Make a Dell Inspirion N5110 to dual boot with windows 7 and linux mint 18.3

Question

I have an old Dell Inspirion N5110 Laptop that I'm thinking about making it dual bootable with Linux Mint 18.3. I have plenty of hard drive, to partition it, but from what I've read, I need to change Legacy (BIOS) to UEFI boot system. Would this change corrupt the LapTop? Your first question might be WHY? Well the LapTop is old enough and rarely used for Windows 7 programs and it is really slow. By putting Mint on it, I'll have a LapTop to learn Mint on. If I do something wrong and wipe out the hard drive, no problem, I have Windows 7 Backed up. Is it doable?

Answer 1

To dual boot your Dell Inspiron N5110 with Windows 7 and Linux Mint 18.3, you will need to consider a few important points regarding the BIOS and UEFI settings. Here are the steps and considerations:

1. Legacy vs. UEFI: The Dell Inspiron N5110 typically supports Legacy BIOS mode. If your Windows 7 installation is in Legacy mode, switching to UEFI may not be straightforward. You would need to convert your disk from MBR (Master Boot Record) to GPT (GUID Partition Table) if you want to boot in UEFI mode. However, this process can be complex and may require data backup and disk formatting.
2. Backing Up Data: Since you mentioned that you have Windows 7 backed up, that’s a good safety measure. Ensure that all important data is backed up before making any changes to the partitioning or boot settings.
3. Partitioning the Hard Drive: You can create a separate partition for Linux Mint using a partitioning tool. Make sure to allocate enough space for the Linux installation.
4. Installing Linux Mint: During the installation of Linux Mint, you can choose the option to install alongside Windows 7, which should set up the dual boot configuration for you.
5. Boot Menu: After installation, you should be able to select between Windows 7 and Linux Mint at boot time. If you encounter issues with the boot menu, you may need to use the BCDBoot command to repair or set up the boot options.

In summary, it is doable to set up a dual boot system, but you need to be cautious about the BIOS settings and partitioning. If you are not comfortable with converting to UEFI, it may be safer to keep the system in Legacy mode.

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References:

• Boot to UEFI Mode or legacy BIOS mode
• BCDBoot Command-Line Options