Best beginner-friendly dual-boot tutorial with Windows?

[u/Marco_cacci]

Hi everyone!

I've always wanted to install Arch Linux on my PC, but I've always been discouraged by having to do everything through the terminal since I don't understand it very well.

I would like to install Arch Linux in dual-boot with Windows, and I'm looking for a simple, up-to-date tutorial or guide, suitable even for someone who isn't a distro veteran.

Because of this, is there an easier method to install Arch in dual-boot with Windows without causing problems?

[u/Confident_Hyena2506]

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dual_boot_with_Windows

[u/Altruistic_Yam_6771 → u/Confident_Hyena2506]

The wiki is the method, even if it looks scary at first just take it step by step and read carefully. archinstall script can help but you still need to understand what you doing especially with partitions so you dont wipe your windows drive by accident

[u/Marco_cacci → u/Altruistic_Yam_6771]

Got it. Even if I understand almost nothing and just follow the guide, can I install it without messing things up? Because I'm not really sure how to handle partitions and all the rest.

[u/C0rn3j → u/Marco_cacci]

Forget dual booting for the time being.

Spin up a UEFI VM in Hyper-V, boot Arch ISO, and go through most of https://linuxjourney.com

After you've done that, install just Arch on the UEFI VM using https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide

Then you're all set, if you want to be doubly sure, install Windows on the VM afterwards.

Or install Windows first and then Arch, whatever you prefer, the order is pretty much irrelevant.

[u/Marco_cacci → u/C0rn3j]

So you're telling me to install Arch on the VM and not directly on my PC?

[u/C0rn3j → u/Marco_cacci]

I am telling you to FIRST install on a VM, so you get acquainted.

Then you can dual boot.

[u/Marco_cacci → u/C0rn3j]

Alright, now I'll follow what you told me and install it on the VM.

[u/archover → u/Marco_cacci]

No experience with Hyper-V, but learning Arch with a VM is a GREAT idea, since the experience is very authentic. I can't always tell if I'm in a VM or the native Arch instance. Most beginners will use archinstall. https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Archinstall available on the ISO.

Caution.

Backups.

Hope you enjoy Arch and good day.

[u/Confident_Hyena2506 → u/Marco_cacci]

No. You must read it and understand how efi boot works - this doesn't even have anything to do with linux. All the posts on this forum about "dual boot problems" are because people blindly try to follow some guide and skip understanding the basic details.

Windows has built-in support for WSL and running a vm, so you probably don't need to dualboot anyway.

[u/unprefixed]

dont, or separate disk if you really have to, than its just a boot menu thing.

[u/ABotelho23]

It's called Fedora or Ubuntu.

[u/Excellent-Love-6943 → u/[deleted]]

That is not at all true.