Of all the operating systems designed for personal computers, there are two clear leaders: Linux and Windows. Why are these two shells the most popular among users?
- Linux is a free and open source system. An inherent advantage of this shell is the possibility of its customization - the user configures the OS the way he needs it. Ubuntu is a Linux distribution that is simple and popular and runs smoothly even on older systems. Ubuntu is not the only option, it is also possible to use Linux Mint, Kali and others.
- Windows- the second most popular OS in the world, which provides enormous opportunities, since it is for it that the largest share of programs and games is developed. A large selection of application software and applications for entertainment is the main advantage of Microsoft's OS over Ubuntu.
Preparing to install Ubuntu
The user reading this article probably already has the latest version of Microsoft's OS installed. To start installing Ubuntu next to Windows, you need to do the following:
Preparing a local disk
If the user already has experience in dividing disk memory into local disks using a volume manager, he can do this in the way that is convenient for him.
Let's consider the general case where a standard Windows application will be used. If the disk space consists of one logical drive, you will have to compress it in order to allocate space for the subsequent installation of Ubuntu next to Windows. If available several sections– you will need to decide which of them will be completely cleared and then allocated for the new OS.
Regardless of the situation, you must do the following:
Preparing disk space in Windows 7
Although most users of Microsoft's operating system have already switched to its latest version, there are still people who are loyal to 7. It can also be installed with Ubuntu as a second system on the same computer. The process of preparing memory on the hard drive is slightly different due to the differences between the old and new systems, so we will analyze the case with Windows 7 separately.
Further actions depend on the number of initial logical drives. So, if there are two of them, then it is advisable to take a bite (or completely allocate a logical drive) from the one on which the games are installed and the files are stored. The system disk should only be touched if there is only one on the computer.
- If, for example, the memory is divided into D and C, there is an alternative: select drive D by right-clicking on it and selecting " Shrink Volume" or " Delete volume" The first option will allocate space, and the second will completely clear D for further installation of Ubuntu.
- If there is only one C, you need to right-click on it, then “ Shrink Volume", then indicate the required amount of space in GB (from 10 GB).
Preparing disk space via Linux
In order to allocate disk space from Linux, you will need the GParted program, a standard utility for some Ubuntu builds.
With its help, the user will be able to allocate disk space for the new OS in much the same way as was done in the standard Windows utility. 
The required amount of memory is taken from the largest partition in terms of volume, an empty partition is created, on which the OS will be installed in the future.
Initially, all partitions in the system are connected to work. This is indicated by either a key sign or a lock sign. In both cases, you need disable partitions. This is easy to do by right-clicking on the desired one, selecting “ Unmount». 
By right-clicking on the drive of interest and selecting “ Resize/Move", you can resize the largest partition, thus creating a new one, which will be necessary for further work. 
Afterwards, a new local disk will appear, empty. 
You must save the changes in the top panel by clicking on the green checkmark. The user now has space to install a second OS. It remains to divide this memory into three cells so that everything fits the requirements of the Ubuntu system.
Memory is also broken down very easily. To a free cell ( anallocated) press RMB, then select “New”, then make sure that in the “New size” field all memory is indicated, and in the “Create as” item “Extended Partition” is selected. 
On the extended section, right-click again, again “New” in the context menu. Now we create a system partition, the volume of which will be 7 GB (7168 MB). In point " Filesystem" ext4 should be specified. 
Another partition is for the swap disk. You should allocate an amount of memory equal to your RAM for it. 
The latter is a memory cell for user files and programs. After all three sections are created, the user should observe the following: 
It is worth clicking on the green checkmark on the top panel again, after which progress will continue and you can proceed to installation. 
Preparing bootable media
To successfully install one of the systems next to the second, you need to write the distribution kit of one of them onto a flash drive in a certain way. For this purpose, we will look at an application for Windows OS − UniversalUSBInstaller.
Bootable flash drives for Windows and Ubuntu are created using this principle.
Downloading and installing Windows and Ubuntu
Due to the fact that all users have different BIOS, the OS installation process will be described only in general terms.
First of all, the user installs USB in boot priorities (BIOS subsection). After this, restart the PC. The Ubuntu installation menu will open. In the first menu, the user will have several sub-items to choose from: 
Features of installation with UEFI
UEFI is a big problem for inexperienced users who want to install Ubuntu on their device. The updated BIOS is not so simple and requires a certain approach:
Starting the system
After installing Ubuntu Linux, the classic system startup window will change. Next, every time the computer starts, the user will need to choose which operating system he wants to use this time. 
- Ubuntu– launch Linux OS accordingly.
- Windows 7/10– launch the operating system from Microsoft.
If you want to know what the Linux operating system is, but don’t want to completely replace Windows, then the best solution would be to install Linux as a second OS.
With this installation, you have a choice of which system to start when you turn on the computer.
For example, I chose the version, since this version is the easiest to learn, and if you are still completely unfamiliar with the Linux system, but at the same time have experience in working with Windows, then Linux Mint is an ideal option. It has built-in codecs that you don’t need to download when downloading the image, flash, and other useful little things.
Currently the latest version of this operating system is . It includes several models that have various additives. For example, KDE is an option that contains absolutely all programs that may not be particularly necessary for the average user, Xfce is an ideal option for computers that are not particularly powerful, that is, for old and weak devices, MATE is perhaps the most suitable option for ordinary users, since this version is perfectly balanced. I usually download the 32-bit version, since my computer is hardly particularly powerful.
I use torrent to download.
Upon completion of the download, we have a file weighing 1.2 gigabytes, which should be written to a flash drive or DVD.
After this, when you turn on the computer, you need to go into the BIOS and select installation from a disk or flash drive. A detailed overview of this procedure can be found in the article on installing Windows. On my device, I just need to press the Escape key while starting the computer, and the Boot Menu appears. Just in it you will need to select boot from a flash drive.
Once you choose what to boot from, Linux will begin to boot. At this point, you can either familiarize yourself with the functions that the system provides in advance, or immediately turn on the installation. To do this, select the shortcut named “Install Linux Mint”.
Then you should select the language in which the installation will be carried out and press the Continue button.
After this, you will have a window where you can choose whether you currently want to connect to the Internet or not. To do this, check the box next to the item you need.
Then a question window will pop up asking if your device has 7.9 gigabytes of free space to install the OS, and will also advise you to connect the charger if you have a laptop, and also connect the Internet connection. The latter, by the way, is not mandatory. After this, click the continue button again.
At this stage, you have the opportunity to choose whether to install Linux as a second system, or format the disk and install it as the main OS. Here you need to select “Install Linux Mint next to Windows” and click the Continue button.
The free space will be shown on the right for Windows, and on the left for Linux. Now you should select the location where the Linux data will be stored and press the Install Now button.
Click the continue button.
Here you need to select the region in which you live, but this is not required, and then click continue.
Now you should select the keyboard layout language and click continue.
At this stage, you should provide your name and come up with a password, and then choose a launch method. Personally, I choose to log into Linux automatically.
By pressing the Continue button, the installation will start, which will take about 10 minutes.
Once the installation is complete, you should restart your device.
After this, when you start the computer, you will be offered a choice of which system to start. If you don’t start anything, the first OS will turn on.
As you can see in the picture, Linux OS is first on the list, and Windows is last. Now you just need to visit the system you want to start and press Enter. That's it. Everything is ready. We wish you good luck.
Among new Linux users, it is quite popular to use two operating systems on the computer - Windows, as a secondary system, just in case, and Linux, for learning, as the main system. One of the most popular systems for beginners is Ubuntu, and most users still use Windows 7 and consider it the best operating system. Despite all the problems, it remains popular.
In this article we will look at how to install Ubuntu next to Windows 7. If you think about it, this is the simplest option that could be.
Installing Ubuntu next to Windows 7
This is Windows 7, it uses a regular bootloader and does not yet know what UEFI is, so there will be no problems during installation. I assume that you already have Windows 7 installed on your computer and you are going to install Ubuntu as a second system.
Preparing a hard drive in Windows
I have already written in more detail about what partitions are needed and why in the article disk partitioning for Linux. But that's not the point. Now you have Windows and it takes up your entire hard drive. We need to separate some space from it, and at the same time do it so that nothing is broken and everything works. We could use the Gparted program directly from the Linux or Acronis boot image, but the safest way is to use the standard Windows tools. Click on the icon "My computer" right click and open "Control":
Then select in the left column "Disk Management":
Here you need to find a way to allocate some memory for Linux. Typically Windows has two disks, let's switch to Linux terminology and call them partitions. The first is C: this is the main partition on which the operating system is installed. The second is drive D:, this is where files, games and other data are located. It is advisable not to touch the system partition at all, but to separate space from drive D. But if you have already decided to reduce the system partition, for example, because you only have drive C, then under no circumstances touch the beginning of the partition, you can only cut off from the end. So, first we need to shrink the partition. Therefore, mark the desired volume, right-click on it, click "Shrink Volume":
In the window that opens, you need to enter the amount of free space to which you want to shrink this volume:
We will need about 100 GB for Linux, at least 30 GB for the root partition, 10 GB for other partitions and about 60 GB for the home partition. This will be enough for you so that you don’t have to think about what to do to have more memory. When you select the volume, click "Compress".
When the compression is complete, an empty space will appear in front of you. This completes your work with Windows. Further creation of partitions is best done from Linux. Almost everything is ready to install Windows 7 and Ubuntu.
Burning bootable media
Next, we need to burn Ubuntu to our storage medium, for example, a flash drive. Since we are working on Windows, we will use the Rufus utility. Download and run the program. In it, select the flash drive you are going to write to, then go down and find "Create boot image", select "ISO image":
Then select the disk image you are going to burn and click "Start":
When recording is complete, you can restart your computer.
Preparing a disk in Ubuntu
Next, you need to restart your computer and boot from the media you just burned. I won't tell you how this is done. If you are planning to install Linux, then you probably already know how to work with the BIOS. When the Ubuntu image starts, you will need to immediately press any key to select the language:
Select "Russian" and press "Run Ubuntu without installation". We need to run the system without installation because this way you will have more freedom if any problems arise.
When the system starts, immediately open the installer. Although I will be looking at the stable version of Ubuntu 16.04, this will definitely work for Ubuntu 17.04, 17.10 and newer versions. Nothing has changed there except the desktop wallpaper.
In the first step of the installer, select your language:
Then don’t forget to check the boxes to install updates and additional software:
On the next screen we can move on to working with the disk. The installer itself determined Windows 7 and beginners, those who are afraid to get into the disk settings themselves, can select this item and install Ubuntu next to Windows 7 in automatic mode. But we'll go the other way and look at manual disk partitioning, so choose "Another variant":
Here we see the free space that we have allocated for Linux, I have 22 gigabytes, this will be more than enough to install a test system, but I recommend that you take about 100 GB and definitely at least 50. We have to create three partitions - the swap partition , root partition and home partition. First we create a swap partition. To do this, select free space and click the button "+" :
The partition size should be equal to the amount of RAM, and select the file system "Swap partition":
The next partition is the root partition, the partition size is from 30 Gigabytes, the minimum size is 8 GB, but it is better to take more so that you don’t have to think about where to get the memory later. For example, on my work system, which has been installed for a year, I now use 17 gigabytes on the root partition, despite the fact that I have not installed any games or heavy applications. We select the file system Ext4, and the mount point, the place where this partition will be mounted in the file system, is naturally “/”.
The last one is the home section. It takes up all the remaining space, the file system is also ext4, and the mount point is /home.
System installation
Now you are ready to continue with the installation. We leave the bootloader as is, let it be installed on this disk. It will transfer the Windows boot loader to the system partition and write itself to the MBR. Your installed Windows will be detected and you can access it from the menu during boot. When finished press the button "Install Now":
Next, you still have to create a new user, select a time zone, keyboard layout and wait. There is nothing specific here, so for information about this, see the article Installing Ubuntu 17.04.
Before deciding to install Ubuntu as a second system, test the Windows OS recovery so that if something goes wrong, you won't find your backups unusable.
The reason for such a big effort: when installing Ubuntu in parallel with Windows, problems may arise that are not only related to the Linux system. For example, the difficulties associated with the interaction of modern UEFI implementations.
Each motherboard manufacturer behaves in its own way and only tests for compatibility with Windows. Additional barriers to consider may include signed bootloaders, fast startup, and power-saving mechanisms.
BIOS or UEFI?
On modern hardware, your computer probably has UEFI firmware and Windows is installed in UEFI mode. If you have had a PC or laptop for a long time, it may also have a classic BIOS. To install Ubuntu, it is important to know exactly the layout, since you need to select UEFI or BIOS mode.
To check this, enter the query “System Information” in the Windows search bar and find the line “BIOS Mode”. If it says Legacy, Ubuntu should be installed in BIOS mode. In this case, both Secure Boot and the Fast Boot option must be disabled in the BIOS and the mode cannot be switched to “UEFI”.
If the system information says "UEFI", Ubuntu should be installed in "UEFI" mode and use the 64-bit version. To run Ubuntu alongside Windows in UEFI mode, Windows 8 and 10 users must disable Fast Startup. This is done in the power settings through the “Power button action” item.
In the Shutdown Options section, make sure that the Enable Fast Startup option is unchecked. Windows 7 users should disable hibernation mode from the Start menu with the command “powercfg /h off”. Finally, disable the Fast Boot option from the UEFI firmware.
Preparing space for Ubuntu
To install Ubuntu alongside Windows, you will need enough space. The Ubuntu installer is capable of reducing the space of your existing Windows. You can do this in advance, manually and directly from Windows. To do this, go to “Disk Management”, which is called up through the Start menu with the command “diskmgmt.msc”.
Typically, Windows takes up the entire disk, but can free up space for Ubuntu Even if you only use Windows, your hard drive often contains various partitions, including Recovery, UEFI Boot, and, of course, Windows System. The more complex the initial conditions, the higher the likelihood that Ubuntu Boot Manager will later break its teeth on your system.
To shrink an existing Windows C partition, right-click on it on the main utility screen and select “Shrink Volume.” Now you need to specify the size of the compressed space of the required space in MB. If you enter "20000", Windows will free up 20GB for Ubuntu. This is enough to get started with Linux. To reserve a place, click on the “Compress” button.
Installing Ubuntu
Start your computer again from the DVD or USB drive as described on page 85. In Live CD mode, click on the “Install Ubuntu 16.04 LTS” desktop icon. Follow the Wizard's instructions, first selecting your language. Connect via LAN or Wi-Fi to the Internet to receive updates immediately.
The key point during installation will be “Installation Type”. In this case, you should select “Install Ubuntu next to Windows Boot Manager.” Next, set the standard settings, such as location and account.
When the installation completes, you are given two options: remain in Live CD mode or restart your computer. Select “Continue acquaintance” and open the command line using the key combination “Ctrl+Alt+T”.
The command “sudo apt-get install efibootmgr” launches a small tool to configure the boot order. The "efibootmgr" command will display information about boot entries. In addition to the “Windows Boot Manager” line, the “Ubuntu” entry should appear. Use the command “sudo efibootmgr –o x,y” to change the boot order, where “x” is for the numbers before the Ubuntu entry and “y” is for the numbers before the Windows Boot Manager.
First steps in Linux
This operating system offers only a base for working with programs and web services. To ensure everything goes smoothly, you should become familiar with the system.
1. Getting to know the Desktop
Ubuntu uses what is called the Unity desktop. It looks simple, with a software panel displayed on the left side - the launcher. In addition, there is a menu bar at the top, similar to the implementation in Apple's Mac OS X. When you open a program, Ubuntu collapses the menu into this bar at the top of the screen rather than into a window. For a Windows-like experience, move the launcher to the bottom of the screen. At the moment, this requires entering a command in the terminal. "gsettings set com.canonical.Unity.Launcher launcher-position Bottom" moves the panel to the bottom. An analogue of the well-known Control Panel from Windows in Ubuntu are system settings.
2. Check for updates
Like Windows, Linux has regular security updates. They need to be installed After installing Ubuntu, the system is considered up to date if you allow the Wizard to perform the update. For those who like to speed up the process, there is the command “sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade”. The first part of the command requests the latest package from Linux servers, the second starts updates. To upgrade to a new version of Ubuntu, for example from Beta 2 from a premium DVD to the final version, also type “sudo apt-get dist-upgrade”. If the command line scares you, look for the appropriate GUI in the update manager.
3. Installation of programs
There are many programs available for Linux that are familiar to you from Windows. With the command “sudo apt-get install vlc” you can, for example, install VLC media player. Gnome offers a graphical utility for Ubuntu similar to the App Store. In it, find “vlc” and click on the “Install” button.
Solving problems with Ubuntu
Parallel installation of Ubuntu 16.04 next to Windows does not create any problems in itself, as our tests confirmed when installing in BIOS mode. However, the devil is in the details, as our experiments with various UEFI PCs and laptops revealed. At the same time, it seems that everything is going like clockwork, but then Windows boots again, and there is no word about Ubuntu.
If you too are facing a similar problem, search for a solution on Google with the exact model of PC or laptop in combination with Ubuntu. The quickest way to find advice is on specific BIOS/UEFI settings or special bootloader adaptation. So, we failed with a Sony Vaio Pro laptop and an NCQ-enabled SSD. Only after disabling this feature did Ubuntu start. In general, it is recommended to use the latest version of UEFI.
Instead of relying on Ubuntu to automatically configure your hard drive or SSD, you can resort to manual partitioning if an error occurs. The corresponding menu item in the “Installation Type” is simply called “Other Option”. Here you need to create three partitions: “/boot” with 250 MB (ext2 file system), a swap partition with 4092 MB, and you can allocate the remaining space to the root partition “/”. Let the bootloader write to the /boot partition.
Linux security under control
Even Linux is not invulnerable. In February 2016, hackers hacked the Linux Mint project server and changed the ISO files hosted on it. They hid a backdoor in the installation files to steal passwords. But you can protect yourself.
Checksum verification. Manipulations with Linux distributions pop up immediately if the checksums do not match. Windows utilities such as md5sums display values for ISO files. They must match the data from the developers.
Photo: manufacturing companies
OS installation:
Today, the Linux operating system is becoming more advanced and can completely replace the Windows OS, which has been installed on the computers of almost every user for the past decade.
It is worth noting that Linux and Windows are two completely different operating systems. It often happens that a user wants to switch to Linux, but at the same time cannot give up some Windows features. In particular, this problem is caused by certain software, but there is a way out in this situation.
Linux desktop
Firstly, the Linux system has quite acceptable substitutes for Windows programs.
Secondly, switching from one operating system is not problematic, the main thing is just to get comfortable and get used to the new desktop, which has several environments and many specific and useful settings. There are a large number of more useful and convenient programs. But what if you want to work simultaneously in two operating systems? Today we will talk about how to install Linux on a second operating system.
Stages of installing Linux on a second system:
The task of installing a second OS seems difficult and overwhelming, but not everything is as difficult as it seems at first glance.
Steps to install the second OS:
Stage I: download a ready-made image of the Linux operating system from the official website, for example, Ubuntu or Mint.
Stage II: write the downloaded image to disk, for this we use programs such as Ultra ISO, Alcohol120%, Nero. In addition to writing to disk, Linux is quite easy to install as a second operating system via a bootable USB flash drive. How to create it is written.
Stage III: This step involves directly installing the Linux OS itself. We boot from the installation disk or flash drive (do not forget to set the correct priorities in the BIOS). We reboot the computer, if everything is done correctly, the installation will start automatically, i.e. A dialog box will appear asking you to select Linux as the only operating system, or “install next to Windows.” In our case, we choose the second option. After this, follow the instructions on the monitor screen.
Start Menu
Completing the installation:
At the end of the installation process, the Grub boot loader will be installed, which will prompt you to select one of the operating systems every time you turn on the computer; you can fix this, if desired. You need to go to the Windows OS settings and select the time for displaying the dialog box to select systems at boot. I hope now you don’t have a question about how to install Linux on a second system. In principle, there is nothing complicated, just follow the instructions.
