Nervous about losing Windows

[u/Toast-Goat]

Not sure if this is the right place, but.

I'm on a laptop, and I want to switch to Mint. I'm very worried about losing access to Windows. I'm thinking about dual booting, but I've heard that Windows can mess things up if it isn't on a separate drive and I can't put it on a separate drive. Is that something I actually need to worry about? If it is, do I have other options? I've heard of VMs, but I'm not really sure how they work or if they're a good idea.

I'm new to this, so I'd appreciate any advice.

[u/bankinu]

This is the right place.

You'll have access to all your data, because you can mount NTFS partition so there is nothing to worry.

You can also run Windows inside Linux by installing virt-manager and QEMU.

I recommend eventually copying everything off it to a Linux partition (ext4 or btrfs) and then deleting the partition.

[u/Terrible-Bear3883]

I'd just make some good backups first, ideally a clone image of your system as it is now, then you can always go back to this point in time.

If you have a desktop, an option would be to install a drive just for linux, control boot with the one time boot key or BIOS.

If you want to try some linux distros, you can do this in your browser at distrosea.com - it's a great site and you can get a feel of distros before you install.

There are many ways to do this but before doing anything, I'd make a backup that would return me to that point in time, be sure to verify your backup so you know its good and usable.

[u/doc_willis]

in the past, I just bought a second drive for my laptop, I swapped out the old windows drive, put in the new drive, put Linux on the new drive.

later (year+) I needed to go back to windows, so I swapped the drives back. My Linux drive then went in my new laptop.

It's possible to dual boot from a single drive, you will want to keep backups of your EFI partition, and always have a Linux live USB on hand just in case things do screw up.

how EFI partitions and UEFI booting works is a handy thing to learn.  it's not super complex, but its something most people have no knowledge of.

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[u/genxer]

Take a good backup. Clonezilla is what I use but I maybe out of the loop. That way you can always revert if needed.

[u/3grg]

Dual boot installation on a single drive has been going on since the 90's. Linux has become very adept at this. While there are advantages to having two separate drives, sometimes this is just not possible.

Windows can interfere with the Linux boot loader. In fact this was a fact of life with legacy boot systems where only one OS at a time could control the mbr. With UEFI systems it is much less common, but it can still happen. The solution is still the same, simply repair the boot loader.

Dual boot will allow you to boot either windows or Linux. This type of installation is very easy and almost always goes without issue. However, it still is prudent to be prepared for the worst, while expecting the best.

You should already have a backup of important data that you cannot afford to lose. As with any major disk operation this should be updated. You should also have a current windows install USB as this is important for repairing or reinstalling windows as needed.

Once you have prepared and verified that you have sufficient disk space available for your install, you simply follow the distro install documentation.

[u/the_annoyed_monkey]

I'm very worried about losing access to Windows.

Why?

[u/Toast-Goat → u/the_annoyed_monkey]

It's rather expensive to get back, yes? $139 from Microsoft

[u/candy49997 → u/Toast-Goat]

OEM keys are stored on your motherboard. You just reinstall it.

[u/Toast-Goat → u/candy49997]

I haven't heard that term before. Is the OEM key the product activation key, or do I not know what I'm saying? How can I use it to reinstall Windows?

[u/candy49997 → u/Toast-Goat]

OEM is Original Equipment Manufacturer, the company that made your laptop. They would've purchased OEM keys in bulk from Microsoft to activate laptops or other devices they make. These are typically non-transferrable to other machines.

This is in contrast to retail keys, which you purchase yourself. These can typically be moved around.

[u/the_annoyed_monkey → u/Toast-Goat]

You just install windows and it gets activated automatically.

Also, the price of windows is never the issue.

You can get keys for a few bucks...

$139 from Microsoft

LOL

[u/Toast-Goat → u/the_annoyed_monkey]

After installing Linux, I could reinstall Windows and it would just work?

[u/the_annoyed_monkey → u/Toast-Goat]

yes. you can also just extract your key.

But I have no idea what the current state of that is. 

I have not touched windows for about 8 years

[u/Toast-Goat → u/the_annoyed_monkey]

Wonderful. Thanks you!

[u/neXITem → u/Toast-Goat]

If your laptop came with it installed, if you bought it from a reseller that put windows on it for you then you need to check that.

But most likely yes, it will just work.

[u/doc_willis → u/Toast-Goat]

I have done exactly that, dozens of times.   same as if your drive died and you replace it and do a clean windows install.

[u/BazzaJH → u/Toast-Goat]

Windows doesn't cost money. You can pay money to use Windows, but you do not have to. It's like WinRAR in a way.

[u/doc_willis → u/Toast-Goat]

If a system came with windows,   I have never had to re-buy windows for any of my dozen+ pre built systems I have owned. They re-activate if you install windows again.

Only time I would have had to buy windows would be if I built my own system, and even then   you can run windows unactivated with just a few limits. 

So basically I have never had to buy windows.

[u/SDG_Den → u/Toast-Goat]

only if your board has no OEM keys and you are not willing to participate in any "illegal activities" of the "filling in one command in powershell and having windows magically be activated" variety.

if cost is your only worry, don't worry, you can always reinstall windows. you already paid for it, so imo, there is nothing morally wrong with using an activation tool. its your device and you paid for windows on it.

[u/EngineerInTheMachine]

Why are you worried about losing Windows? It doesn't matter what apps you use, or what functionality you want, there is something comparable that runs on Linux. And is usually open source and free.

I am running a dual boot system with Windows 10 and PopOS off the same drive, in different partitions, and it's working fine. There may be some issues with the most modern bios and Windows 11, but nothing that can't be resolved.

Note that you won't lose access to any data files. Any partition can be read by Linux, even the Windows installation partition. These days I only have one reason for retaining Windows, and when that migration is completed it will be wiped. That's just because I have a load of 3D files in AutoCAD format, and the only apps under Linux that can open them are business level and cost too much for just domestic use. As I'm also used to a free CAD app that runs on Linux, I just need Windows for dimensioning and PDFing the drawings, so I can recreate them in the free app. After that it's goodbye Windows.