What is Dual Boot & How to Dual Boot Windows and Linux®? | Lenovo US

Restart your computer. Immediately press the boot menu key (usually F12, F2, ESC, or Del—look up your motherboard model). Select your USB drive. You will boot into the MX Linux live environment.

timedatectl set-local-rtc 1

This prevents Windows from locking the hard drive, which can block Linux from accessing partitions.

This is the step where most beginners panic. You need to make room for MX Linux on your hard drive without deleting Windows.

The transition to MX Linux is often a story of "breathing new life" into a machine that feels weighed down by its original operating system. By setting up a

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process of setting up a dual boot system with MX Linux and Windows (10 or 11), covering preparation, partitioning, installation, and troubleshooting.

Windows 10 and 11 use a "Fast Startup" feature that essentially puts the system into a light hibernation state rather than fully shutting down. This locks the hard drive partitions, preventing Linux from writing to them.

Equally important is understanding the system firmware: . Modern machines use UEFI, which necessitates that both operating systems share an EFI System Partition (ESP). This small partition acts as the "handshake" area where boot loaders like GRUB (MX Linux’s default) reside, allowing the user to choose their OS at startup. The Installation: The MX Linux Advantage

It is generally safer to let Windows manage its own partition resizing before the Linux installer touches the drive.

Now that you have prepared the drive, it is time to install MX Linux.

Everything remains exactly as they left it, untouched and ready if needed.

Dual booting MX Linux and Windows turns your computer into a hybrid powerhouse. You keep Windows for gaming, Adobe software, or specialized corporate tools. You switch to MX Linux for development, privacy, learning, or reviving the speed of an aging laptop.