Dual Boot Guide

[Chadfreak]

Dual Boot Guide

Windows Installation • Partitioning • EasyBCD

Dual Boot Setup

Dual Boot Setup

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Warning

Failing to accurately follow this guide can lead to dataloss and/or inability to boot into your OS.

→ Continue at your own risk! If you have any questions regarding any of the steps don't hesitate to contact us.

STEP 1 Download Windows ISO

Download a Windows ISO of your choosing.

Download ISO

You can continue with the guide while this downloads.

→ Custom OS are NOT supported!

STEP 2 Create Partition

Open diskmgmt.msc and look for a partition that has enough Free Space for a Windows installation (~30GB) and all the games you need.

• Right click on the Volume and hit "Shrink Volume..."
  
• Enter the disk size you want your dual boot Windows to have in MB (100,000MB = 100GB) and hit "Shrink".
  
• Locate the "Unallocated" Volume (black bar).
  
• Right click in that space and click "New Simple Volume..."
  
  • Specify Volume Size: As much as it lets you take.
  • Assign Drive Letter: Select whatever letter you want (e.g., "Y").
  • Format Partition: Leave default, choose any Volume label.
    

STEP 3 Mount ISO

Right click and "Mount" the downloaded ISO.

STEP 4 Locate Installation File

It should have automatically opened a folder.

• Open the sources folder and locate install.wim.
• Shift + Right click install.wim and click Copy as path.

STEP 5 Apply Windows Image

Open CMD as Administrator and enter the following command:

• ImageFile: Path you copied in the step before.
• ApplyDir: Letter you chose when creating the partition.

Dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:"I:\sources\install.wim" /index:1 /ApplyDir:Y:\

• Depending on your disk and general system specifications this can take a while.
• It should end in "The operation completed successfully." after reaching 100%.

STEP 6 Install EasyBCD

Download and install EasyBCD 2.4 to manage your boot entries.

Download EasyBCD 2.4

• Go to "Add new Entry".
  
• Name: Enter a name (e.g., "Dual Boot Windows").
• Drive: Select the drive letter you chose before.
• Hit the green plus button.

STEP 7 Configure Boot Menu

Go to the "Edit Boot Menu" tab to verify your changes.

• You can change the order and default OS here.
• Tip: Enable "Use Metro bootloader" for a modern look.

STEP 8 First Boot

Restart your PC and select the new Windows partition.

Setup Tips

• If you don't connect to the internet during setup, you won't be forced to use a Microsoft account.
• If you leave the password blank initially, you won't be forced to set security questions.

STEP 9 Done

Your dual boot system is now ready to use!