The basic process for setting up a dual boot of Windows and Linux starts with installing Windows first, then Linux. This lets the distro detect Windows and apply all the necessary boot adjustments. But what about more exotic setups, or environments where Windows is installed afterwards? The web is full of tutorials for manually configuring a bootloader; however, Grub2Win lets us do the same job through a graphical interface.
Windows and Linux on the same computer. The answer is yes, we can do it without major issues. If you don't know exactly where to start, you can always visit the Distrochooser portal to find out which Linux distro suits you. On the other hand, if the idea of adding Linux to your hard drive still doesn't convince you, you can install multiple distros on a USB drive with MultiBootUSB. Microsoft has changed its internal policy regarding the penguin a lot, but some sharp edges remain, starting with support for its bootloader.
At this point, it's advisable to free Windows from that responsibility and let the distro install a new bootloader. Now, if a current Linux user needs to add Windows to their system and doesn't want to sweat blood over Redmond's whims, or needs to combine Windows with several distros at once, one of the best options is Grub2Win.
Dual Boot Windows and Linux with the Help of Grub2Win
The Grub2Win download is actually a launcher that fetches the latest version of its files. All content is stored in a folder on the C drive called 'grub2' (about 16 MB on average), and once installation finishes we see its main interface. On the right you can see a preview of what the bootloader menu will look like.
Customization support is quite extensive (including changing the background or language, dedicated icons, and the presence or absence of the timer), and clicking on Manage Boot Menu gives us access to several sample entries compatible with Remix, Android, Ubuntu, Debian, Suse, Fedora and Mint. If your Linux distro isn't on the list, nothing stops you from creating a new entry and adding the data manually.
Depending on your computer's configuration, it's very likely that Grub2Win will be added to Windows' basic boot list. If the plan is for Grub2Win to have priority, we need to go to the 'Startup and Recovery' section in the advanced options tab of system properties and modify the order.
It's also necessary to highlight some technical details of Grub2Win. First, the bootloader can work in classic BIOS mode (works directly) or in EFI mode, which requires disabling the ‘famous’ Secure Boot function. And second, it's ideal that the hard drive has been previously partitioned to make room for each Linux distro. If you're a bit lost with that, here we explain how to create partitions of your hard drive from inside Windows.
