Dual Boot Endeavour Windows 11

General system Newbie
1

Hi! well, im really happy using EndeavourOS but i need to use windows for some games, because some companies cough BUNGIE refuse to work around their anticheats without banning you no matter what. So i decide to build a new pc with 3 disk, 1TB nvme for windows 11, 1TB nvme for Endervour and 1 4TB SSD for /home partition to store big files plus games on linux.

But my question is, how can i have a dual boot system with separate disks? i known you can have both systems in 1 disk with partitions and using GRUB but i can’t find any guide on how to do it with 2 different store units.

Anyone can guide me here, please? my partitions on linux will be

500MB /boot
8/10GB /swap
100/120GB /
remaining space /home

2

When I years ago setup each on separate disks, I put in/pulled out each one as I went (windows 1st), and then I just used the bios order to put linux first and when I wanted windows I would specify the boot disk.

It was quite simple actually

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3

That sounds brilliantly simple! :sweat_smile:

4

Install Windows first on disk 1.

Install EOS on disk 2 with Grub.

When you boot into EOS, you enable os-prober (maybe it is already enabled by default in EOS) and update your grub.cfg.

os-prober discover your Windows and let Grub to create a boot menu entry for it in grub.cfg.

When you boot your system, you will see Grub’s boot menu. You can choose which system to boot up.

You can install EOS with systemd-boot too but you have to do some more manual work after to add Windows to the boot menu.

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5

Setup a separate EFI partition on each boot SSD.
Windows wipes non signed EFI boot entries from disc.

6

Wise choice to have different disks for different OS. Keeps everything clean.

I am assuming that /dev/nvme0n1 will be for EOS, while /dev/nvme0n2 will be for Win11 and /dev/nvme0n3 will be for data.
Just start the normal EOS installer and select /dev/nvme0n1 as the disk that you would like to install EOS. Your partition table that you have given above should be fine.
GRUB2 will add the entry automatically to Win11.

A suggestion from my side, install os-probe package along with GRUB2. That should take care of detecting Windows 11 if you do install Windows 11 after you have installed EOS.

I would not recommend going down the path of systemd-boot.

I would strongly urge to assign partition names and labels to all the partitions. Especially EOS ones. It helps immeasurably during rescue and recovery.

Final and most important. As @Berta has rightly said, have different boot/efi partitions for both EOS and Win11. Do not mix them.

Let us know how it goes.

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7

Thanks for all the support guys, but how i do 2 boot/efi, one for each system? i mean, i do 1 when i install EOS but for windows i just intall it normally in the second disk and just that?

Thanks, i was thinking the same, but how i update the grub.cfg?

8

I would unplug the one drive when you install
then plug it back in and unplug the other one when you install.
this removes more variables than you think.

that’s how you do that. works for me anyway. edit/typo

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9

When you install Windows first on disk 1, it will create all the partitions it needs, including an EFI partition. This is the Windows side.

When you install EOS on disk 2, go with the erase disk automatic install and choose GRUB as bootloader. EOS will create all the partition it needs. Including an EFI partition.

Now each operating system has its own EFI partition. Windows on disk 1 and EOS on disk 2.

After you finish installing EOS , check this link

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GRUB#Detecting_other_operating_systems

When you know os-prober is enabled, you update your grub.cfg with this command:

grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

10

Cars run fine on the ground. Generally do not travel on water. Best to use a BOAT.

Folks will have compatibility issues on one device that boots multiple OS. It can be done, just not always and totally perfect.

11

Your analogy doesn’t hold water :wink:
Not in this case.

The setup outlined above is the most foolproof way of having Windows and Linux, installed on bare metal, in a dualboot system. The dual-disk solution separates the two systems. It can even work with one disk and two separate ESPs.

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12

Having two disks or multiple disks with a single OS on each disk is one of the most full proof way to run multiple systems. The other option is to run different OS in VM/containers. But that is hardly dual booting. Further it is very taxing if the hardware is old, say more than 5 years or more.

With the current play of tariffs, upgrading to new laptops/computers is going to get expensive. Very expensive. More beneficial for the environment to extend the life of existing hardware.