You’ve road-tested several flavours of Linux and settled on the one you want to switch Y to. You might feel ready to ditch Windows completely, but in most cases, you’ll probably want (or need) to keep it running for a specific app or game.
The key is not to rush anything. Start by disabling hibernation, which can interfere with dual-booting: right-click the Start button and choose Command Prompt (Admin) or Terminal (Admin) – whichever appears. Now type powercfg -h off and hit Enter. Next, take a fail-safe backup of your Windows system drive as it currently stands. This requires a drive-imaging tool, and our favourite Windows tool by far is Macrium Reflect Free (www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx).
Once downloaded and installed, open and click Create An Image Of The Partition(s) Required To Backup Andboot disk earlier). With your fail-safe backup done, you’re ready to proceed. If you were simply wiping Windows clean (are you sure; are your personal files stored on a separate drive?), just boot from the Linux installation media you created on the previous page, then choose the option to erase the disk and install your distro in its place.
