With the increased popularity that Linux is getting everyday, it's difficult not to be affected by the hype. And with the good things being said about it, everyone wants to give it a shot. The only problem is that Linux is not an application which can be installed in Windows. It is a completely different operating system which has to be installed independent of any other operating systems present on your computer. Since most beginners would rather not take a complete plunge and delete everything off their hard-disks before installing Linux, certain steps have to be taken to install/run Linux without destroying your Windows partitions.
There are lots of ways to get Linux and Windows on the same laptop, the most common being dualbooting and virtualization. In this article, we will take a look at them.
Dualbooting means exactly that - having two different operating systems available to boot. Once a dualboot setup has been configured, you will be able to choose which operating system you want to boot when you turn your computer on. This selection screen is known as a bootloader and it will boot your selection of operating system.
While you can theoretically install Linux first, followed by Windows, it will be more cumbersome to do so since Windows erases Linux's bootloader and installs it own, making Linux unbootable. You would then have to boot the Linux installer CD/DVD and reinstall the Grub bootloader. The simplest and smartest way is to install Windows first. Once Windows is installed, you have to boot the Linux distribution's installer. Many distributions come with LiveCDs which allow you to test the distribution before you install them. Others have an installer CD/DVD which starts up an installer script and helps you install it. The method of installation depends on your choice of distribution.
Most distributions today come with a LiveCD which allows you to test it before installation. All you have to do is download the CD/DVD image, burn it to a CD/DVD in ISO/Image format, then boot it on your computer by changing the BIOS settings. The Linux bootable CD/DVD will start up a simple bootloader which will instruct you to press "Enter" or type in a specific option for behavior/drivers not present in the default bootup. In most cases, all you have to do is press "Enter" which will boot the Linux installer/live CD/DVD. Once booted, it should either show an installer or a usable Linux environment with an icon on the desktop for the Installer program.
During the installation, the installer should detect your Windows partition(s) on your hard-disk. Setting up dual-boot is as simple as selecting the relevant option from the installation menu and following the onscreen prompts. The Linux installer will then automatically partition your hard-disk in such a way as to have a separate Linux partition.
The GRUB bootloader will be installed in place of Windows' NT Bootloader. Grub supports booting of various operating systems, including Windows and Linux.