Linux as an alternative or a second system

1. Step 1 of 2

   Whether Linux fits your case

   For browsing, office work, programming and photo editing, Linux is entirely sufficient today and usually lighter than Windows on the same hardware.

   Gaming works better than its reputation suggests: the Proton layer in Steam runs most titles with no configuration. The exception is games with kernel-level anti-cheat — some will not launch at all, and there is no way around it.

   The real obstacles are specific applications: the full Adobe suite, some CAD software and certain industry tools have no Linux version and no equivalent replacement. If you need one of those for work, stay on Windows or install both.

   Ubuntu and Fedora are the sensible starting points: they have the largest communities, so any problem already has an answer written down, and they support new hardware without hunting for drivers.

2. Step 2 of 2

   Two systems on one machine

   40 min

   The safest arrangement is two separate drives: Windows on one, Linux on the other. Each system then has its own boot area, and updating one cannot break the other.

   With a single drive, shrink the Windows partition from within Windows first, using Disk Management. Leave at least 60 GB for Linux; from 100 GB upwards is comfortable.

   Turn off fast startup in Windows. With it enabled the system hibernates rather than shutting down fully, which makes Linux see the Windows partition as in use and refuse to write to it.

   In the Linux installer choose to install alongside the existing system. The installer detects Windows and adds it to the boot menu, so each start offers a choice.

   The clock often disagrees between the two, because Windows treats the hardware clock as local time while Linux treats it as UTC. The simplest fix is on the Linux side, with a single command setting the hardware clock to local time.

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