How to dual boot Windows and Solis OS

Brief: This detailed article shows you how to install Solus OS alongside Windows 10 which is also known as Dual boot, properly step-by-step, and accompanied with proper screenshots

So you have decided to switch to Linux, that is a great decision! And you have chosen to use Solus OS that’s even better. Solus OS is one of the most beginner-friendly Linux. As it comes with tons of pre-installed apps and features that will make your Linux experience great. It’s even featured in our list of 5 Best Linux distros for beginners in 2020. As almost all Linux distros we see are either based on Ubuntu, Debian or Arch based. But the creators of Solus OS have created it from scratch. Even better news is the desktop environment in Solus OS is also built from scratch which they call Budgie.

Although Solus OS is built from scratch the user experience it offers is great. Its desktop environment is elegant, sleek and fast. Using Solus Os is also very easy and installing it is also not rocket science. Installing Solus OS alongside Windows will be quite easy just follow these instructions and enjoy using Linux.

Trying or Installing Solus OS

So you have heard a lot about Solus OS but still, are not sure whether to install it? Don’t worry Solus OS also supports live USB mode which will let you try Solus OS without even installing it. Although any changes that you make in this mode will be erased after reboot. But this will give you an idea if you like Solus or not.

Requirements for installing Solus OS

• Blank USB thumb drive(4 GB recommended)
• Solus OS Iso Image
• A tool to write ISO image to USB(I am using Rufus.)
• 2GB of RAM for an optimal experience.

Step 1: Downloading Solus OS

You can download Solus OS from here. This is the Solus OS official download page. I am installing Solus Budgie, you can also install any other Solus OS flavor which you like depending on the desktop environment, the installation process will be the same. Solus OS budgie comes with a Budgie desktop environment. Budgie is specially created for Solus OS and offers a unique experience as compared to GNOME and MATE.

Step 2: Create a bootable USB drive.

To create bootable USB I am using Rufus you can download it from here.

Plug USB drive into the computer and open Rufus. Select the previously downloaded image of Solus OS. Rufus should automatically select the USB drive, but please make sure that it has selected the correct drive (Note- This USB thumb drive will be formatted and all the previous data on this drive will be lost so Backup before proceeding.) Then click start and click “Ok” and wait for the process to complete.

Step 3: Boot Into USB

Plug the USB drive and restart your computer. As soon as the motherboard logo appears at the start of your computer press the boot key. The boot key is generally the F10 or F12 function key(varies from motherboard to motherboard). This will show you the menu to boot from USB or Windows device manager. You should select the USB drive and press enter.

Step 4: Selecting to Install

When you boot from the USB drive you will be presented with this menu Solus 4.0 (Budgie) press enter. Solus OS will load into live USB mode. You can try using Solus OS here before installing it.

Step 5: Prepare the Installation

Click on the install icon at the taskbar near the start menu. Follow the instructions below in the installation dialog box to complete the installation of Solus OS.

1. Select your native language in language.
2. You can select Find My location automatically to automatically detect your location or you can also manually select your location at the next screen to select your timezone.
3. At where should we install? Select Install a fresh copy of Solus OS alongside your existing operating system. Press Next.
4. Advance disk configuration. At this screen reduce the size of your Windows partition to make space for the installation of Solus OS. Although Solus OS can be installed in 10 Gb of space I will recommend having at least 30Gb for Solus OS. After installation, you will have space to save your new Apps and media files in Solus OS.
5. At the next screen, enter some details. This password will be required as a login password for Solus OS every time you use Solus OS. Press Next and Install wait for some time it will complete installation of Solus OS on your PC.

Restart and at startup, you should see the option to choose between Windows and Solus OS.
This completes the installation process. If you find any problems you can ask me for help in the comments. I Will try to help you as much as I can.