How to dual boot with Windows 8.1 and Arch?

Expi1 · 2014-03-06 16:30:19

Hello everyone,

I've been looking into using Linux as my daily driver since having some experience with it on a server. After some digging around, I think Arch Linux is the best distro for me, now onto where I am.
I'm currently running Windows 8.1 (updated from Windows 8, which updated from Windows 7) on a Dell Inspiron 15R SE laptop, I want to dual boot Arch Linux with it. I've looked at the wiki and I'm still not entirely sure what to do.

Can anyone give me a quick list of steps of what to do to dual boot this? I've dual booted Ubuntu in the past and it was really simple because an installer did it all.

Thanks, Expi.

karol · 2014-03-06 16:40:51

Read the wiki.

silverhammermba · 2014-03-06 18:18:26

Have you read this page on the wiki? https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wi … _Dual_Boot

Quick List of Steps:
1. Resize Windows partitions to make room for Arch (this is the difficult/dangerous part)
2. Install Arch
3. Configure a bootloader to choose between the two (this depends on whether you're using BIOS/UEFI and what sort of dual boot you want)

karol · 2014-03-06 18:25:58

You can also start with the Beginners' guide and search the page for 'dualboot'. This leads to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Be … th_Windows which seems to have a paragraph or two on the subject.

Expi1 · 2014-03-06 18:42:46

Thanks, I'm mostly struggling with how to partition for Arch and then how to do the bootloader. I'm using Win8 64-bit and from what I understand a Legacy BIOS bootloader. I'm not entirely sure what I should be partitioning the C: into, I've done partitions before, just not for Arch and then I'm not sure whether to use GRUB or syslinux, or if I even need those. Or if I need to use GPT or MBR?

stqn · 2014-03-06 19:39:36

Expi1 wrote:

Thanks, I'm mostly struggling with how to partition for Arch and then how to do the bootloader. I'm using Win8 64-bit and from what I understand a Legacy BIOS bootloader. I'm not entirely sure what I should be partitioning the C: into, I've done partitions before, just not for Arch and then I'm not sure whether to use GRUB or syslinux, or if I even need those. Or if I need to use GPT or MBR?

Your disk is already partitionned so you don’t have to choose between GPT or MBR, the choice is already made.

You don’t partition “C:”, that is the name of a Windows partition. You partition a drive.

Grub or syslinux, use whatever the beginners guide tells you to. Personally I think syslinux is simpler which is why I’m using it (but I’m not dual-booting, if that matters).

You’re not saying what your problem is with partitionning, so it’s hard to help.

Expi1 · 2014-03-06 19:49:13

stqn wrote:

Expi1 wrote:
Thanks, I'm mostly struggling with how to partition for Arch and then how to do the bootloader. I'm using Win8 64-bit and from what I understand a Legacy BIOS bootloader. I'm not entirely sure what I should be partitioning the C: into, I've done partitions before, just not for Arch and then I'm not sure whether to use GRUB or syslinux, or if I even need those. Or if I need to use GPT or MBR?
Your disk is already partitionned so you don’t have to choose between GPT or MBR, the choice is already made.
You don’t partition “C:”, that is the name of a Windows partition. You partition a drive.
Grub or syslinux, use whatever the beginners guide tells you to. Personally I think syslinux is simpler which is why I’m using it (but I’m not dual-booting, if that matters).
You’re not saying what your problem is with partitionning, so it’s hard to help.

Thanks for getting back to me, I'm not sure if I just create one large partition for Archlinux or if I have to create multiple? Where I'm also confused is with the Creating Filesystems part of the guide. I don't understand how I'd do this in Windows, or what /dev/sda1 is referring to.

As for the bootloader part, the Beginner's Guide gives you a choice between syslinux and grub, what I'm not sure about is which to use considering I'm dualbooting. How it will affect my windows bootloader, do I disregard that and use GRUB now? I'm unclear on how that works.

I'm also aware I need to disable Secure Boot, I just searched my BIOS options and couldn't find anything remotely relating to that, so I'm assuming it's not an issue since this computer was originally on Windows 7 anyway?

Thanks again, Expi.

Last edited by Expi1 (2014-03-06 19:54:30)

karol · 2014-03-06 19:57:54

Excuse me, what exactly is your experience with Linux?

You create filesystems from the Arch Linux liveCD / liveUSB, from the install media: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Be … de#Example

The Arch Linux install media includes the following partitioning tools: fdisk, gdisk, cfdisk, cgdisk, parted.

You can partition and create filesystems with other tools too, but not from Windows: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Be … oning_tool

Expi1 · 2014-03-06 20:05:51

karol wrote:

Excuse me, what exactly is your experience with Linux?
You create filesystems from the Arch Linux liveCD / liveUSB, from the install media: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Be … de#Example
The Arch Linux install media includes the following partitioning tools: fdisk, gdisk, cfdisk, cgdisk, parted.
You can partition and create filesystems with other tools too, but not from Windows: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Be … oning_tool

I've used Linux systems server-side before, I've very little experience with actually installing a Linux system alongside Windows 8. But once it's installed I can use it.

I never realised that the partitions were made from the liveUSB, I was under the impression they were made beforehand in Windows. That makes more sense now. I'm still somewhat unsure on how to proceed with regards to bootloaders and how that will affect my existing Windows installation.

Inxsible · 2014-03-06 23:12:39

Expi1 wrote:

..... After some digging around, I think Arch Linux is the best distro for me, now onto where I am.

How did you arrive at this decision ??

I would have assumed that you did some google searches and some wiki reading in the "digging around" that you mention.

Nevertheless, you have a lot to read -- maybe at this time, Arch might not be for you. If you like, you can start with a simpler distro like Ubuntu or OpenSuse or the like.

Expi1 · 2014-03-06 23:32:41

Inxsible wrote:

Expi1 wrote:
..... After some digging around, I think Arch Linux is the best distro for me, now onto where I am.
How did you arrive at this decision ??
I would have assumed that you did some google searches and some wiki reading in the "digging around" that you mention.
Nevertheless, you have a lot to read -- maybe at this time, Arch might not be for you. If you like, you can start with a simpler distro like Ubuntu or OpenSuse or the like.

Hi, I figured Arch was best for me because of its simplicity in the sense that it gives you what is needed and I add the rest. I've always been one to customize things a lot, and I like to make sure I know what every file does on my system (not necessarily the OS files, but if I'm working on my windows machine and see a folder in program files I don't recognize, I'll read into it and find out if I actually need it or else it's gone). From what I understand, Arch works with that perfectly. (I'm very picky and like as much control and customization as possible).

As far as research is concerned, I've looked into usage of pacman and made sure that all the applications I use regularly are available to be. I have experience with Linux from CentOS and I find that with things like python it was painful to install due to the inbuilt python 2.6, that isn't a issue here. I understand the wiki articles for all these things, they are really well done. I'm only really struggling with the installation related articles as they don't go into much detail on dual boot scenarios, like my own.

It might take me a while, but I'll get Arch working.

Arch Linux

#1 2014-03-06 16:30:19

How to dual boot with Windows 8.1 and Arch?

#2 2014-03-06 16:40:51

Re: How to dual boot with Windows 8.1 and Arch?

#3 2014-03-06 18:18:26

Re: How to dual boot with Windows 8.1 and Arch?

#4 2014-03-06 18:25:58

Re: How to dual boot with Windows 8.1 and Arch?

#5 2014-03-06 18:42:46

Re: How to dual boot with Windows 8.1 and Arch?

#6 2014-03-06 19:39:36

Re: How to dual boot with Windows 8.1 and Arch?

#7 2014-03-06 19:49:13

Re: How to dual boot with Windows 8.1 and Arch?

#8 2014-03-06 19:57:54

Re: How to dual boot with Windows 8.1 and Arch?

#9 2014-03-06 20:05:51

Re: How to dual boot with Windows 8.1 and Arch?

#10 2014-03-06 23:12:39

Re: How to dual boot with Windows 8.1 and Arch?

#11 2014-03-06 23:32:41

Re: How to dual boot with Windows 8.1 and Arch?

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