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recently I tried to install xubuntu in dual boot with windows 10 and I failed. Although I followed the youtube tutorials (didn't select the whole hdd at the 'Device for bootloader installation'; I only selected the partition with xubuntu). After I finished the install, it would only boot to windows 10.So I did some research again and I stumbled across a topic on this website (the try xubuntu from the usb one)...followed the instructions, pasted the commands and I managed to install boot repair, selected common repair options (or something like that) and I got an error, so I gave up and tried the bios method. Unfortunately, my laptop doesn't have the 'select an uefi file as trusted...' so I got mad and wiped the partitions with disk manager in windows. But I really want to install linux in dual boot..so here I am asking you guys if you could explain me what I should do in order to not mess up the bootloader. I think, that maybe I should've selected the whole hdd at the 'Device for bootloader' (I didn't do it, because I followed a youtube tutorial). Also, my hdd is using GPT partition. What do you guys think?

Francesco
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2 Answers2

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"After I finished the install, it would only boot to windows 10" - this is possibly because you didn't change your BIOS to boot from Ubuntu first. You need to choose your Ubuntu partition as first priority in your motherboard BIOS so you can get to the GRUB bootloader so you can choose the OS.

Since you've just wiped Windows, you may as well format the whole disk so you can start from scratch. That will make the installation a lot easier. Here's the path I recommend:

  • First, prepare bootable installation media for both Windows 10 and Ubuntu.

  • Then boot from your Ubuntu installation media. Use the "Try Ubuntu" option, then open the "Disks" application.

  • In "Disks", select your hard drive and choose "Format...". Select GPT as the partition scheme.

  • Create two new "placeholder" partitions on that disk. The first partition should be the size you want for Windows. The second partition for Ubuntu should take up the remaining space. The file system does not matter because we are doing this to reserve space and you will end up deleting these.

  • You can already go ahead and delete the first partition you just created. At this point you should have un-partitioned free space at the beginning of your drive, and a placeholder partition where Ubuntu will ultimately be installed.

  • Install Windows 10 first. Reboot the computer with your Windows 10 installation media (UEFI mode) and select the unpartitioned free space as the destination for Windows 10. The Windows installer will create additional partitions, but it should not affect the "placeholder" partition.

  • Now that Windows 10 is installed, boot again with the Ubuntu installation media (UEFI mode). "Try Ubuntu" again and open "Disks" again.

  • Delete the Ubuntu "placeholder" partition.

  • Now you can "Install Ubuntu" from the desktop, or you can also reboot the installation media and choose "Install Ubuntu" instead of "Try Ubuntu".

  • If you did everything correctly, the Ubuntu installer will give you an option "Install Ubuntu alongside Windows". Choose this option and complete the installation.

  • After Ubuntu is installed, make sure that your BIOS boot priority is set to boot from the partition where you just installed Ubuntu. GRUB will show up on boot and you can select your OS on boot.

Nmath
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  • hey, @Nmath I respect your answer but I don't think removing an os completely and installing it again is a good idea. One can have large applications installed in it. Plus if one doesn't have any other storage medium then it can never be a good idea. – Parag Katoch Nov 18 '20 at 10:10
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  1. The first thing to consider is that Ubuntu has to be installed in the same way that Windows 10 is . That's to say, if Windows is in UEFI mode rather than BIOS mode, the same has to be done with Ubuntu. That imply that you have to prepare the installation in UEFI if needet. If you use eg. Yumi to prepare a usb key, that's not good, for you have to use Yumi-UEFI: that's specific.
  2. Current bios (hereinafter referred to as "UEFI") has a number of security setting that you have to DEactivate in order to install Ubuntu. The more generic indication is: check your UEFI menu and deactivate all the integrated antivirus and system-level security options, for they are in no way compatible with a Win/Linux dual boot. Following, reboot. For your own peace of mind, you can manage all the security operations from sw as usual.
  3. Make some space on the hd, to be later allotted to Ubuntu: defrag, partition resize.
  4. Now you can install the Ubuntu live UEFI usb you have created. In case of problems, check point 2: maybe something else has to be deactivated.

That was green light for me.

Hydra Starmaster
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