02-08-2015, 09:25 AM
(02-08-2015, 08:39 AM)Mark Hennessy Wrote: Windows dual-boots with other OSs with no problem. Before I rebuilt it recently, my old laptop used to triple-boot between XP, 7, and Ubuntu. You just have to be careful about the order in which you install each operating system, with the general rule that you put the oldest on first...
I think the main problem is that Windows thinks it owns the computer. If you install Ubuntu then it looks around for other partitions and any it finds with a bootable OS get added automatically to the boot menu. If you install Windows then it uses its own boot manager. If you previously had Ubuntu installed then after installing Windows you'll probably find that Ubuntu has disappeared and can't be accessed.
If you use two disks then you can have one for Windows and one for Ubuntu. Boot from the Ubuntu disk and the boot menu will allow you to select Windows if you want. If you need to (re) install Windows then you can unplug the Ubuntu disk and boot directly from the Windows one. Ubuntu will be safely inaccessible on the unplugged disk. When you have finished, you can plug the Ubuntu disk back in again and boot from that as before.
