Troubleshoot: Dual booting with windows 7 and Linux Mint 17.1

What is Dual Booting?

• Dual-boot is a term used to describe a computer that utilizes two operating systems. For example, with a dual-boot you could have Windows 8 and Mac OS X on the same machine. The concept of installing more than two operating systems is referred to as a multi-boot. Some examples of software that assist with a dual-boot include Acronis Disk Director for Windows, Apple boot camp for Mac, and GRUB for Linux users. These programs allow users to pick which operating system they want to load as the computer is starting up.  

Reasons why you may want to dual-boot

• Multi-User Connectivity
  
  
  Another advantage of dual-boot is that it can make one computer functional for different users. For example, in a home setting, dual-booting allows you to keep your work or files from being infected by questionable software downloaded by your kids. Or, for instance, you may have a Mac user and a PC user in your home. Dual-booting makes one machine work for both parties.

   

• Trial Run For New Operating Systems
  
  
  Dual-boot can be a great way for users to try out a new operating system. When a new software is released, it is likely to have bugs and compatibility issues with both the hardware and software. With dual-boot, you have a way of finding out whether or not the new operating system will work with your current setup without compromising its present configuration. Dual-boot is especially beneficial to network administrators or computer technicians who are looking to deploy a new operating system.

   

• Testing Compatibility
   
  Aside from testing a new operating system, dual-boot is also helpful in determining the compatibility of an application with your present computing environment. For example, a user could perform a dry run of an application on a separate installation to ensure that it is compatible with both systems before deleting their previous setup.