I woke up Sunday Morning with a cool project in mind. I wanted to dual boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu. The real reason for this was because I decided to give Jekyll a try and it was going to be my replacement for WordPress, but I digress. Another major reason to dual-boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu was so that I could keep all of my Android development and Web development stuff within Ubuntu and use Windows solely for video editing and gaming. So here’s how I did it:
Buy New SSD
This step is not necessary at all.However, I wanted to reinstall Windows to a larger SSD and use my existing one (that’s currently running Windows) for Ubuntu. I purchased the Samsung EVO SSD. The speeds are incredible for the price point and so far I have been very happy with it.
Reinstall Windows
Microsoft has made reinstalling Windows very easy. Assuming that you’re currently running Windows, just go over and grab the media creation tool. It will make a bootable USB drive of Windows 10 for you. Alternatively, if you’re running Linux, you can download the iso. Once it’s complete, boot from the USB (go into your computer’s boot order and change to the USB). The installation for Windows it’s straightforward. Just follow the prompts and install.
Installing Ubuntu
Now that Windows is installed, go to Ubuntu’s website and download the ISO. Then use a program called Rufus to make a bootable USB drive. Once it’s complete, boot from the USB.
Ubuntu Installation Options
Because I’m installing Ubuntu to a separate hard drive, I did not choose the option to install Ubuntu alongside Windows. This would have placed it on the same drive as Windows, which is not what I wanted. On the next screen, don’t get overwhelmed with the options. Simply locate your drive and create a new partition. You will need two partitions: root(/) and swap. Your swap should be anywhere between 1 – 8GB. The more RAM you have, the smaller it should be. The rest can be delegated to your root partition. Hit install and you’re good to go.