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I'm on windows 10 pro, I need to keep my old data ( photos, videos, ...) how can I keep them after transferring my operating system to linux.

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    Depending on your install choices. Some erase drive. Note with Linux a drive is the entire device HDD or SSD, sda, sdb etc, and partition is part of a device like sda1, sda2 etc. Microsoft confuses drives & partitions. Windows "D: Drive" may be second partition on first drive or first partition on second drive. You always should have good backups, but even more critical when making major system changes.
    – oldfred
    Jul 4, 2021 at 23:01
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    Even though your data should remain untouched if you install Linux on a different partition or disk, there is one mandatory advice that's missing here: BACKUP! BACKUP! BACKUP! If the data is so important that you're afraid of losing it, you should have it backed up somewhere. Every operation to a disk (whether it be installing Windows, Linux, Mac, RISC-OS or IBM-DOS; or simply resizing/creating/deleting partitions) has some risk of going wrong. If you didn't have a backup when it goes wrong, then the data clearly wasn't important enough.
    – Opifex
    Jul 5, 2021 at 15:44

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Simply shrink the size of your Windows 10 partition and install Ubuntu in the vacated space as dual boot. You can still boot into windows and use your data natively or boot into Ubuntu and access your Windows data through Ubuntu. See:

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  • When I did this a long time ago there was an issue with hibernation files
    – qwr
    Jul 5, 2021 at 0:26
  • @qwr There is another well known Q&A where you can't hibernate Windows and reboot into Ubuntu.
    – WinEunuuchs2Unix
    Jul 5, 2021 at 2:09
  • that's not what I was referring to, it was unable to shrink partition due to hiberfil.sys
    – qwr
    Jul 5, 2021 at 2:40
  • @qwr Post a new question to your problem and let me know the link and I'll have a look.
    – WinEunuuchs2Unix
    Jul 5, 2021 at 4:07
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    IMO this answer should have a big "back your data up first" warning. If someone needs to ask the OP's question then they are probably inexperienced enough that mistakes are possible.
    – Jon Bentley
    Jul 5, 2021 at 18:22
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If you don't want to keep windows 10 than try it:

shrink your disk According to your storage size and transfer your data to that disk. And while Installing linux only you need you erase all disk except that backup disk and than install linux on your pc. See this link for more info... How do I backup the pre-installed Windows before installing Ubuntu?

If you want to keep windows 10 than try it:

First make a unallocated space in your hard disk. From disk management.

You only need to install linux manually at disk management part choose something else and try to install on unallocated disk it will dual boot your linux with windows.. See this link for more info..

https://itsfoss.com/install-ubuntu-dual-boot-mode-windows/

Hope , It will help you..!

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The first question is if you want to keep your windows 10? If you don't want it anymore, I will suggest backup your media files and do a full installation of Linux OS. Bear in mind that disk operation isn't 100% safe. In the worst case, you will lose your media files.

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