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Can you install Linux on a Windows PC without leaving Windows nowadays? I think the maximum you can expect from a casual user is to click a link to download an

by skohan 6y ago

Can you install Linux on a Windows PC without leaving Windows nowadays? I think the maximum you can expect from a casual user is to click a link to download an installer, and then to go through a wizard. But I would wager to guess even a lot of users over 30 would need a friend or relative who is "good with computers" to attempt even this.

donatzsky 6y ago
Don't know if there's any Linux distribution doing it, but it seems to me that it should be possible. You'll just need to have a bootloader that's capable of reading NTFS partitions, that can launch the installation after reboot.
input_sh 6y ago
You can burn an image to a USB and you can restart your computer into BIOS/UEFI. You'd manually have to select the USB device to boot from to continue, which would lead you to the wizard of whatever Linux distro you chose (Ubuntu based ones have "install X alongside Windows" option in there). You could theoretically also shrink a disk partition for a Linux install from a Windows system, but Windows doesn't recognise Linux filesystems (like ext4) natively. As a result, you can't go any further with installing Linux, and I don't know if you can mess around the bootloader to point it to GRUB. That's talking about dual boot of course, because I'm pretty sure you can't completely replace a Windows install from a running Windows system.
- skohan 6y ago
  Yeah I think the processes you describe would be perceived as extremely technical to 99% of computer users.
- Okawari 6y ago
  If you could make the bootloader point to grub you could potentially just make an automated install partition, make the computer restart and boot into that. Then from there install Linux from there without requiring user input. Technically not installing it from windows. But the install action would be initiated from windows. Would probably end up super janky in the end tho.
rzzzt 6y ago
Ubuntu had a Windows installer, WUBI [1], which placed a large image file to the C: drive IIRC, but nowadays the suggestion seems to be to enable WSL and work from there. The USB installer still offers to resize existing partitions and install Ubuntu alongside Windows. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wubi_(software) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wubi_(software)
- skohan 6y ago
  > enable WSL and work from there What do you mean? You can set up a bootable Linux install from Windows, or just use WSL instead of booting Linux?
  - rzzzt 6y ago
    Using WSL instead of dual-booting.
    - skohan 6y ago
      Then you're not really using Linux as an OS at all are you?
    - innocenat 6y ago
      That doesn't solve the problem of Microsoft forcing restarts.
sjy 6y ago
You can tell them to go to the Microsoft Store, search for Ubuntu, and click Install. I have used this to coach non-technical Windows users over the phone to run software packaged in Ubuntu.
- skohan 6y ago
  In other words run Ubuntu inside Windows? This is completely antithetical to the goal of escaping Windows

by skohan 6y ago

donatzsky 6y ago

Don't know if there's any Linux distribution doing it, but it seems to me that it should be possible. You'll just need to have a bootloader that's capable of reading NTFS partitions, that can launch the installation after reboot.

input_sh 6y ago

You can burn an image to a USB and you can restart your computer into BIOS/UEFI. You'd manually have to select the USB device to boot from to continue, which would lead you to the wizard of whatever Linux distro you chose (Ubuntu based ones have "install X alongside Windows" option in there). You could theoretically also shrink a disk partition for a Linux install from a Windows system, but Windows doesn't recognise Linux filesystems (like ext4) natively. As a result, you can't go any further with installing Linux, and I don't know if you can mess around the bootloader to point it to GRUB. That's talking about dual boot of course, because I'm pretty sure you can't completely replace a Windows install from a running Windows system.

skohan 6y ago
Yeah I think the processes you describe would be perceived as extremely technical to 99% of computer users.
Okawari 6y ago
If you could make the bootloader point to grub you could potentially just make an automated install partition, make the computer restart and boot into that. Then from there install Linux from there without requiring user input. Technically not installing it from windows. But the install action would be initiated from windows. Would probably end up super janky in the end tho.

rzzzt 6y ago

Ubuntu had a Windows installer, WUBI [1], which placed a large image file to the C: drive IIRC, but nowadays the suggestion seems to be to enable WSL and work from there. The USB installer still offers to resize existing partitions and install Ubuntu alongside Windows. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wubi_(software) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wubi_(software)

skohan 6y ago
> enable WSL and work from there What do you mean? You can set up a bootable Linux install from Windows, or just use WSL instead of booting Linux?
- rzzzt 6y ago
  Using WSL instead of dual-booting.
  - skohan 6y ago
    Then you're not really using Linux as an OS at all are you?
  - innocenat 6y ago
    That doesn't solve the problem of Microsoft forcing restarts.

sjy 6y ago

You can tell them to go to the Microsoft Store, search for Ubuntu, and click Install. I have used this to coach non-technical Windows users over the phone to run software packaged in Ubuntu.

skohan 6y ago
In other words run Ubuntu inside Windows? This is completely antithetical to the goal of escaping Windows