08-02-2024, 10:31 AM
I used Ventoy on Linux to make a boot USB of Win10 and it didn't work due to some BIOS incompatibility on the target laptop.
Current Windows ISO downloads don't work with a standard ISO writer as they are a special MS format, not a real ISO. The program https://github.com/WoeUSB/WoeUSB-ng works on Linux to copy an Win10 or 11 ISO download to a USB stick on Linux.
I forget what I used on Windows. Perhaps Ventoy will work on Windows to make a boot for Linux. However security settings in the BIOS might need changed. The Linux ISOs are perfectly standard, so any windows tool, other than the the MS format ISO writing tool, should work.
Many PCs have F12 as select alternate boot device without going to the BIOS.
If a laptop has a PCIe slot for an NVMe SSD this is 2x to 4x faster than a SATA SSD. In such a case having a cheap 500G to 2T SATA HDD for data and the PCIe slot based NVMe SSD is best. I use that on my laptop (1T SATA 2.5″ HDD) and a workstation (it has 4T SATA 3.5″ HDD). The SATA adaptor was €10 when I bought the Lenovo laptop without OS but PCIe slot based NVMe SSD pre-installed.
On Linux extra SATA HDD have a 20G partition for /var and the rest for /home. Label them var and home. Then mount those partitions in /homenew and /varnew using a disk manager with mount by label option. Copy existing /home and /var. Then boot with the USB Linux install media and mount the SSD. Rename the /var and /home on it to /varold and /homeold, then rename the empty /homenew and /varnew to /home and /var (as the SATA HDD is not mounted). Finally find /etc/fstab on the SSD (not the booted Linux) and find the two entries created by your disk manager and edit varnew to var and homenew to home.
This system can also be be on C:\ on windows as Windows allows mounting a partition in an empty folder. On windows you do this with C:\Documents and Settings and C:\Recycler (about 20G to 100 G byte). It's more complicated to setup on Windows, but the principle is the same.
Perhaps use rufus will suit on Windows to make a bootable Linux USB stick.
If the BIOS has a UEFI or UEFI and Legacy setting, select that. Disable any TPM stuff.
If using SATA make sure it's not set to legacy IDE mode. I've seen Win7 installs using legacy BIOS mode and legacy IDE mode for SATA (XP usually has to, but I slipstreamed XP sata drivers to a new XP install disk).
I use Mate desktop on Mint.
I also have two Lenovo E460 laptops with same 500G SATA HDD. One has Linux Mint with Mate and the other is the current Win10. The laptop has a Win10 key in BIOS and is for Win10. The Linux boots, runs and updates faster. It has real themes like XP and Win98 had, except more so. Win10/11 concept of Themes are an insult by having only light, dark and an accent colour. Also on Win10/11 you can't scale less than 100% font to fit more on a lower pixel count screen. You can scale down on Linux.
The only thing that works better on Windows now is MTP devices. Because MS developed that for the Zune and it's part of Windows & Explorer since Win98 and Win2000. Android switched to MTP at version 4.0
Current Windows ISO downloads don't work with a standard ISO writer as they are a special MS format, not a real ISO. The program https://github.com/WoeUSB/WoeUSB-ng works on Linux to copy an Win10 or 11 ISO download to a USB stick on Linux.
I forget what I used on Windows. Perhaps Ventoy will work on Windows to make a boot for Linux. However security settings in the BIOS might need changed. The Linux ISOs are perfectly standard, so any windows tool, other than the the MS format ISO writing tool, should work.
Many PCs have F12 as select alternate boot device without going to the BIOS.
If a laptop has a PCIe slot for an NVMe SSD this is 2x to 4x faster than a SATA SSD. In such a case having a cheap 500G to 2T SATA HDD for data and the PCIe slot based NVMe SSD is best. I use that on my laptop (1T SATA 2.5″ HDD) and a workstation (it has 4T SATA 3.5″ HDD). The SATA adaptor was €10 when I bought the Lenovo laptop without OS but PCIe slot based NVMe SSD pre-installed.
On Linux extra SATA HDD have a 20G partition for /var and the rest for /home. Label them var and home. Then mount those partitions in /homenew and /varnew using a disk manager with mount by label option. Copy existing /home and /var. Then boot with the USB Linux install media and mount the SSD. Rename the /var and /home on it to /varold and /homeold, then rename the empty /homenew and /varnew to /home and /var (as the SATA HDD is not mounted). Finally find /etc/fstab on the SSD (not the booted Linux) and find the two entries created by your disk manager and edit varnew to var and homenew to home.
This system can also be be on C:\ on windows as Windows allows mounting a partition in an empty folder. On windows you do this with C:\Documents and Settings and C:\Recycler (about 20G to 100 G byte). It's more complicated to setup on Windows, but the principle is the same.
Perhaps use rufus will suit on Windows to make a bootable Linux USB stick.
If the BIOS has a UEFI or UEFI and Legacy setting, select that. Disable any TPM stuff.
If using SATA make sure it's not set to legacy IDE mode. I've seen Win7 installs using legacy BIOS mode and legacy IDE mode for SATA (XP usually has to, but I slipstreamed XP sata drivers to a new XP install disk).
I use Mate desktop on Mint.
I also have two Lenovo E460 laptops with same 500G SATA HDD. One has Linux Mint with Mate and the other is the current Win10. The laptop has a Win10 key in BIOS and is for Win10. The Linux boots, runs and updates faster. It has real themes like XP and Win98 had, except more so. Win10/11 concept of Themes are an insult by having only light, dark and an accent colour. Also on Win10/11 you can't scale less than 100% font to fit more on a lower pixel count screen. You can scale down on Linux.
The only thing that works better on Windows now is MTP devices. Because MS developed that for the Zune and it's part of Windows & Explorer since Win98 and Win2000. Android switched to MTP at version 4.0
