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So, I wish to dual install Linux into my computer. My concern is suppose there is a program or file which is openable both in Linux and in Windows (eg: text md file), then is there any way to access the windows files from a Linux boot?

Btw I plan on using Fedora.

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    There is, you can just mount the Windows drive. But modifying your Windows boot partition from Linux can be risky. It is best to make a separate data partition that will be shared between Linux and Windows, and format it as NTFS (so Windows can read it).
    – Esther
    Commented Jul 5, 2022 at 16:29
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    How to mount a device in linux Mounting a device/drive/partition is kind of like assigning it a drive letter in Windows: it allows you to access the filesystem on the device and view/modify data.
    – Esther
    Commented Jul 5, 2022 at 16:32
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    Windows and Linux use different permissions schemes, and they are not very compatible. Additionally, Linux doesn't know about protected files under Windows and can modify/corrupt them.
    – Esther
    Commented Jul 5, 2022 at 16:36
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    Also be sure to turn off "fast startup" in Windows
    – Esther
    Commented Jul 5, 2022 at 16:37
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    @EthakkaappamwithChai Windows caches some of the file system metadata on closedown, instead of updating the disk itself. That makes it faster to start back up. But Linux boot just sees bad data structures on the disk. It is like hibernating one OS and then expecting it to un-hibernate into a different one. Linux also uses a file system driver called ntfs-3g (a standard package) to deal with NTFS file partitions.
    – Paul_Pedant
    Commented Jul 5, 2022 at 16:45

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Would I be able to access my Windows files if I am to make a dual boot into Linux?

Yes.

Most desktop environments allow to transparently open NTFS drives just by browsing "My computer" or whatever there is. There's been no need to mount (a Linux console utility) Windows partitions for many years now.

The biggest issue of using Linux along with Windows has been and remains to this day is dual booting. It might get complicated depending on your hardware and partitioning scheme.

Whatever you decide to do, make a full backup of your data and verify you've actually backed up everything. In Linux it's a lot easier to destroy all your data than in Windows.

Installing Linux on a separate disk might be a good idea.

Lastly, please consider using Fedora Live image (Fedora 36: x86_64 Live ISO) for a while to get a feel of it. Linux is so drastically different in many aspects you may decide it's not worth it.

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  • What is a live image?
    – Cathartic Encephalopathy
    Commented Jul 5, 2022 at 16:44
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    Live ISO: getfedora.org/en/workstation/download - something you can copy to your flash drive and boot from it without touching any files on your disk. It's a safe way of trying Linux and making sure it fully supports your hardware.
    – Artem S. Tashkinov
    Commented Jul 5, 2022 at 16:46
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    Yes, in the Live ISO you can do everything which you can do in in the installed version, except any changes will be lost when you decide to reboot.
    – Artem S. Tashkinov
    Commented Jul 5, 2022 at 16:47
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    It depends on where you'll save it. The default location will be RAM (memory), but you can open any of your Windows drives and save it there. Except don't save it to your System EFI drive - normally it's hidden in Windows. Also, it's normally quite small - around 100MB I guess? Haven't installed Windows for a while, don't know.
    – Artem S. Tashkinov
    Commented Jul 5, 2022 at 16:49
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    Exactly, but as I said, you can open your Windows drives and save your files over there.
    – Artem S. Tashkinov
    Commented Jul 5, 2022 at 16:50

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