Planning Your Computer System | Spring Into Linux

Linux can be installed alone on your computer or can be installed together with another operating system, such as Windows. If it's installed with another operating system, you see a menu when you start your computer that enables you to choose which operating system you want to boot. This type of system is called a dual-boot system, or multiple-boot if you have more than two operating systems. Your first decision is whether you want Linux running alone on your computer or together with another operating system. Reasons for running more than one operating system include the following:

To learn both systems.
To learn Linux without giving up Windows.
To use operating system specific applications. Application software can't run on both Windows and Linux, although some software has two versionsone that runs on Linux and one that runs on Windows. You may want to use one application that runs on Linux and another that runs on Windows.
To test applications on both systems. If you develop a computer application, you can test it to see whether it runs on both systems.

A dual-boot system has the following disadvantages:

Slower to boot up. It goes through the process of displaying the boot menu each time.
Less disk space for each operating system.
More maintenance required. An operating system requires maintenance, such as updating to newer versions and updating software. Two systems require more maintenance work than one system.
More organization required. If you work on two different systems, you need to organize your work so that you have what you need where you need it. Invariably, the file you need for one application is stored under the other application.

If you plan to have only Linux installed on your computer, your preparation is easy. You don't need to prepare your hard disk at all. If you plan to run Linux together with another operating system, you need to prepare your hard disk. See the next section for information on running Linux and Windows together.