Hi! Thanks for reading.
I’m sure all of us Linux users revel in the countless articles coming out about the enshittification of Windows, reporting on how Microslop is utilizing more and more vibe coding, transforming PCs into rental clients, and more.
While I’m happy to call myself a Kubuntu-ist, many of my family members still daily drive Windows 11 on their PCs. I can only imagine how their UX is declining day over day.
This makes me want them to witness the freedom of Linux!
So, what are your easiest ways to set up dual boot between W11 and your favorite distro?
Seems like a GUI would be best for non-tech savvy people. Something like rEFInd or Clover (I come from the Steam Deck dual boot world, and am somewhat familiar with this one).
Are there any risks with changing the default Windows Boot Manager? I’ve heard that Windows updates can mess things up, but that if you install Windows first, that can save some headache down the road.
Bonus if you have a favorite distro for non-tech savvy people that needs minimal configuration!
Managing windows in a VM with a Linux host on bare metal is long term much more manageable and headache free than dual booting. It’s also a lot easier for Linux to host files to be shared between Linux and Windows than it is to manage a filesystem on bare metal that each alternates access to and to which they can both read and write. Easy sharing of files between systems is going to make the transition a lot less painful. That’s just a lot easier with Linux hosting a VM of windows in my experience. Makes backing up data easier too.
There is plenty of documentation for various options. I have mostly use a mix of samba and NFS to share between various Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS devices for decades. It’s scales well from a single device hosting multiple VMs, to dual booting and accesing shared files on an independent server, to ahomelab with a mix of devices and operating systems, accessing levels, and automatic backups.
I’ll have to look into virtualizing Windows in Linux. I admit I haven’t had to do this much because Kubuntu does what I need it to lol. I’ve done the opposite in W10 where I ran a CLI VM version of Ubuntu.
Probably a good cheap first step though you’re right!
Do you know of any guides for that?
Seems like that’s the best solution if the goal is to achieve successful migration rather than adding more bugs. I want the opposite.
Thing is: getting 3-4 new laptops for my immediate family can be costly, and the market isn’t making that any easier. Doesn’t mean used PCs are out of the question. I wonder how those are faring in the current climate.