Dual booting Ubuntu and Windows 10 on separate hard disk's
 

Firstly hello to the Linux community!

I have a slight altercation on how I normally install Linux...

My desktop has a 1TB hard drive with data on e.g. music, pictures etc but has no OS on, secondly I have an SSD that has Windows 10 on it but it is installed in UEFI mode.

I want to split the 1TB hard drive 50/50 half with my data, half with Ubuntu.

Could somebody put me into the direction of how to partition, install and dual boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu while retaining the data I have.

Thank you!

There is no substitute for a quality backup before you begin.

What I like to do is put loaders on each drive. To protect the windows drive, I'd remove it from the system.

While this one drive is installed I'd install linux to it. It should let you know that there is a partition with windows and not over write it. See first sentence above.

Hopefully you can install Ubuntu directly to this system. It may get quite involved if you want to use secure boot and uefi. LTS should install that way.

Now, if you don't mind playing with bios settings you may be able to uncheck secure boot and or maybe uefi to install linux.

Uefi is sometimes difficult as it is not fully standard between systems. Odd names or other missing or not working settings may be difficult.

If you want to be safe, you should be able to install a free virtual machine and run all sorts of linux distros from that extra area. It would have to be partitioned so that windows could access the area.

To clarify what you mean I have asked a question in each paragraph I do not understand

Do you meant delete the loaders or install them in an installation setup?

So for example if I installed Ubuntu on the second hard drive after backing up data, and assuming that the Windows OS is disk 1 to boot between the 2 os's that are on separate drives where do I install the boot-loader during the Ubuntu installation?

I would suggest that you read the Ubuntu documentation at the link below on dual booting Ubuntu and windows UEFI. The general rule, which is explained at this link, is that if you use UEFI for one system, you must also use UEFI for the second system.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI

if you still have data on that 1TB srink it with windows, then partition it, with windows, then active it with windows, give the side you have your data put on a drive letter. I remember, but i do not think you have to worry about the side you're going to use for Linux giving it a letter, but you can to just play it safe. Just remember or figure out which partition is which when you go to install Linux, so you do not have it formate the wrong one and you end up losing all of your data. you should be able to install the grub on that drive too and it should work. or you can install grub on /dev/sda .

From what I understand you'll have to install Linux UUID UIEFI or whatever its calls ( i do not use it) do not mix boot types, use the same type windows is using. with this UIEF UUID .... I am not sure no how to install the grub part as I stated I do not use that.

but the rest should be rather easy, just time consuming because Windows has to move everything to one side. you may want to defrag it first before you shrink it then split it. the side you are going to use Linux for can be NTFS Linux will reformat it to whatever you pick to install it on. that is just to allow Linux to see an active partition.

It is possible to install Linux kernel to existing UEFI partition and let UEFI firmware to boot it without any additional bootloaders. Or use rEFInd to boot it, no Grub needed.

MacP,

As advised above, do make BACKUPS before proceeding any further.

I suggest that you have a close look at this UEFI dual-boot article. It refers to W8.1 but W10 behaves in a similar fashion:

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/d...-8-ubuntu.html

An alternative arrangement you may like to consider would be to keep both systems on the SSD and all the data on the HDD.

If anything goes wrong with the SSD, then both lots of data are safe.

Keep both OSs on the SSD, with W10 and Ubuntu as a dual-boot.

The HDD to be split 50:50 with Windows data and Ubuntu data.

Using only Linux I have used an SSD and a HDD, keeping the data on the latter and using symlinks to the SSD:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...d-drive-36892/

Others put just root and swap partitions on the SSD and place the home partition on the HDD.

Thank you very much for the replies, everybody's input was appreciated!