My Smooth Journey Setting Up Dual Boot: Windows + Fedora Workstation Linux 🚀🐧

#linux #architecture #tutorial #beginners

I recently installed Fedora Linux alongside Windows on my laptop — and wow, the journey was smoother after I fixed one annoying issue: EFI partition placement.
So here’s the full step-by-step guide I followed, plus how I solved my partitioning problems 🙌

1. Prepare Disk Partitions 🧩

Originally, my laptop had:

C: (main Windows system)
D: (a secondary partition I previously created from C)

Since I wanted Fedora to handle automatic shrinking during installation, I decided to:

Delete Drive D, turning it into Unallocated Space
Merge that unallocated space back into C:

This would allow the Fedora installer to manage partitioning cleanly.

But here’s the problem:

Windows wouldn’t let me merge the unallocated space back into C:
because the EFI System Partition (ESP) was sitting between C: and the unallocated space.

This made the layout look messy, and Windows Disk Management can’t extend a partition if something is blocking it from the right side.

The Fix: Move the EFI System Partition 🔧

To solve this, I used IM-Magic Partition Resizer to:

Move the EFI System Partition to the far right
After that, Windows finally allowed me to merge the unallocated space into C:

💡 If your laptop only has a single C: drive and no D:, you likely won’t face this issue.

2. Download Fedora Media Writer 📥

I downloaded Fedora Media Writer from the official website.

Since my laptop is running Windows, I selected the Windows download option.

On the next page, choose the win64 .exe file to download the installer.

3. Insert Your USB Drive 💾

Plug in your USB stick (4GB or more).

4. Create the Bootable USB 🔨

Install and open Fedora Media Writer
Select Fedora Workstation
Choose your USB drive (usually auto-detected)
Write the image

A few minutes later — USB is ready! 🎉

5. Restart 🔁 and Boot From USB

Restart your laptop, and choose to boot from the USB drive.

6. Install Fedora on Your Computer

In Live Mode:

Test your hardware (WiFi, Bluetooth, audio, etc.)
Start the installer
Choose how much space Fedora should use (it will detect the space you prepared earlier)

7. Boot Into Windows Again 🪟

After Fedora finishes installing:

Reboot
Select Windows Boot Manager
Check that Windows works properly
Verify that your C: drive size has decreased based on the Fedora partition

8. Eject the USB Drive

Safely remove your USB stick and restart again.

9. Boot Into Fedora 🏁

Restart again and choose Fedora from the boot menu.
If everything loads fine — congrats! You now have a clean and stable Windows + Fedora dual-boot setup 🐧💻