Installing Ubuntu next to Windows 10: step-by-step instructions

Many who have visited this page first hear that there is an opportunity to install two operating systems side by side, but there is such an opportunity. This article is intended for those people who want to learn how Ubuntu is installed next to Windows 10. The article will detail all aspects of the operation presented, from the very beginning to the last stages.

Why do I need to install Ubuntu next to Windows?

Initially, it is worthwhile to talk about why this, in general, is needed. After all, many people throughout life use only a single operating system installed on their computer, and do not complain. Of course, everyone has their own need for such an installation, but in any case to assert that it is necessary is silly.

To disassemble this question in detail, you must first familiarize yourself with the operating systems themselves, that is, with Ubuntu and Windows. And if almost everyone knows about Windows, Ubuntu, probably, someone hears for the first time. Of course, you will not be able to tell about everything in the article, after all the topic is not about this, but it is worth to mention a couple of aspects.

The first difference and, perhaps most importantly, is that there is no registry in the Ubuntu operating system. Probably, many people do not say anything about this, but this fact is positive. After all, faced with such a problem that after a long use of Windows, it starts to slow down: the processes start long, the central processor does not cope with the processing of tasks and the computer periodically hangs. So, it's all because of registry clogging. That is, even if you use Ubuntu for a very long time, its performance will not fall.

In addition, there are no viruses on Ubuntu, and there is no need to protect the system with antivirus software.

All this has a positive effect on the operation of this OS, and most people are therefore interested in how Ubuntu is being installed next to Windows 10.

The first stage: the creation of bootable USB flash drive

Before the story of how Ubuntu is installed next to Windows 10, you need to explain how to write a bootable USB flash drive with the correct operating system.

Here everything is simple, but many at this stage come to a standstill. Nowadays there are a lot of programs that allow you to burn an OS image, and they are all good in their own way, some allow it to be done quickly and without deep knowledge in computers, while others are the other way around.

The article will deal with one of these programs, more specifically about Rufus.

Now we'll get to know her better.

Recording a USB flash drive with Rufus

Recording a bootable flash drive using the Rufus software can be considered the easiest and fastest. And if you doubt your abilities, then this method is for you.

This program is in the public domain, and everyone can download it free of charge from the official website. After downloading the installation is not required, you can immediately start recording the image on the USB flash drive.

After opening, the interface of the program appears before your eyes . As you can see, it is very compact, and it's good, because it is rid of unnecessary unnecessary information, and all the actions performed will lead only to one - to the recording of the boot drive.

So, the flash drive is inserted into the computer, and you are ready to start the process. For this:

1. Determine which image will be recorded. In the right lower part of the program window, find the button with the disk icon, click it. The explorer opens, in it, navigate to the downloaded file, in this case Ubuntu, and click OK.

2. Determine the flash drive. In the program window, find the item "Device", click on it, a drop-down list will appear, select your flash drive in it.

3. We determine the partition scheme and the type of the system interface. At this step you need to select your indicators. If you have an MBR, then choose it if the GPT is it. More details about this we'll talk just below.

4. Determine the file system. In our case, choose FAT32, since we install a Linux distribution, if you had to write Windows, then it would be worth choosing NTFS.

Now press start and wait until the flash drive is written.

As for the choice of the partition scheme and the type of system interface, here in general everything is simple. If the installation of Ubuntu next to Windows 10 on a GPT disk occurs, then select this item in the drop-down list, if it's on the MBR with BIOS or UEFI, then select it. But do not think that for each paragraph of the instructions will be different. Installing Ubuntu next to Windows 10 MBR is no different from GPT.

The second stage: the beginning of the installation

Unfortunately, this stage can differ significantly for different users, since it directly depends on the type of system interface. They are known to exist in two forms: BIOS and UEFI. The article will cover each of them, and in detail it will be told how the Ubuntu installation is running next to Windows 10 on UEFI and BIOS.

Begin the installation through the BIOS

BIOS, most likely, installed by every second person reading this article. In general, it is already considered a relic, it was UEFI who came to replace it. But since there are still a lot of people with the BIOS, it's worth mentioning the theme of installing Ubuntu through it.

After the image of the OS was written to the USB flash drive, installation of Ubuntu 16.04 begins next to Windows 10. To do this, restart your computer and press the Del or F2 key while running it. This will cause you to enter the BIOS of the computer. Here we are only interested in one tab. Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to go to the BOOT tab. This is where we need to select the priority device when starting the computer. We need to choose a flash drive.

Important! On each computer, the BIOS may be different, and the choice of the priority device can be modified, so there will be no specifics.

If you are not good at understanding a foreign language, then pay attention to the fields where Hard, Disk and Priority will be written. Opposite these fields will be written the name of your hard drive, often starting it with SATA, it is SATA that needs to be changed to a USB Flash Card.

We hope this abstract idea helps you to choose the right settings, but even if you made a mistake, do not be afraid, it will not lead to anything bad.

After selecting the priority device, go to the Exit column and select the first item - "Exit with saving the changed settings".

Now your PC will reboot and the Ubuntu installer will start.

Start the installation via UEFI

In general, installing Ubuntu next to Windows 10 UEFI and BIOS is no different, only the stages are slightly different.

You will also need to reboot the computer and enter the BOOT Menu, only now UEFI, after recording the boot drive. To do this, when you start the computer, you need to press the corresponding key, on each computer it is different, it depends on your motherboard. Below is a table that will clearly show which key to press.

So, you restarted the computer and pressed the corresponding key, now you have BOOT Menu opened in it, select the launch of the USB flash drive through UEFI - this is the point where the word "UEFI" is written before the name of the flash drive.

After that, the Ubuntu installer opens.

Choosing an Installation Method for Ubuntu

So, after the above instructions are executed, the grub menu should open before you, which is where we select the installation method for Ubuntu itself. In general, there are two options: to start the operating system from the USB flash drive and after checking it for operability to perform the installation or immediately proceed to installation. Choose only you. But it's worth noting that if you run the OS from a USB flash drive, you can use the programs during installation.

Disk layout

After you select the operating system installation method, the installation starts immediately.

Algorithm of actions:

1. On the first page, select the language and click "Next".

2. On the second page, you must choose whether to download updates during installation or not. Here at will, but if you do not put a check mark, then the update can be downloaded later. But a checkmark in front of the installation of third-party software is better to put it so that there are no conflicts with your devices and everything functions correctly after installation. Click "Next".

3. The third stage is the choice of installation type, since we are installing Ubuntu next to Windows 10 (on another disk or not - anyway) choose "Another option" and click "Next".

4. At this point, we need to make a disk layout. If before you did not leave free space under Ubuntu, then you need to take a piece of memory from the created partitions. It's best to take memory from drive D, because it's not a system memory on Windows 10. To do this, by looking at the size, find it in the list and click RMB and choose Resize / Move from the menu. In the appeared window, opposite to the line Free space following, specify the size of the memory to be taken, 50 000 MiB is enough.

5. Next, you need to split the disconnected partition into subsections. To do this, select it and press the "+" sign. In the window that opens, select the memory for the root partition and in the drop-down list, opposite to "Use as", select "ext4", and opposite the "Mount point" - "/". Click OK.

6. Now create the swap partition. To do this, allocate 4 000 MiB of memory and select a swap from the drop-down list. Click OK.

7. Then select "Install Now" and click "Continue" in the window that appears.

8. At this point, you need to select your time zone.

9. At the last stage, you need to fill in all the fields and click "Continue".

That's it, the installation started, after it's finished, the computer will reboot and you will be able to choose which operating system to boot from, Ubuntu or Windows 10. I also want to remind you that installing Ubuntu next to Windows 10 on one disk or on different is no different, Just by installing it will be necessary to select the required one.