If you dont know how to unfuck a bootloader after a windows update nukes grub then no dont do it. Also you cant share storage cos ntfs on linux is a fuck and windows will lock ntfs partitions on shutdown and gets weird if it doesn’t unlock it itself. Installing on separate drives isnt even relevant advice anymore since most computers moved from MBR to GPT ages ago unless your bios specifically has legacy mode support.

If nothing I said makes sense then the answer is a very firm no. You cant brick anything but if you dont know what youre doing run with the assumption you may have to wipe the drives so dont do it if you have stuff that isnt backed up or that you arent prepared to lose.

Anticheat is moving to demanding secureboot so dual booting wont even work as a solution and neither will a vm with hardware pass through

The main downside is that dualboot doesn't reduce your computer annoyances in any way but adds additional computer annoyances. You still need to service your Windows installation but now you also need to service a whole other OS as well and the two fight occasionally.

If the purpose is to get a feel for the OS and check your compatibility with it, I'd recommend just running a VM with your distribution of choice on the Windows install

It should prove way less of a headache and youll get your feel of it anyway

The sad thing about dualbooting is as follows: Imagine the annoyance of dealing with one OS. Now you have two OSes, so you have double the amount of annoyance.

If it's just to get a feel for things and see if you can make the switch full time, then I reckon go for it. I wouldn't recommend it long term though.

Absolute worst case scenario you have to reinstall the OS, which isn't too bad as long as you have 2 hours to kill and a different working computer to use to flash a USB.

Use two separate drives to save yourself the headache of working with partitions. The only “headache” I experience is the pc clock will be wrong when I switch OS´s

I'm currently dualbooting. I'd definitely recommend putting windows and linux on separate drives if possible. The only issue i had was trying to play games that were on an ntfs drive, you'll want to install your games on a drive with a linux file system, there are workarounds but its so much easier just using ext4 or btrfs

I have done what you’re talking about doing for 25 years.

There is no need to use separate disks for each os. That’s just complicating things.

Before you start, make a backup, make sure bitlocker and quick startup are turned off in windows then go for it.

Afterwards, practice reinstalling grub (your linux bootloader) from a usb environment. That will be your lifeboat process if windows decides to replace your bootloader.

Some thoughts from a long time Windows and Linux user:

• I have a dedicated Win10 box for gaming. No shame. I'm too lazy to migrate everything over right now. I use other Linux computers or duel boot to do important tasks, like shitposting on https://chapo.chat/. However the Win10 sunset is pushing the migration up my priority list.
• Duel booting works fine almost all the time. After you finish the install you won't have to think much about it. Mostly...
  • Others have said how Windows likes to mess with Duel Boot systems occasionally. In my experience this happens during Windows Updates, and usually it blows away the boot order. Often I can go into the BIOS and manually choose the Linux partition and fix the boot from there.
  • All that said, backups, backups, backups!
• Back up your Windows partition before setup just in case something goes awry.
• Try the LiveUSB environment out first to check compatibility, like WiFi drivers, and get a feel. Many linux distros, including Mint and Fedora, come with a LiveUSB by default.
  • Very often distros let you run the installer from inside the Live environment, giving you the benefit of a full desktop GUI, tools, and Internet access during the install. If you have WiFi issues, for example, it's much easier to fix them in the Live environment and let the Installer bootstrap from there.
  • I know Mint LiveUSB comes preinstalled with a bunch of useful programs out the gate. I just fired up the latest Mint liveusb, and the Backup tool lets you save both your Home directory and any software you installed through the Software Manager, which can give you a bit of permanence across restarts before you take the plunge.