Dual Booting Windows and Linux With a Second Hard Drive/SSD
If you’ve ever wanted to explore Linux but don’t want to give up Windows entirely, setting up a dual boot system is the best way to go. In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to dual boot Windows and Zorin OS safely by installing Zorin on a second hard drive.
Zorin OS is one of the most user-friendly Linux distributions, designed to feel familiar to Windows users. The process begins by downloading the latest Zorin ISO file from the official website and using Rufus in Windows to create a bootable USB drive. Once that’s ready, reboot your PC, enter your BIOS or boot menu, and start the Zorin installer.
When prompted, choose “Erase disk and install Zorin OS” and select your second drive as the installation target. This ensures your Windows installation remains untouched. The Zorin OS install media will automatically look after all the necessary partitioning for the installation. After installation, your PC will automatically configure a boot menu allowing you to choose between Windows and Zorin at startup.
Once you boot into Zorin for the first time, update your system using the built-in Software Updater or Terminal. Then, you can easily access your Windows drive from the Zorin file manager to move your documents, pictures, and other files.
With this setup, you can enjoy the speed, privacy, and flexibility of Linux while keeping your Windows environment available whenever you need it.
Watch the full video tutorial below to see each step in action and learn how to install Zorin OS on a second drive safely and efficiently.
I found your video very useful. But I have a concern. I have Win 10 and use Aomei Backupper with the Recovery Environment Boot Up option. I understand that by adding Zorin 18 on a second SSD, that Linux will create a GRUB menu giving me the option to choose Win 10 or Zorin. Will this erase the Aomei Recovery boot up menu?
It *shouldn’t*. Adding Linux in a dual boot arrangement should simply add the boot option to the existing list of options. I have a PC that runs Windows and 2 different versions of Linux, each boot option simply showing up after the install as an additional option. The reason I say *shouldn’t* though, is that I don’t use AOMEI products, so I’m not familiar with the specifics of their applications. Also, as with all things computing, sometimes the unexpected happens….