
votes
2
answers
24k
views
How should I set up my dual-boot so that I can hibernate the secondary OS?
So, my previous setup was a triple-boot of Windows 7, wubi-integrated ubuntu, and then fedora on the last partition using LVM. I have tired of not being able to access my Windows files from ubuntu (...
- 2,266
19
votes
3
answers
18k
views
How do boot sectors and multiple drives works?
I don't fully understand the concept of a boot sector, I was hoping someone could clear this up for me.
If you have two hard drives, with an OS installed on each, does each drive have its own boot ...
- 4,027
19
votes
4
answers
40k
views
Can Bitlocker be used in a dual boot system with Windows on one drive, Linux on another?
My workplace allows for remote logins to the company network, with certain prerequisites for securing a computer before making the connection, one of which is that Windows must be used to make the ...
- 494
18
votes
2
answers
117k
views
Windows 10 twice on the same machine
Is it possible to use two installations of Windows 10 on the same machine at the same time?
One that you already have installed and holds critical apps that mustn't break
One fresh installation for ...
- 303
17
votes
1
answer
157k
views
Create EFI partition before installing Windows 10
I'm currently using a dual boot setup on my laptop, with Windows 10 and Fedora and I'm planning to replace my HDD with an SSD for obvious reasons.
I'll make a clean installation of both OS, but I've ...
- 171
17
votes
2
answers
14k
views
Can Grub be configured to remember the last OS you booted into?
I typically have 2-3 OSes in my boot menu:
Ubuntu 10.04
Windows 7
[Sometimes, a third option, such as Ubuntu 10.04 Netbook]
If I am in an OS other than the default choice (Windows 7 in this case), ...
- 14.8k
17
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Windows/Linux dualboot: Windows asks for bitlocker recovery key every boot after reinstalling Linux
I had a working dual-boot with Windows 10, bitlocker encrypted, and Fedora 23, LUKS encrypted. When I turned it on I got the GRUB2 menu, and could boot Linux or Windows. Both OSes worked fine. Both ...
- 271
16
votes
10
answers
6k
views
Software to switch between OS
My question might sound too weired and tricky, but is there any way (software/hardware) that I can use to switch between 2 OS without restarting my PC?
Actually I have Windows 7 and Ubuntu installed ...
- 1,729
16
votes
7
answers
37k
views
What's the best way to share files between linux and windows 7 on a dual/multi boot computer?
Just got myself a new computer and thinking of how set it up.
I have win7 HP and will probably install at least some version of Ubuntu on it shortly to have dual boot. Might come other Linux distros ...
- 295
16
votes
5
answers
38k
views
Finding Bluetooth link key in Windows 7, to double pair a device on dualboot computer
How can I dig up the Bluetooth link key for a paired device in Windows 7? Is this something that is dependent on the Bluetooth stack I'm using (Toshiba), or is there a generic place to store these in ...
- 3,523
15
votes
3
answers
114k
views
How can I completely remove rEFInd from my Mac?
I installed rEFInd to have Ubuntu on an external drive, but no luck. Now I have decided to completely remove rEFInd from my Macbook Pro.
I removed the folder /efi/, but the boot manager keeps ...
- 151
14
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Multiple Windows installers on a USB stick
I've recently got my hands on one of those SanDisk Extreme 64GB sticks and started tinkering with it. During this story, please keep in mind that this is a model where removable bit is set to 0 (which ...
- 321
14
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Some questions regarding PXE servers and multi-booting
I currently work in a technology help desk for my college, where we fix the personal computers of all the students. We have hundreds of DVD's and CD's that we use to boot into all kinds of different ...
- 748
13
votes
5
answers
44k
views
How do I get the Windows 8 boot loader back and also list both Windows XP and Windows 7?
I have a system with Windows 7 and Windows XP, and today I have installed the Windows 8 Developer Preview into a spare partition (that I leave for a few months without any important data there). When ...
- 358
13
votes
4
answers
9k
views
How to boot to Windows 7 from Windows 8 boot menu without a restart?
I have a dual-boot system with Windows 7 and Windows 8. When I start the machine it takes me to the new Windows 8 boot menu with the blue background. Basically it looks like this:
If I ...
- 7,913
13
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Does Windows 8 allow multiboot when installing from a mounted ISO?
I just downloaded Windows 8 and am itching to install it. The installation says it will clean everything out. I assume (hope) that it only means I cannot transfer settings from my current OS and that ...
- 534
13
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Is it possible to boot Windows 8.1 without its own bootmanager?
I have been trying to come up with an easier way of installing Windows and Linux dual booting on my laptop, not necessarily in that order. What we generally have to do is install Windows first, and ...
- 233
13
votes
2
answers
8k
views
How to copy VirtualBox VDI contents to a partition and dual boot the OS from it?
I'm a Linux user but I keep a compressed Windows XP ISO with me on a pen drive for the case I absolutely need Windows to do something. This works in VirtualBox most of the time.
But now I want to ...
- 968
13
votes
3
answers
81k
views
How can I add a BCD Boot Entry for Linux in Windows Boot Manager in EFI?
I have a Windows 10 Laptop booting in EFI mode. I currently have Windows 10 and Linux Mint installed. I want to be able to boot into Linux mint from Windows Boot Manager. The thing is, I kind of ...
- 187
12
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Is it better to dual-boot or run a VM?
I want to run Windows Vista 64bit (Eventually Windows 7) and Ubuntu on the same machine.
I want to play games and do graphic design in Windows. I want to write code, surf the internet, check email, ...
- 505
12
votes
7
answers
8k
views
How do computers know which operating system to boot?
When I turn on my computer, what is the software that selects which operating system to boot, and how does it decide when given multiple options?
More specifically, what if I have a computer with ...
- 191
12
votes
2
answers
49k
views
Can I make USB drive bootable and install multiple OSes from it?
Is it possible to have USB drive bootable and place multiple ISOs like
Windows 7.iso
WindowXP.iso
Ubuntu.iso
RHEL.iso
so that I can choose which OS to install?
- 3,233
12
votes
4
answers
20k
views
How to use bluetooth devices under two different operation systems?
I've got an magic mouse and an apple bluetooth keyboard.
I usually run ubuntu on my computer, but sometimes I need to use windows 7 from an external disk.
Whenever I boot into the other system I ...
- 1,277
12
votes
3
answers
26k
views
Is it possible to have one MBR partition and one GPT partition on the same drive?
I would like to use one hard drive on an older computer that doesn't support UEFI, and have it boot from an MBR partition, while having another GPT partition which would be used to boot another ...
- 938
12
votes
4
answers
7k
views
Sharing TrueCrypt partition between Windows and Ubuntu
I want to install dual boot with Windows and Ubuntu (Windows 7 and Ubuntu 9.04 in this case) both sharing one partition for data with TrueCrypt. Is that possible? Would that work well?
My plan would ...
- 11.2k
11
votes
2
answers
31k
views
How do you install Linux alongside Windows 8 without corrupting the Windows 8 boot configuration?
In order to install Linux Mint 14 alongside Windows 8 I disabled UEFI and booted to a flash drive with the Linux image. I installed Linux, restarted the computer, and the GRUB boot loader appeared. ...
- 143
11
votes
3
answers
44k
views
Run two operating systems on the same computer at the same time (no hosting)
I know that two operating systems can share the same computer through hosting. For example, WINE can host Windows, or vice versa, Virtual Box can host a Linux system on a Windows box, but in both ...
- 6,151
10
votes
2
answers
6k
views
What do I have to take care of when hibernating both Ubuntu and Windows (dual-boot environment)
I've got both Windows 7 and Ubuntu (finally) installed on my laptop.
For the sake of comfort, I usually hibernate Windows instead of shutting it down. And I think when using Ubuntu regularly, there ...
- 615
10
votes
2
answers
58k
views
How do I move the Windows 7 Boot Files (bootmgr, ...) to a different drive?
I wanted a dual-boot setup. So first I installed Windows 7 on the 1st partition of one hard drive (we'll call it HDD1), and then I went to install Ubuntu 9.10 on the second partition of HDD1. ...
- 461
10
votes
2
answers
32k
views
Move Windows 10 partition to another location on the same drive and avoid boot problems
I an running Windows 10 on a 2 TB SSD. The drive partition layout looks like this:
01. 208 MB (no drive letter assigned)
02. 159.70 GB NTFS D: (Old Windows 7 installation partition)
03. 380.86 GB ...
- 5,249
10
votes
1
answer
16k
views
Veracrypt full disk encryption multi-boot Windows 10 and two Linux Distro on same SSD with some shared folders?
Never tried something like that, but this would be my preferred setup. I dislike VMWare and Virtual Box because they are slow.
Is this setup possible? And what would be the procedure to achieve this ...
- 417
10
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Returning from Dual-boot to just Windows
I installed Ubuntu sometime back along side Vista, but later found that I rarely (if ever) use Ubuntu. How easy is it to return my computer to its initial state of having only one OS, and freeing up ...
- 7,358
10
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Is it possible to select which system to boot before rebooting, on a multi-boot UEFI system?
I'm wondering if there's a way to have a computer with UEFI and two different OSes installed (Windows 10 and Linux Mint 17.x in my case) where you don't have to wait for the system to shut down in ...
- 398
10
votes
2
answers
11k
views
Windows 7 + Ubuntu dual boot + UEFI BIOS
I received a new Lenovo T420 laptop with Windows 7.
The disk now contains:
a hidden SYSTEM_DRV boot partition (1.17GB, 400MB used). I'm guessing this is the UEFI partition; the laptop comes with ...
- 133