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Dual Boot configuration with Linux Zorin / Windows10

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Beginner
Posts: 1
Comments: 1

Hi,

I want to make a dual boot W10/Zorin15 which is a distro of Linux Ubuntu. What does this mean if I want to restore the orignal situation? I mean the situation of only W10 for as it is now at the moment? Is this still possible after I created the dual boot configuration? I am not sure because the boot manager has been changed.....

Second question.... suppose I want to back-up the dual configuration and I want to restore. What do I have to do different than the "normal situation" of only W10?

Thanks in advance.

Johan

0 Users found this helpful

Johan, welcome to these public User Forums.

The first recommendations here: 

  1. Make a full disk backup of your current Windows 10 system
  2. Create the Acronis Rescue Media & test you can boot this correctly using the same BIOS boot mode as used by Windows 10.  Run the command msinfo32 in Windows to see what the BIOS mode is.

When you install any Linux distro after Windows on a computer, it will stop you from using the Windows Boot Manager to get into Windows 10.  I would expect that Linux will install the Grub2 boot manager and add an entry for Windows 10 to its menu, leaving the default option being to boot into Linux.

Acronis True Image is a pure Windows application - it cannot be run from Linux, so your options for making a backup of your dual-boot system are to either boot into Windows then create a backup of the whole system, or else to boot from the Acronis Rescue Media to do so.

Beginner
Posts: 1
Comments: 1

Thanks Steve, I think I understand what you meant. However, I am not sure...... After I installed Zorin15 I have a new bootmanager, yes it is Grub. 

When I have installed Zorin 15, can I still access the backups on my internal hard disk as well as those on my external hard disk? After all, I have a different boat manager (Grub) or does that have nothing to do with it? I have a bit of a fear of failure that it will no longer work .... My current Media Creation Builder from Acronis via a burned DVD works great, also the F11 key. I think I will lose this last option when I install Zorin15?

Steve, another question in continuation above: do I have to create a new Media Creation Builder via Acronis after I have installed Zorin15 and everything is working properly, or is that not necessary?

I probably think again too complicated, sorry for that!

Johan, your ATI backup files (.tib) will remain untouched on your backup drives but will only be able to be used when using Windows or the Acronis Rescue Media.

I would expect that you will lose the F11 key on boot for ASRM and you may want to disable this feature if you haven't already installed Linux.  F11 comes from the MBR and will be overwritten by Linux.

There is no need to create / recreate the rescue media after installing Linux - it does not use the Windows or Linux / Grub boot manager.