Back in 2009 or earlier, I was still using Windows operating system. That is when I discovered Linux had better support for PC hardware, so I had successfully dual boot using Wubi with ease. It was dual boot between Windows XP and Ubuntu 8.04.
The problem
Not long after that, I had attempted to set up traditional dual boot i.e. Install Windows first, then followed by Linux on a budget laptop. It was a bad decision. This time, I think it was Windows XP and Ubuntu 10.04 (or newer, can't recall).
Despite successful, I had trouble to work with the Wi-Fi card: one moment it worked in Linux, but later if I boot into Windows the Wi-Fi card is not detected. What I did after this was history:
I did a hardware scan manually from Device Manager, then I got the Wi-Fi back in Windows
Next time I boot into Linux, I lose the Wi-Fi connection and card is not present again; I didn't know how to perform hardware detection manually on Linux, so I reinstall Linux again
This time I boot into Linux, Wi-Fi worked properly again
Boot into Windows again, I lose Wi-Fi card again.
By the time I performed the fresh installation of Linux for third time, I totally lost the Wi-Fi card at all. It was never detected again on both Windows and Linux. I finally realized that I had permanently damaged the Wi-Fi card. This was first time.
Few years later, I repeated the history. I damaged again another Wi-Fi card, this time on different laptop with different hardware specification. At this point, I finally learned that setting up traditional dual boot has risk of permanently damage hardware components on laptops (I haven't experience on Desktop, since it relies on Ethernet/LAN interface rather than a Wi-Fi card).
Since then, I had totally migrated to Linux and I vow to never dual boot Windows and Linux again.
TL;DR (summary)
Set up dual boot between Windows and Ubuntu by partitioning works, except the Wi-Fi card detection was detected only on either system (never able to use Wi-Fi on both). Forced hardware scanning and repeated fresh installation had permanently damaged the Wi-Fi card on two different laptops.
The question
Today in 2015, is there any risk of damaging hardware by setting up a traditional dual boot of Windows and Linux? If yes, how to avoid the hardware damage when setting up dual boot and still able to use the same hardware components on both Windows and Linux?
Similar problems (remain unanswered as Oct 2015)
- Wireless working fine in Linux but not in Windows [asked on Super User, Feb 2014]
- Wireless does work in Windows but not in Linux [asked on Ask Ubuntu, Aug 2015]