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Easy Dual Boot Method to Give Family Offramp from Windows (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 1 day ago by Resonosity@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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Hi! Thanks for reading.

I'm sure all of us Linux users revel in the countless articles coming out about the enshittification of Windows, reporting on how Microslop is utilizing more and more vibe coding, transforming PCs into rental clients, and more.

While I'm happy to call myself a Kubuntu-ist, many of my family members still daily drive Windows 11 on their PCs. I can only imagine how their UX is declining day over day.

This makes me want them to witness the freedom of Linux!

So, what are your easiest ways to set up dual boot between W11 and your favorite distro?

Seems like a GUI would be best for non-tech savvy people. Something like rEFInd or Clover (I come from the Steam Deck dual boot world, and am somewhat familiar with this one).

Are there any risks with changing the default Windows Boot Manager? I've heard that Windows updates can mess things up, but that if you install Windows first, that can save some headache down the road.

Bonus if you have a favorite distro for non-tech savvy people that needs minimal configuration!

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[-] HubertManne@piefed.social 3 points 1 day ago

So. If there is any older machine that is not longer being used and you can just install linux on it (I feel zorin is best as something ready to go for non tech people who want the os to be out of the way and just go). Anyway my opinion is linux performs much better and a persons previous machine will preform better than their current one running windows.

[-] Resonosity@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 day ago

That's a good angle. Lots of my family members have their old laptops and desktops.

If I can boot a fresh install of Linux Mint on each other those, then they'll likewise have the option to try it out if Windows fails that (which imo is inevitable).

The added performance will be a plus

this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2026
27 points (86.5% liked)

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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